Arun Bali No More: Amitabh Bachchan, Neena Gupta Pay Tribute To 'Wonderfully Warm and Loving Man'

Veteran actor Arun Bali passed away on Friday (October 7) in Mumbai. He was 79 and was reportedly suffering from Myasthenia Gravis, a neuromuscular problem. Confirming the same, his son Ankush told the PTI, “My father left us. He was suffering from Myasthenia gravis. He had mood swings for two-three days. He told the caretaker he wanted to go to the washroom and after coming out he told him he wanted to sit down and he never got up then.”

Born on December 23, 1942, in Lahore, Pakistan, Arun Bali impressed everyone for decades with his work. He made his TV debut in the year 1989 with ‘Doosra Kewal’. However, he became a popular name after he featured in the popular show titled Neem Ka Ped. Whether it was his role of King Porus in Chanakya or Kunwar Singh in Doordarshan’s Swabhimaan, Arun Bali never failed to rule hearts with his top-notch performances. Among others, the actor also featured in Kumkum – Ek Pyara Sa Bandhan, Phir Wahi Talaash and Maryada: Lekin Kab Tak.

Not just in television, Arun Bali worked in a wide range of Hindi films too. Whether it was Aamir Khans PK or 3 Idiots, he starred in several movies. He was recently seen in Akshay Kumar’s Samrat Prithviraj and Amitabh Bachchan’s Goodbye.

Neena Gupta, who worked with Bali in the recent release Goodbye, paid a heartwarming tribute to the actor. She shared a throwback picture with him from the sets of the TV serial Parampara and wrote, “Goodbye Arun Bali. My first day of shoot on the Parampara series set years ago with Arun Bali. So glad we got to shoot recently for Goodbye.”

Soon after, Amitabh Bachchan also took to Twitter to offer to Bali’s family. “”Very sad to hear of the passing of Arun Bali Ji. A wonderfully warm and loving man. Had the pleasure to share screen space with him on several film. My condolences to his family. Om shanti,” he wrote.

Rashmika Mandanna also shared a picture of the late actor on his Instagram stories and wrote, ‘Truly saddened’ along with a broken heart emoji.

Remembering his Kumkum co-star Hussain Kuwajerwala shared how the veteran actor helped him a lot in his career and became no less than a family for him. “He used to always tell us, ‘Make the most of what you have because you never know when you blink your eyes and the time is gone.’ We used to fondly call him ‘dadaji’ and I will always remember the time we all spent together. I was very new at that time and had just started out. Arunji was experienced and a very fine actor. He mentored me and helped me understand different aspects of acting and various technicalities. He had almost become like a family member to me because we used to spend more time on the sets compared to the time we spent at home,” he told E-Times.

Ashutosh Gowariker also recalled his ‘Panipat’ actor and shared that the actor will be remembered for his discipline. “Arun Bali ji was a giant of an actor. It was a memorable experience of working with him in Panipat, where he portrayed Maharaja Baba Ala Singh, the King of Patiala. I was worried Arun ji might say no to play it, because of the brief screen appearance. But he consented immediately,” he told E-Times.

“Even at his age, Arun ji was most punctual and disciplined. He made sure he knew all his lines before he came in front of the camera. And he would get it right in the first take itself! I will cherish the moments spent with him. My heartfelt condolences to the family,” Gowariker added.

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