Celebs remember Anupam Shyam: call his “zest and dedication admirable”

Veteran actor Anupam Shyam passed away ar 1 am on August 9, due to multiple organ failure. He was being treated for a kidney infection and for the last six days was on a ventilator. His friend actor Yashpal Sharma and brother, Anurag were at the hospital.

The 63-year-old actor, popular for his performance as Thakur Sajjan Singh in the TV show Mann Kee Awaaz: Pratigya (MKAP), had also appeared in many films including Bandit Queen (1994), Satya (1998), Lagaan (2000), Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2005) and Slumdog Millionaire (2008). He had to undergo dialysis on a regular basis, yet would shoot regularly as well.

As soon as the news broke, love and condolences began pouring in for Shyam from friends and co-actors like Manoj Bajpayee, Manoj Joshi and Malini Awasthi, among others.

Friend and Bandit Queen (1994) co-star Manoj Bajpayee expressed his condolences on Twitter. He wrote, “Rest in peace my friend! You loved it fully both as an actor and as a person! Bahut yaad aaoge Dilli aur mumbai me bitaye din bhi yaad aayenge! Jo jiya achcha joya, mere dost! prabhu tumhari aatma ko shanti de!”

His current co-star, actor Pooja Gor, who was 18 when she debuted in the TV show MKAP in 2009, recalls how encouraging Shyam was towards a newbie like her. She says, “He wasn’t keeping well for a long time. We saw that every single day but despite his ailment and suffering, he was so enthusiast to shoot. He would go for dialysis thrice in a week, which is not easy. It’s a sad day. Now his suffering has ended. The impact he had on my life is huge. I learnt so much from him.”

Talking about the impact he had on her, Gor elaborates, “In Season 1, I was really young, had just begun acting and was trying to do my best. But when he saw me perform and thought he could help, he did. He brought Hindi books and I would read a page daily. If he would correct me when I mispronounced and we would practice. The way I speak Hindi today, is a lot because of that practice. He would gift books in Hindi, which often people stop reading after school. He inculcated the habit in me. I read Premchand and others. In fact, the first book he gifted was Pagal Ghoda and when we met for season 2 of our recently, he gave me a book by Surendra Verma. His zest for life and dedication towards his profession was admirable.”

His co-star from Lagaan and neighbourhood pal, actor Yashpal Sharma says he admired his talent and had seen many of his plays in Delhi. He shares, “As he lived close to my house, we would meet often. Lagaan was our first work association and thereafter we did two films. He was a bindaas and phakeer kind of a person who loved to laugh and share stories from his past. In fact, he had acted in two Hollywood films- Little Buddha and Slumdog Millionaire and while his roles might have been short, he made an impact. Of late, he was struggling to maintain sugar levels and had to take insulin injections. Yet, he would never let it show.”

In a statement, producer Rajan Shahi shared that he was “deeply saddened” to hear about the sad demise and prayed for his “family to get all the strength to sail through difficult times”. “I remember when we started with Pratigya Season 2, he was extremely happy to work again and play his favourite character Sajjan Singh. He was always so lively and full of enthusiasm and will be remembered for his remarkable performances. May his soul rest in peace,” said the statement.

Among others from the fraternity, actor Manoj Joshi tweeted: “Saddened by the demise of my friend and very talented actor Anupam Shyam ji. We have lost a great man. My deepest condolences to his family and friends,” while good friend singer Malini Awasthi wrote, “This is very sad news! Wonderful actor Anupam Shyam ji is no more. Anupam Shyam ji was very ill last year – kept in constant touch with me. The passing of such a lively prodigy actor like him is a great loss. Peace”