Veteran actor Sunil Shende, best known for roles in Shanti and Sarfarosh, dies

Veteran actor Sunil Shende, known for his role movies and shows such as Circus, Shanti, and Sarfarosh, died in Mumbai on Monday, a close friend told the media. He was in his 70s. The actor breathed his last at his Vile Parle residence.

His friend and film and music critic Pavan Jha told PTI, “He died at his residence in Vile Parle at 1 am last night and his body was cremated this afternoon at the Hindu crematorium in Parshiwada.” The cause of the actor’s death was not immediately known.

On Twitter, actor Rajesh Tailang paid a tribute to Sunil Shende and remembered working with the actor on the cult classic Shanti. “Great actor and and a great human being …Shri Sunil Shende is no more.I was fortunate enough to get a chance to work with him in the serial Shanti, I played his son. Babuji saadar shraddhanjali,” he tweeted.

In a career that spanned over 30 years, Sunil worked in films and TV shows across genres. He had prominent supporting roles in films like Gandhi, Khal Nayak, Ghayaal, Ziddi, Daud, Magan, and Viruddh. One of his most memorable roles was the deputy commissioner of police in Aamir Khan-starrer Sarfarosh.

He also appeared in several high-profile TV shows, including Shanti, which catapulted Mandira Bedi to stardom. He had a major role in the 1989 TV show Circus, which starred Shah Rukh Khan before his film debut.

(With PTI inputs)