Vikram Gokhale, 77, who was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Pune, passed away today, his family confirmed. His mortal remains will be kept at Balgandharva Rangmandir in Pune at 4 pm for family and friends to pay their last respects, after which the funeral will be held at 6pm at Pune’s Vaikunth Smashan Bhumi.
Hospital authorities had stated that the veteran actor was showing some signs of improvement but on Saturday, his health deteriorated and he was put back on ventilator support.
Earlier on Saturday, the PRO of the hospital where the veteran actor was admitted, had shared an update on his condition and had said that actor’s health had “deteriorated.” Earlier this week, there were rumors about the veteran’s death, which his daughter had refuted.
Vikram Gokhale, during his extensive career, featured in Marathi as well as Hindi films, including Amitabh Bachchan’s iconic Agneepath and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, starring Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Ajay Devgn. In recent years, he starred in films like Mission Mangal, Hichki, Aiyaari, Bang Bang!, De Dana Dan and Bhool Bhulaiyaa, among many others. Over a career spanning more than 40 years, he also starred in several TV shows.
In 2010, he received the National Award for Best Actor for his work in the Marathi film Anumati. With the Marathi film Aaghaat, he also made his directorial debut. He was last seen in Nikamma alongside Shilpa Shetty and Abhimanyu Dassani. The film hit the theaters in June this year.
Gokhale was the son of Marathi theater and film actor Chandrakant Gokhale, and following his stint in regional cinema, the actor made his directorial debut in 2010 with the film titled Aaghaat. His last outing was Abhimanyu Dassani and Shilpa Shetty-starrer Nikamma, which was released in theaters in June this year. Vikram Gokhale was also a social activist. His family’s charitable foundation provides financial support for disabled soldiers, Children of lepers, and education of orphan children.
