Veteran actor Chandrashekhar known for his role in 'Ramayan' passes away at 97

Veteran actor Chandrashekhar Vaidya, more commonly known by the mononym Chandrashekhar is no more. The ace actor was 97 and passed away due to age-related ailments. The news was confirmed by CINTAA in the early hours of June 16, 2021. He is mainly known for his role as Arya Sumant in Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan.

Ramayan actor Chandrashekhar passes away at age 97

Film business analyst Atul Mohan took to Twitter to further give news about Chandrashekhar's final rites. He mentioned in his tweet that the final rites will take place at Vile Parle at 3 PM on June 16. He expressed his condolences towards the family. 

A quick look at veteran actor Chandrashekhar's career

Chandrashekar has worked in over 250 films and TV in his vast career. He began his career as a junior artist in the film Bebas starring Bharat Bhushan and went on to play the lead roles in various films. His first film in the lead role was the 1953 film Surang which was produced by V. Shantaram. He also played a negative role in the film Basant Bahar. He went on to work in films like Aurat Teri Yehi Kahani, Kavi, Mastana, Baradari, Kali Topi Laal Rumaal, to name a few. He produced, directed and also played the lead in the hit musical film of 1964 Cha Cha Cha. This movie marked veteran actor Helen's first lead role. 

In the 70s, at the age of 50, Chandrashekar decided to work as an assistant director to Gulzar. He assisted in films like Parichay, Koshish, Khushboo, Mausam, Achanak, etc. His role as Arya Sumant in Ramayan came when he was 65 years old. He had also served as the president of CINTAA from 1985 to 1996. He retired in 2000 at the age of 78. His final film was Khauff which was directed by Sanjay Gupta, with Sanjay Dutt and Manisha Koirala in the lead roles. 

Actor Chandrashekhar is survived by his son Ashok Chandra Shekhar who is a well-known producer. His grandson, Shakti Arora is a well-known actor in the Hindi TV industry, known for his role as Taposh in the serial Tere Liye. In 2019, Shakti had shared a photo with his beloved nanaji. 

(Image: Shakti Arora's Instagram)