Veteran actor Achyut Potdar breathed his last at Jupiter Hospital in Thane (Bombay) on 18th August. He was 91. The exact cause for his death is not known but he had been hospitalised for age-related issues. His funeral will take place today (19th) in Thane.
Achyut Potdar played the troubled elder in the family with such ease and finesse that merely his facial expressions often said it all. He had acted on more than 125 films in Hindi and Marathi besides around 100 television serials. Among his better known films are 3 Idiots, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Tezaab, Hum Saath Saath Hain, Rangeela, Ardh Satya, Parinda, Parineeta, Mrityudand, Ishq, Vaastav, Aa Ab Laut Chalen, Aakrosh, Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Aata Hai, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, Dilwale, Yeh Dillagi, Yeshwant, Dabangg 2 and Ventilator (Marathi). His catchphrase — Kehna kya chahte ho — in 3 Idiots had become very popular and is even today fodder for a number of memes. Among the TV serials he was seen in are Wagle Ki Duniya and Bharat Ki Khoj.
Achyut Potdar joined showbiz quite late — at the age of 44, that too, without any formal training in acting. Before that, he worked in the Indian Armed Forces and the Indian Oil Company. Soon after graduating from college, he became a professor at Rewa (Madhya Pradesh). He retired from the Indian Army in 1967 when he was Captain. His stint at Indian Oil was of 25 years before he retired in 1992. He had started acting even while he was working for Indian Oil.