Veteran actor Shriram Lagoo, a stalwart in Marathi theatre and cinema and a prolific character artiste in numerous Bollywood movies, passed away on Tuesday evening. He was 92.
Lagoo died of cardiac arrest at his Pune residence around 8 pm. The last rites will be performed after his son comes from the US, his wife Deepa Lagoo said in a statement.
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.
According to his acclaimed autobiography Lamaan (A porter), theatre bug bit Lagoo when he was in school and he became a part of Progressive Drama Group, a non-commercial group of theatre lovers when he was in B J Medical College, Pune. 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. Lagoo, affectionately known in theatre circles as ‘Doctor’, was also known for his progressive and rationalist views. A Marathi article written by him for the daily Maharashtra Times, captioned ‘Parmeshwarala Retire Kara’ (It’s time to send God into retirement) caused much debate.
He was also instrumental in setting up “Saamajik Krutadnyta Nidhi” (social gratitude fund) for social workers. Lagoo is survived by his wife, actor Deepa Lagoo, a son and a daughter. His son, Tanveer, died at a young age when a stone hurled by someone hit him while he was travelling by train. As the news of Lagoo’s death spread, condolences poured in from the world of theatre, cinema and politics. ‘My tributes to all time great artist Shreeram Lagu. We have lost a versatile personality.
A unique theatre actor dominated silver screen and created impact. He was social activist simultaneously,’ Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar tweeted. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called Lagoo an ‘accomplished thespian’.
‘Saddened at the passing away of veteran actor Dr Shriram Lagoo. An accomplished thespian, his role portrayals were a hallmark of many Hindi films, Marathi films and stage for over four decades. My condolences to his family and fans,” Banerjee posted on Twitter. Satish Alekar, a noted playwright, said Indian threatre had lost a giant with the death of Lagoo. (PTI)
