BollyDiva

Ravi Baswani, acclaimed actor, who shot to fame with the cult comedy Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983), passed away in Shimla yesterday when shooting for a film he was planning to direct.

He was 64. Having debuted in the Sai Paranjpe’s Chashme Buddoor in 1981, Ravi Baswani did many films as a character artiste.

His performance in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro earned him a Filmfare Best Comedian Award.

The film he was planning to direct was about a 10-year-old orphan who lives with his grandmother in the hills. The actor died of a massive heart attack, last afternoon, in Haldwani, near Nainital.

Ravi Baswani’s friend actor Zakir Hussain told Mumbai Mirror, “I believe he was coming from Nainital back home to Delhi.

He was accompanied by a couple of people who were working with him on a children’s film, which he planned to direct in the near future. Ravi had spoken to a few people who had agreed to produce the film. The team had gone to Nainital to scout for locations. The plan was to shoot the film in the hilly regions in and around Nainital.”

Explaining what transpired, close friend Ashok Pandit said, “Ravi suffered a cardiac attack. By the time they could get medical aid in Haldwani, he had passed way. His death has come as a big shock.”

Sudesh Sayal who produced a TV show directed by Ravi Baswani, called Panchi said, “Ravi had no bad habits like smoking or drinking. He was a very simple man.”