Veteran Bollywood actor Om Puri (66) passed away after a massive heart attack on early Friday morning (January 6). The news came as a shock to his fans and the Bollywood fraternity. Several Bollywood celebrities took to their Twitter handles to express their grief and condolences to the family.
Puri had a career spanning over four decades and his contribution to the Hindi cinema is immense. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1990 and has two National Awards under his belt besides several Filmfare awards.
He has worked in several Hindi, Punjabi, Kannada, Malayalam, British and Hollywood films. While Puri has delivered some stellar performances in Bollywood, his work in English movies also earned him accolades.
Puri worked in as many as 14 English films alongside a few English TV series.
East is East: It is a 1999 British comedy drama and Puri played the lead role of a Pakistani father George. The veteran actor went on to win BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a leading role for this movie.
City of Joy: Puri played Hazari Pal, a rural farmer in the French-British drama. The film was shot in Kolkata and also featured Shabana Azmi opposite Puri.
Wolf: Starring Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer, Wolf (1994) is a romantic horror film. Puri played the role of Dr. Vijav Alezais, who helps Will Randall, played by Nicholson, turn into a wolf.
The Ghost and the Darkness: It is a 1996 historical adventure film, directed by Stephen Hopkins. The veteran actor essayed a key role of Abdullah in the English movie.
My Son the Fanatic: Puri played the role of Parvez, an alcoholic Pakistani taxi driver, in the British film. The actor won the Best Actor award in the Brussels International Film Festival for this film.
Such a Long Journey: The actor played a small but significant role as Ghulam Mohammad in this 1998 Indo-Canadian film, based on the novel of the same name. The film was nominated for several prestigious awards.
Viceroy's House: Viceroy's House is an upcoming British-Indian historical drama, which is set to release in March 2017. Directed by Gurinder Chadha, the film is based on the inside life at the viceroy's house in 1947 during the partition of India. The audience will get to see Puri in a key role.
Charlie Wilson's War: Starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts, this comedy drama has Puri as President of Pakistan Zia-ul-Haq. The film went on to win several awards.
West Is West: It is the sequel of East Is East and also features Puri as George.
Other English films that Puri was a part of are Code 46, The Hundred-Foot Journey, The Mystic Masseur, The Parole Officer and A Million Rivers.
