Brick Lane star and Bollywood director Satish Kaushik dies aged 66 after suffering a heart attack
Bollywood actor and director Satish Kaushik has died at the age of 66.
The star’s nephew Nishaan Kaushik told BBC Hindi that the actor suffered a heart attack on Thursday morning.
Satish – whose breakthrough role came in the 1987 hit Mr India – died in India’s capital Delhi.
His best friend Anupam Kher took to Twitter to pay tribute to the Bollywood icon, penning: ‘I know ‘death is the ultimate truth of this world’ But I never thought in my dreams that I would write this thing about my best friend #SatishKaushik while alive.
‘Such a sudden full stop on friendship of 45 years!! Life will NEVER be the same without you SATISH! Om Shanti!’
Tragic news: Bollywood actor and director Satish Kaushik has died at the age of 66 (pictured in January)
Starring role: Satish was also known for starring in 2007 British drama film, Brick Lane, place in London following the 9/11 terror attacks and reflected a period of heightened racial tensions
Satish was also known for starring in 2007 British drama film, Brick Lane.
The movie was set place in London following the 9/11 terror attacks and reflected a period of heightened racial tensions in Britain.
Based on the critically acclaimed book it told the story of a Bangladeshi woman called Nazneen (Tannishtha Chatterjee) who moves to London to wed a man twice her age (Satish) in an arranged marriage.
While the film was received well by critics, with a 63 percent rating on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes it also proved to be controversial.
It was condemned for portraying the Bangladeshi community as ignorant and sexist.
King Charles and the Queen Consort had been due to see the film as the 2007 Royal Film Performance but pulled out the screening amid fears it could be targeted by protesters.
A spokesman confirmed at the time that the sensitive subject matter, coupled with the royal couple’s busy schedule, meant they would not attend.
Born in 1956 in Delhi’s Karol Bagh, Satish studied at Kirori Mal College, where he developed his love of theatre.
He went on to study at the National School of Drama before earning a place at the Film and Television Institute of India.
He turned to directing in 1993 but his first two Bollywood films, Sridevi’s Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja and Prem, were box office flops.
He persevered and his 1999 Hindi-language romantic drama film Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain proved to be a success.
Satish is survived by his wife Shashi Kaushik. The couple wed in 1985 and had a son who tragically died in 1996 at two years old.
He previously said of the tragic loss: ‘I lost my son 20 years back when I was at the peak of my career. I couldn’t really get time to even feel that loss.
‘I used to be continuously busy with work and this would make me feel guilty: I didn’t even have the time to mourn my son’s death.’