Veteran actor Vikram Gokhale passes away in Pune

My dear friend Vikram Gokhale, known for his appearance in films like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Bhool Bhulaiyaa, is no more. I met him for the first time when his then-girlfriend and now wife Vrushali, who was working with me in Hotel Oberoi Sheraton in Mumbai had introduced him to me as the actor who was acting with Sanjeev Kumar in Swarg Narak way back in the 80s.

I remember Vikram was an extremely sensitive person, who used to be very volatile because he could not condone people who were inept. Once when someone in the group suggested that we should hurry to reach a particular party because otherwise, scotch would run out, he reprimanded the guy and said that at his Karjat farmhouse, he used to serve his guests nothing but scotch. I regret that in spite of his inviting me to spend a weekend at his farmhouse, I did not avail of his kind invitation. Alas, the opportunity has gone away.

Not many journalists were comfortable interviewing Vikram because he was very tough externally and did not brook incompetence. With me as well as senior journalist Dilip Thakur, he had an entirely different equation though. In fact, Dilip says that he was surprised when Vikram rang him up one day before the pandemic set in and asked him if he could visit him in his house because he wanted to get some hard-core facts about the Marathi as well as Hindi film industry from him as Dilip is a trade encyclopedia. Dilip could not believe his eyes when he came all the way from Pune to meet him at his modest apartment in Borivali East in Mumbai.

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According to Indiatoday.in, the veteran actor passed away at the age of just 75 on November 26. Veteran film and television star Vikram Gokhale has passed away. He breathed his last in Pune on November 26. He was in his mid-70s. Vikram Gokhale, popularly known for his roles in films like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Bhool Bhulaiyaa, was hospitalized earlier. The actor was admitted to a private hospital in Pune following health complications, doctors had said.

Vikram Gokhale was admitted to the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune a few days ago, where he was undergoing treatment. His condition had become quite stable after the timely intervention. However, his health started deteriorating again, and he was in critical condition. Vikram breathed his last in Pune’s Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital on November 26. His last rites will be performed this evening at Vaikunth Crematorium in Pune.

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On the work front, Vikram Gokhale was known for his roles in films like the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Parwana, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Agneepath, and Khuda Gawah. The prolific star, who had established himself in Indian cinema, was also a recipient of the National Award for Best Actor in 2010 for his performance in the Marathi film, Anumati. On television, he has worked in popular shows like Ghar Aaja Pardesi, Alpviram, Jaana Na Dil Se Door, Sanjeevni, Indradhanush etc. Besides Agneepath, Vikram had also shared screen frame in the Marathi film AB CD made by Akshay Bardapurkar before the pandemic set in.

For the unversed, Gokhale was the son of Marathi theatre 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 theatres 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 the education of orphan children.