On Sunday, August 26, 2012, actor Avtar Hangal died eleven days after turning 97. Wikipedia states that at the time of his death he was in Santa Cruz, Mumbai, India.
Born into a Kashmiri Pandit family, Hangal spent his childhood in Peshawar. It was there where he later performed major theatrical roles.
From 1929-1947, before Hangal was an actor, he was an Indian freedom fighter. In between his freedom fighting days, he became an actor. Hangal's theatrical acting was from 1936-1965. In 1966 he became a character actor in Hindi language films.
Hangal began his Hindi film career at the late age of 50. He went on to play roles as an on-screen father or uncle of the leading men or women in films. Sometimes he portrayed meek and oppressed old men.
This fine actor also portrayed most notable roles in Aaina (1977), Shaukeen (1981), Namak Haraam (1973), Sholay (1975) and many more.
In years to follow, Hangal's best performances were in Tere Mere Sapne (1997), Lagaan (2001) and Shararat (2002).
Hangal was in a total of 225 Hindi films, that spanned from 1966 to 2005.
On February 8, 2011, Hangal "walked" the ramp in a wheelchair for fashion designer Riyaz Ganji. It was a fashion show featuring Ganji's summer line in Mumbai.
The actor's last film, was in Paheli (2005). In fact, before the film shoot, he had not gone out of his house for the last eight months.
"We were surprised to see him get out of his home. He did it only for acting.
My father had remained at home for the past few months. The show's producer, Saurabh Tiwari, and senior executives from the channel, came to our place to offer him the role.
Several filmmakers had approached him in the last few years, but father did not take those up due to health issues." - Hangal's son, Vijay
Hangal was not sure he would be able to handle being on set physically, but once the cameras started rolling there was no stopping the actor within.
Hangal was last seen in May 2012 on the TV show, "Madhubala." He even pulled off his part in a single-take shot!
Hangal was admitted to the Asha Parekh Hospital in Santa Cruz, Mumbai on August 16th. This was three days after he fractured his thigh bone from a fall in his bathroom. His son said:
"[My father] suffered a back injury and had to undergo a surgery. But it (surgery) could not take place, as later it was found that he had chest and breathing problems."
On August 26th, Hangal was put on life support before he passed away. Hangal was cremated at Pavan Hans crematorium, and his son, Vijay, performed the last rites.
In reaction to his death, Shabana Azmi wrote on Twitter:
"An era comes to an end. Theatre and film were enriched by him."
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