Bollywood veteran actor Om Puri dies of heart attack

Indian actor Om Puri has passed away after a massive heart attack in Mumbai early this morning, Indian Express reported. He was 66.

His close friend, filmmaker Ashoke Pandit, was the first to announce his passing on Twitter:

According to Times of India, Puri returned home last evening after a shoot and didn't answer his door bell in the morning. His driver then raised an alarm. Puri’s body was taken to Cooper hospital for postmortem.

His funeral will take place at 6pm, according to a tweet by his colleague and friend Shabana Azmi:

Puri was a veteran of Bollywood cinema and also appeared in Pakistani film Actor In Law last year. He visited Pakistan frequently, being an ardent supporter of Pak-India cultural collaborations and was a regular fixture on the film and literary festival circuit in Pakistan.

Also read: Pakistanis pamper me and everyone wants to take a selfie: Om Puri on filming in Pakistan

He said of his experience of filming Actor In Law in Pakistan, "I really like working in Pakistan, because I'm pampered a lot here. I keep responding to people's salaams from morning to night. So many people want to throw me a dinner party at their house. And everyone wants a selfie."

He continued, "I've known Pakistanis abroad for about 20 years. I have always received love from them, so much so that it's hard to believe that there are conflicts between our two countries. I pray that we find our way to peace and both countries work towards progress, friendship and trade."

Puri also played several Pakistani characters in British and Hollywood films, from the iconic role of George Khan in British dramedies East is East and West is West to President Zia-ul-Haq in Charlie Wilson's War.

He was last seen in Manoj Sharma's Yeh Hai Lollipop.

Members of the Bollywood fraternity took to Twitter to mourn his loss:

Rest in peace, Om Puri.