Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday condoled the demise of veteran actor Shreeram Lagoo, saying he personifies versatility and brilliance.
Lagoo, a stalwart in Marathi theatre and cinema and a prolific character artiste in numerous Bollywood movies, passed away on Tuesday evening in Pune. He was 92.
"Through the years, he enthralled audiences with outstanding performances. His work will be remembered for years to come. Anguished by his demise," Modi wrote on Twitter.
Lagoo, born in Satara in 1927 and a trained as an ENT surgeon by profession, played an important role in the growth of theatre movement in Maharashtra in post-Independence era alongside Vijay Tendulkar, Vijaya Mehta and Arvind Deshpande.
Lagoo, however, did not become a commercial actor until he reached his 40s. He became a surgeon and worked in a hospital in Kenya for some years. After quitting practise and becoming a full-time actor, he tasted commercial success with V Shantaram's "Pinjra" (1972).
As an actor, his roles in Marathi plays such as "Natsamrat" and "Himalayachi Saoli", and films like "Pinjra" made him popular.
In Bollywood, Lagoo essayed memorable roles in films like "Ek Din Achanak", "Gharonda", "Muqaddar Ka Sikandar" and "Laawaris". He played Gopal Krishna Gokhale in Richard Attenborough's "Gandhi".