Film fraternity mourns Girish Karnad's demise

Scores of celebrities from the film fraternity mourned the death of veteran actor, playwright, and director, Girish Karnad, who breathed his last on Monday.

As the news of the 81-year-old's death spread, several celebrities extended condolences to the bereaved family.

Deeply saddened by the demise of Girish, Shabana Azmi, who worked with him in films like 'Nishant', 'Swami', 'Shama' and 'Chalk N Duster', tweeted, "Deeply saddened to learn about #Girish Karnad. Havent yet been able to speak with his family. Its been a friendship of 43 years and I need the privacy to mourn him. I request the media to kindly excuse me from giving quotes,"

Another actor who was fortunate to work with Karnad in 'Chalk N Duster', Divya Dutta, wrote, "RIP #GirishKarnad sir.. one actor whose inherent goodness reflected in his eyes. The thorough gentleman. Exceptional playwright.Swami ratnadeep manthan embedded in my childhood memories. A gem we lost today."

Kabir Bedi, who got a break in theatre with the play 'Tughlaq', tweeted, "Deeply saddened by the passing of playwright Girish Karnad. My biggest break in theatre was playing the title role in his "Tughlaq", directed by Alyque Padamsee, which led me into the film industry in 1970s. One of India's great playwrights, immortalised by his creativity. RIP."

Bedi's 'Tughlaq' co-actor Raj Babbar too lamented the death of the actor.

Born in Maharashtra's Matheran in 1938, Karnad rose to fame with a Kannada play named 'Tughlaq' which he had written at the age of 26.

Known for his work in the field of literature and cinema, Karnad also became a renowned face in the country after essaying the role of Swami's father in 'Malgudi Days' TV series.

Hailing Girish's life as an inspiration, Prakash Raj wrote on Twitter, "GIRISH KARNAD JI for an ENRICHING, EMPOWERING, INSPIRING LIFE YOU LED. RIP. Every moment I lived with you is ALIVE. Will miss you. but will cherish you for life."

Praising the late playwright's scripts, Kamal Haasan tweeted, "Mr.Girish Karnad, His scripts both awe and inspire me. He has left behind many inspired fans who are writers. Their works perhaps will make his loss partly bearable."

Meanwhile, Sudhir Mishra wrote, "What the hell ! This was Girish Karnad . Along with Vijay Tendulkar , Badal Sarkar and Mohan Rakesh , he was one of the great Indian Playwrights . Just for his contribution to theatre he is immortal . Generations of theatre students have been formed because of his plays!"

"Deeply saddened by the news of demise of Girsh Karnad ji. He will be remembered for his work as a Theater personality, film actor, and director. My deepest condolences to his family, friends & fans. #OmShanti." tweeted director Madhur Bhandarkar.

Praising the late actor for his 'audacity', filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt tweeted, "Audacity!! Dignity!! Grace !!! Those who become aware of how brief life is will live life in the most intense and courageous manner. Goodbye Sir !!"

Manoj Bajpayee, Sonam K. Ahuja, Rana Daggubati, Shruti Haasan, Vivek Agnihotri, l Kapoor, and Farhan Akhtar too condoled the death of Girish.

The 81-year-old was conferred with Padma Shri in 1974 and Padma Bhushan in 1992.

For his outstanding contribution towards literature, Karnad was also conferred with Jnanpith - the highest Indian literary award - in 1998. four years after winning the Sahitya Academy award.

( With inputs from ANI )