Naseeruddin Shah on Om Puri’s death: I can’t say it was totally unexpected

The whole Bollywood is saddened with the sudden death of veteran actor Om Puri. However, Puri’s good friend Naseeruddin Shah says that though the death was sudden it was not unexpected.

The ‘Ishqiya’ actor wrote a column in a leading daily. He has said, “I was numbed on hearing about my dear friend Om Puri’s death. I was shooting away from Mumbai. Om and I had parallel careers in parallel cinema, so to speak. But I never felt any envy or resentment towards his achievements. He got a lot of roles like ‘East Is East’, which I thought would come to me. But I felt nothing but joy for him.”

Also Read: Post mortem reveals an injury on left side of Om Puri’s head, police files accidental death report

The actor added that Puri’s death was sudden but not unexpected. He said, “But his personal problems — in which I did not intervene at all — had left his mental and physical health in a shambles. I know for a fact that Om was really suffering during the last few years. And there was no way out of it. Though his death was sudden, I can’t say it was totally unexpected. In a way, death has relieved him of all the stress, and that includes the bad films he took on, I presume for financial reasons. Om took all the criticism on his chin.”

[inline2]

“Today, I remember Om’s hearty laughter and his generosity of spirit. I am sorry I couldn’t be there for his funeral. I was shooting out of town. But my wife and sons were there. Hell, I am going to miss Om!,” he added.

We are sure like Shah there will be many more actors who will miss the late Om Puri.

Murtuza Iqbal

‘Eat Sleep Bollywood Repeat’ is his life Mantra. Dance is his first love and Rani Mukerji is his eternal crush. He is someone who loves being himself, and as for the ones who don’t agree, his reply? “Talk to my hand!”