Remembering Asrani: The actor who lit up Indian cinema for over 5 decades   

In a career spanning over five decades and 300 films, veteran actor Asrani left a mark in the film industry with a variety of roles.

The actor, known for his performances in movies such as ‘Sholay’, ‘Chhoti Si Baat’ and ‘Abhimaan’, passed away on Monday afternoon at the age of 84.

Here is a list of some of his most notable roles.

1) ‘Abhimaan’: Directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, who has been Asrani's mentor, the film featured the actor alongside Amitabh Bachchan in the role of his best friend. Also starring Jaya Bachchan, the film emerged as a significant commercial and critical success during its release in 1973.

2) ‘Namak Haraam’: The 1973 film by Hrishikesh Mukherjee which also starred Rajesh Khanna, Rekha and Amitabh Bachchan saw Asrani deliver another comedic performance as Dhondu, Rekha's character's brother. His performance earned him a Filmfare nomination.

3) ‘Mere Apne’: The 1971 film featured the late actor in the role of Raghunath, Chhenu's teammate. Headlined by Meena Kumari, Vinod Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha, the film was directed by Gulzar.

4) ‘Sholay’: Asrani played the role of a jailer, modelled on Charlie Chaplin in ‘The Great Dictator’, in the 1975 blockbuster which featured Amitach Bachchan, Dharmendra and Sanjeev Kumar. In the movie, Asrani delivered the memorable dialogue of ‘Hum angrezon ke zamane ke jailor hain’.

5) ‘Aaj Ki Taaza Khabhar’: In the 1973 Rajendra Bhatia film Asrani plays Champak Bhumia alias Amit Desai. In order to save his friend, he plays the fictitious Champak, but when the real Champak Bhumia shows up chaos ensues. The actor won a Filmfare for his comedic performance in the film.

6) ‘Chhoti Si Baat’: In the 1975 romantic-comedy, Asrani plays the romantic rival of Amol Palekar's Arun. Both vie for the affection of Prabha, played by Vidya Sinha. His assertive and suave Nagesh is a sharp contrast to the shy Arun ensuring a hilarious performance by a smug Asrani who even got a Filmfare nomination for the role.

7) ‘Balika Badhu’: In the 1976 romantic drama film, based on a Bengali novel of the same name the film follows a young couple that grow to love each other. Asrani plays the role of Sharat, who brings a lightheartedness to the drama.

8) ‘Ab Kya Hoga?’: In this 1977 supernatural-thriller, Asrani broke out of the comedic mould and played a negative role. The film also starred Shatrughan Sinha, Neetu Singh, Bindu and Ranjeet.

9) ‘Hera Pheri’: In the 2000 Priyadarshan comedy, Asrani played the role of the bank manager who informs Shyam that he will not be getting a job, putting a start to the series of events that unfolds in a hilarious manner. The movie starred Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal in lead roles.

10) ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa’: In the 2007 film by Priyadarshan, Asrani blends perfectly into the horror-comedy universe which the director weaves. Asrani complements the cast, all of which deliver hilarious performances. The cast also included Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan and Amisha Patel among others.