Veteran Hindi and Marathi cinema and theatre actor Vikram Gokhale passed away today. He was admitted at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital for treatment following ill health. He passed away today at the age of 77 years due to multiple organ failure. The hospital shared a statement confirming his passing that said, “We are saddened to announce that the noted actor Mr Vikram Gokhale passed away today at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital due to multi organ failure. Our deep condolences.”
Vikram Gokhale, the son of veteran Marathi Theater and film actor, Chandrakant Gokhale was a prolific and exemplary actor himself. He brought gravitas to each and every role of his with his acting and demeanor. Gokhale made his directorial debut in 2010, with the Marathi film Aaghaat. Produced by Sprint Arts Creation in 2013, he won the National Film Award for Best Actor category for his Marathi film Anumati. He made his Bollywood debut with the psychological thriller Parwana (1971). The film was directed by Jyoti Swaroop and featured Amitabh Bachchan in the lead.
Post his debut film, Gokhale acted in Sanjeev Kumar’s Swarg Narak (1978), Vinod Khanna starrer Insaaf (1987), Saeed Akhtar Mirza’s directorial Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro (1989) which helped him gain a foothold in the industry. However, it was Amitabh Bachchan’s Agneepath (1990) that became a game-changer for him. Vikram Gokhale held his own against Amitabh’s exemplary act and brought him into limelight. He once again united with Big B for Khuda Gawah (1992), the film received rave reviews and emerged as a blockbuster.
Another career-defining film of Vikram Gokhale was Sanjay Leela Bhansali directorial Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam in which he played Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s father and Salman Khan’s music teacher. His character and performance became the catalyst in driving the film’s plot.
He followed it up with another notable performance, albeit an understated one in Anubhav Sinha’s directorial Tum Bin (2001). His role was instrumental in bringing the climax and a fitting end to the romantic drama and he aced it with his silences.
Besides, serious roles he also did a few comedy films and worked with Akshay Kumar in Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007), De Dana Dan (2009) and Mission Mangal (2019). Playing the role of Acharya Yagyaprakash Bharti, Bhool Bhulaiyaa remains one of his more popular film roles when it comes to the younger generation of audience.
The prolific actor turned to direction with his directorial debut Aaghaat (2010), a drama about the dark side of private hospitals. He won the National Award for Best Actor for his realistic performance in the Marathi film Anumati (2013). He was last seen in Nikamma (2022) which starred Shilpa Shetty, Abhimanyu Dassani and Shirley Setia.
Vikram Gokhale had also worked in several Hindi television serials such as Kshitij Ye Nahi, Chandan Ka Palna Resham Ki Dori, Virrudh, Sanjivani, Alpaviram, Udaan, Akbar Birbal, Indradhanush, Avrodh: The Siege Within etc. The thespian’s demise has left a deep void in the hearts of the Marathi and Hindi film industry.
