Mumbai, March 15 (PTI): Actor Sameer Khakhar, best known for playing the lovable drunk Khopdi in the classic 1980s TV serial “Nukkad”, died at a hospital here in the early hours of Wednesday due to multiple organ failure.
The actor, who was most recently seen in the Prime Video series “Farzi” and moved to the US in the 1990s for a few years to become a software developer, was 71.
Sameer Khakhar was admitted to MM Hospital in Borivali in suburban Mumbai on Tuesday morning following respiratory issues, his younger brother Ganesh Khakhar told PTI.
“He had respiratory problems since yesterday and later became unconscious. We called the doctor at home and were asked to hospitalise him. He was admitted to the intensive care unit of MM Hospital,” he said.
“Slowly and gradually, he suffered multiple organ failure. He was unconscious and then he collapsed. He passed away at 4.30 am today,” Ganesh Khakhar added.
The last rites were conducted at a Borivali crematorium in the presence of his family and some friends from Sameer Khakhar days in Gujarati theatre. He is survived by his wife.
Sameer Khakhar’s notable works include TV show “Circus”, “Shrimaan Shrimati” and films such as “Parinda”, Salman Khan-starrer “Jai Ho”, Sidharth Malhotra and Parineeti Chopra’s “Hasee Toh Phasee”, Sudhir Mishra-directed “Serious Men”, and Vikas Bahl’s web series “Sunflower”.
Filmmaker Hansal Mehta thanked Sameer Khakhar for the memories of Khopdi. “For some reason I was nicknamed Khopdi in college after his iconic character in Nukkad. My closest friends from the time still call me Khopdi. But I guess it’s time to say goodbye to the OG. Goodbye Sameer Khakhar. Thank you for the memories,” Mehta captioned a series of the late actor’s photos on Twitter. “Khopdi has left this Circus and gone to the Nukkad in the sky,” wrote director Nila Madhab Panda on the microblogging site.
