He was part of my family: Abhishek Bachchan mourns demise of makeup artist

Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan mourned the death of his makeup artist Ashok Sawant in a heartfelt note on Instagram on Monday.

Abhishek shared two pictures with Ashok, one from the set of his latest film “Kaalidhar Laapata” and an older one of them on the set of the 2012 film “Bol Bachchan”.

“Ashok dada and I have worked together for over 27 years. He has been doing my make-up since my very first film. He wasn’t just a part of my team, he was part of my family,” the actor penned.

“Last night we lost him. He was the first person whose feet I would touch and take his blessings whenever I gave my first shot of a new film. From now on I will have to look up to the heavens and know that you’ll be looking down and blessing me,” he wrote.

Abhishek said Ashok’s elder brother Deepak has been his father Amitabh Bachchan’s make-up man for close to 50 years.

“The last couple of years he (Ashok) was ailing so couldn’t always be on set with me. But whenever I was shooting, there wasn’t a single day he wouldn’t check on me. Making sure his assistant was taking care of how my make-up was done,” he added.

“He was the most loving, gentle and affable person. Always a smile on his face, a ready warm embrace and some amazing namkeen chivda or bhakar wadi tucked away in his bag,” the “Dhoom” star added.

Abhishek thanked the artist for his role in his life and offered his prayers.

“Thank you dada, for your love, your care, your dignity, your talent and for your smile. It’s heartbreaking to even think of going to work and knowing that you won’t be with me. I pray you are in peace and I look forward to the bear-hug when we meet again. Rest in peace and happiness Ashok Sawant,” he added.