Actor Bhalchandra Kulkarni passes away in Kolhapur

KOLHAPUR: Renowned Marathi actor Bhalchandra Kulkarni passed away at his Kolhapur residence on Saturday morning at the age of 88 years.
Arjun Nalawade, a film activist based in Kolhapur, said, "He had complained about breathlessness two days ago. He was admitted to a private hospital and was discharged on Friday. He died on Saturday morning."
Kulkarni acted in over 250 movies - a few of them Hindi and most of them Marathi - several theatre plays, and television serials in the four decades of his career.He started acting in 1965, debuting in folk plays. He used to call himself a product of tamasha - Maharashtra's traditional theatre form. Kulkarni contributed to several legendary Marathi movies such as Songadya, Pinjara, Zhunj, and several others. He has worked with most actors and directors in the Marathi film industry.
Kulkarni was known to perform emotional roles and many director felt his presence in movies is compulsory for portrayal of sensitive characters, said Nalawade.
"Most of the films he worked in were shot in Kolhapur as the place was known for film-making for several years. He stayed back in Kolhapur even after the industry shifted to Mumbai," added Nalawade.
Kulkarni was also vocal about the welfare of Marathi artists. During the pandemic, he appealed to producers to stop the shooting of serials and movies to ensure social distancing is followed. The death of a senior actress, who had acted by his side in several movies, due to Covid prompted him to make the appeal.
He was cremated at the Panchaganga Crematorium in the afternoon in the presence of his close relatives and friends. The Raksha Visarjan is on Sunday. On Monday, a meeting to mourn his demise will be held at Private Highschool ground. He is survived by his wife, two sons, a daughter and extended family.