SHRIVALLABH VYAS
AAMIR KHAN’S LAGAAN, SARFAROSH CO-STAR PASSES AWAY AT 60
Bollywood actor Shrivallabh Vyas passed away after a prolonged illness in Jaipur on Sunday morning. Vyas, 60, is remembered for his roles in blockbuster films including Lagaan, Sarfarosh, Aan: Men At Work. He has also proved his mettle in regional cinema and theatres. It was his 1985 theatre play Virasat which gained him recognition.
Film and television actor Daya Shankar Pandey, confirmed the news of Vyas’ demise with the online portal of a leading newspaper. “Vyas was a great actor and we will miss him immensely. He died on Sunday morning around 9.30 am and his last rites will take place in the evening today. He has two daughters and his wife struggled a lot while taking care of Vyas,” he told indianexpress.com “He was a very well-read man and an immensely talented actor, but he didn’t get his dues. But his work has always spoken for him. He was also into singing and had started writing too, but life was cruel to him,” Daya Shankar was quoted saying by the portal in their report.
Vyas has at least 60 Hindi, 12 non-Hindi films, and theatres to his credit. However, things took an unfortunate turn after he suffered a brain stroke and paralysis took away his ability to move or talk in 2008. He was shooting for a Bhojpuri film starring Ravi Kisen and him in the second lead.
Owing to financial constraints, Vyas and his family shifted to Jaisalmer then Jaipur. Throughout their ordeal, Aamir Khan stood by them morally and financially. “He has been supporting us. It’s because of him we can afford a three BHK flat, medical expenses, fees for my daughters and other expenses,” Sarfarosh actor’s wife Sobha Vyas had revealed earlier in an interview with TOI.
Sobha had texted Aamir of Vyas’s hospitalisation. “He was shooting in the US and assured us of help. Within few hours, Khan’s production company contacted me and fulfilled our needs. Even Irrfan Khan and Manoj Bajpai have helped us. No one from the artist community here approached us. Even the government has shown no interest in helping us out,” Sobha had told TOI.
The actor is survived by his wife and two daughters.