A self-confessed 'late bloomer in the Hindi film industry,' AK Hangal faced the camera for the first time in Basu Bhattacharya’s Teesri Kasam in 1966. He was nearly 50 at the time.
A self-confessed “late bloomer in the Hindi film industry,” AK Hangal faced the camera for the first time in Basu Bhattacharya’s Teesri Kasam in 1966. He was nearly 50 at the time.
The veteran actor who passed away at the Asha Parekh hospital in Santa Cruz on Sunday, went on to play quite a few memorable characters in Namak Haram, Bawarchi, Abhimaan, Guddi and Sholay. In later years, he worked in Aamir Khan’s Lagaan and the Shahrukh Khan-starrer Paheli. Hangal was recently seen in the TV show Madhubala, at the age of 95.
The actor’s condition deteriorated after he slipped and fell on August 14 fracturing his right hipbone. Doctors said Hangal was suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic renal disease, which aggravated after the fall.
A tailor by profession, Hangal found a creative outlet in theatre. He was also actively involved in India’s freedom struggle. “With the passing away of Hangal saab, an era has come to an end. He had enriched theatre and cinema through his contribution,” said actress-activist Shabana Azmi. She added that members of the Indian People’s Theatre Association will pay a tribute to Hangal at Prithvi theatre, Juhu, on Monday.
Actor Raza Murad, who attended Hangal’s funeral at the Pawan Hans crematorium in Vile Parle on Sunday, said that he considered the veteran actor to be his guru. “He was an institution, and everyone who has ever worked with him ended up learning a lot about the art of acting,” he added.
Co-stars and colleagues remember Hangal as a disciplined actor and a thorough gentleman on the sets. “I called him ‘Humble saab’ and not Hangal saab. He brought a certain dignity and discipline to his work,” said filmmaker Subhash Ghai, who has directed Hangal in films like Krodhi and Khalnayak.
The actor who had fallen on hard times in the last few years of his life, found emotional and financial support from within and outside the Hindi film industry after news of his failing health broke out in 2010. “I am glad Hangal saab went knowing how many people loved him,” said scriptwriter Rekha Nigam, who started an online group last year to collect and channelise funds for the actor’s treatment.
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