Famous comedian, actor and satirist Jaspal
Bhatti died in a road accident near Punjab’s Nakodar town, 40 km from here, early Thursday, police said here.
The satirist’s son Jasraj who was driving the car and actress Surilie Gautam, the heroine of his film ‘Power Cut’ which is to be released today, were seriously injured in the mishap, police said.
The 57-year-old actor-director, who made his way into the hearts of his people with his satirical shows like ‘Ulta Pulta’ and ‘Flop Show’, was on a tour to promote the film when the accident took place near Shahkot in Nakodar area of the district at 2:30 AM, Bhatti’s associate Vinod Sharma told here.
Bhatti’s car collided with a tree along the highway while he was on his way to Jalandhar for the promotion of his latest film “Power Cut”. Police said that the accident happened around 3am while Bhatti was on his way to Jalandhar from Bathinda. They were rushed to a private hospital in Jalandhar where Bhatti was declared brought dead.
“His body was brought to the hospital after 3 AM and after medical examination he was declared dead,” said Dr Harpreet Singh.
His son, Jasraj, was also injured in the accident along with the film’s heroine Surili Gautam and another person.
They were being treated in a hospital in Jalandhar, 150 km from state capital Chandigarh.
Sources close to Bhatti said that he was on a 40-day tour for the promotion of his latest film. The tour was to end Thursday with a media conference in Jalandhar.
Bhatti had been a popular face on television and Bollywood films with his comedy shows and appearances. His TV shows “Ulta-Pulta” and “Flop Show” had entertained TV audiences in late 1980s and 1990s.
He also directed a film “Mahaul Theek Hai”, a satire on the police, administration and society, in 1999. Bhatti, perhaps the most famous Sikh comedian, acted in several Bollywood films.
Celebs like Ritiesh Deshmukh, Madhur Bhandarkar and Akshay Kumar expressed their grief over the passing away of this notable filmmaker and satirist on Twitter. They remembered him for his great sense of humour and satire. Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi too hailed the demised actor for the punch of humour he had in his performances.
Bhatti leaves behind his wife Savita, a son and a daughter Raabiya.
Sharma said that Bhatti was going to Jalandhar from Bhatinda for the promotion of his Punjabi film which is based on the frequent power cuts in Punjab.
Bhatti’s son Jasraj and Gautam have been referred to a Ludhiana hospital now.
According to doctors, they are in a stable but critical condition.
Born on March 3, 1955 at Amritsar, Bhatti graduated from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh as an electrical engineer. (IANS)