Amitabh Bachchan condoles AK Hangal's death

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who worked with AK Hangal in the iconic film Sholay, remembered the character actor as a gentleman and congenial co-artist.

Hangal, 98, passed away in Mumbai this morning following a brief illness aggravated by a fracture in his thigh bone.

"AK Hangal, passes away this morning!! A veteran, a gentleman, a congenial co artist and a master at his work," he posted on micro-blogging site Twitter.

Hangal is most fondly remembered as Rahim Chacha from the film Sholay, in which Bachchan played one of the main leads.

It was in Sholay that Hangal uttered the dialogue, "Itna sannata kyon hai, bhai?", which went on to become one of the most popular lines in Hindi cinema.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav also expressed profound grief over the veteran actor's demise.

"In the death of AK Hangal, the Hindi film industry has lost great actor," Yadav said.

The chief minister has also extended heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.