On Thursday, November 12, Bollywood opened up to the tragic death of Asif Basra. The veteran actor, known for his memorable roles in a number of films like Jab We Met, Kai Po Che, and Hichki was found dead at his rented residence in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh. The actor died by suicide.
Asif Basra allegedly died by hanging himself with a leash of his pet dog. The incident took place at 11:30 am on Thursday. No suicide note has been recovered. The police are currently investigating the case, Vimukt Ranjan, superintendent of police Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh confirmed to mid-day.
His tragic and sudden death has sent many of his co-stars and directors in shock. Several of B-Town folk mourned his tragic death and paid their condolences. In his over two-decade-long career, Basra played supporting parts in many critically-acclaimed features like Black Friday, Parzania, and Outsourced. However, it was a small-but-memorable role in Imtiaz Ali's romantic comedy Jab We Met that made him a popular face. Basra played the role of a station vendor in Ali's film harassing Kareena Kapoor at Ratlam railway station.
Imitiaz went to memory lane, remembering the good old day with the late actor. Speaking to IANS, the director said, "I remember while making Jab We Met, I wanted an intelligent actor who could convey what I was trying to say and present. I wanted to show two qualities -- lechery and humour -- at the same time through that role. I wanted him to be threatening and funny at the same time. So, for the role, I wanted a special actor who had the mind and the skill to perform. I have known Aasif through theatre in Mumbai. It is what had led me to him many years ago".
Reacting to his death, he said, "For me, Asif is a special part of a special film. He was a fantastic actor. The news of his demise is very shocking and disturbing".
Apart from Jab We Met, the actor found success in Rani Mukherji-starrer Hickhi. The 2018-film saw him play the role of a peon named Shyamlal, and that too in perfection. Siddharth Malhotra, who directed this film, mourned the tragic loss of the actor. Speaking exclusively to mid-day, Malhotra said, "He would often say that he would visit the place to live in the mountains and to escape from Mumbai. Despite being talented, he didn't have an ego. He was also well-read and versed in several subjects. As an actor, he was hungry, and would always try to make a scene better", he said.
Mukesh Chhabra, who had roped in late actor Asif Basra for projects like Kai Po Che and Hostages 2 was shocked by the reports of his death. "He was such a brilliant actor and so energetic. I am still in shock. He was so positive. For every role, he would say, 'if you want to audition me, I am always ready. Whether it was two scenes or three scenes, he used to stand out in every film. His personality was such that he used to leave a mark. He used to improvise too, for he was a spontaneous actor", the director said.
Asif was last seen in web-series Hostages 2. The cast of Hostages 2, including director Sudhir Mishra, mourned his loss. Here's what Mishra tweeted:
Asif Basra gone ,knew for many years and then had the good fortune of working with him in Hostages 2. Lovely guy.He brought certain energy with him to the set A private man ,so never spoke about his personal life but I knew that he had moved to Himachal n lived their part of d yr
— Sudhir Mishra (@IAmSudhirMishra) November 12, 2020
Ronit Roy took to his Instagram handle to pen a heartfelt note for his late co-star.
View this post on Instagram
Divya Dutta tweeted:
Terribly shocked to hear about @asifbasra s untimely demise. We shot togetger for #hostages2. Looked sucha happy free spirited man! And was Sucha fab actor!! Rip Asif. this is hard to digest.
— Divya Dutta (@divyadutta25) November 12, 2020
Filmmaker Hansal Mehta was one of the first ones to share the tragic news on Twitter. He expressed his shock and sorrow about the news. Here's what he tweeted:
Asif Basra! Can't be true... This is just very, very sad.
— Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) November 12, 2020
Re-tweeting Hansal's tweet, actor Manoj Bajpayee wrote, "What? This is too shocking!! Shot with him just before Lockdown!!! Oh My God!!!"
What? This is too shocking!! Shot with him just before Lockdown!!! Oh My God!!! https://t.co/alfYTGxChH
— manoj bajpayee (@BajpayeeManoj) November 12, 2020
Anushka Sharma took to her Instagram story and paid her last respects.
Swara Bhaskar said that she was "numb and shocked" upon hearing the tragic news. She wrote:
This is heart-breaking and rings too close to home to know that more than one artist is suffering to a point where they choose death over life. Speechless and numb with shock. RIP #AsifBasra This is becoming a scarily familiar tragedy! 💔💔💔 https://t.co/3X1uDSFhvd
— Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) November 12, 2020
Rest in peace, Basra sir. You will be missed!
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