Actor Asif Basra dies at 53

By: Mohnish Singh

Bollywood actor Asif Basra, who is known for his memorable performances in several notable films, allegedly died by suicide at a private guesthouse in McLeod Ganj, Dharmshala, Himachal Pradesh. He was 53.

Vimukt Ranjan, SP Dharamshala, told reporters, “Asif Basra committed suicide today morning. The body has gone for post-mortem. It will be done tomorrow. There is no suicide note.”

Asif Basra made his silver screen debut with the 2003 film Rules: Pyaar Ka Superhit Formula, wherein he played the character of a gay man. He then went on to essay memorable characters in such popular films as Black Friday (2004), Jab We Met (2007), Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010), Kai Po Che (2013), Ek Villain (2014), and Hichki (2018). He was most recently seen in Hotstar Specials’ much-talked-about web-series Hostages 2 (2020).

Sachin Krishn, who directed Hostages Season 2, is in shock after he came to know about the sudden demise of the actor. He tells an Indian publication, “I am stunned by the news. I do not know the full facts. He was such a jovial person on sets. In fact, we used to envy his life because he would stay in the hills and come to Mumbai only to shoot. He was not only a fine actor but more importantly, a beautiful person. It feels like a personal loss.”

Several prominent members from the Hindi film industry, including Kareena Kapoor Khan, Shraddha Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, and Manoj Bajpayee, took to social media and paid their tribute to the late actor.

Anushka Sharma, producer of the web-series Paatal Lok (2020), wherein Asif Basra played an important role, wrote: “My sincere condolences and prayers with the family and loves ones. RIP Asif Basra.”

Nawazuddin Siddiqui tweeted, “It is unbelievable, yet another loss of a dear friend Asif Basra - a gem of a talent and full of life personality. Rest in peace my friend - more power to family.”