A versatile style and an effortless portrayal of each character,  Sadhashiv Amrapurkar, the stalwart of Bollywood left us after battling for life with a lung infection. Known for his negative roles, he was equally appreciated for his comedy and bringing the nuances of theater to the big screen.

Born as Ganesh Kumar Narwode in Maharasthra, he actively started his career by directing (occasionally acting) in 150 one-act plays and over 50 dramas at Mumbai’s Indian National Theatre. While setting for legendary playwright Vijay Tendulkar’s production Kanyadaan, he was recommended for a role in Govind Nihalani’s Ardh Satya. At the same time, Govind Nihalani had noticed this actor in a stage play ‘Hands Up!’ The destiny took a giant leap and this film landed him his first Best Supporting Actor Trophy from Filmfare for his character of Rama Shetty.

Whether it was playing a director in the film Khamosh, or the vicious eunuch in Sadak, Sadashiv has mesmerized us with his intense acting skills in various other films like Aankhen, Aakhri Rasta, Coolie No. 1, Ishq, Hukumat, Mohra, or his last film, Bombay Talkies where he explains Nawazuddin 6 different ways to simply say ‘Aye’.

However, there are lesser known facts about Sadashiv Amrapurkar that every film watcher should know about him. They are as follows:

1. Sadashiv was also called Tatya by his family and close friends. He is known to have worked for the betterment of the less fortunate and was associated with a number of social organisations like Samajik Krutadnyata Nidhi, Snehalaya, Lokshahi Prabodhan Vyaspeeth and many others.

2. Besides Hindi films, this veteran actor has acted in almost 300 movies including Marathi, Bengali, Oriya and Haryanvi languages.

3. After Ardh Satya, he was working small roles in films after which he starred as the main villain in the film Hukumat in 1987. This film was a huge blockbuster which made more collections than Mr. India. Amrapurkar was regarded as a lucky mascot by Dharmendra and both starred together in many films thereafter.

4. When Dibaker Bannerjee approached Sadashiv to play a cameo in the film ‘Bombay Talkies‘. He had no idea who Dibaker was. Only after his daughter Reema Amrapurkar insistence, he played the role in the film opposite Nawazuddin.

5. His philanthropist ways are quite known but once in March 2013, he protested against water wastage near his residence in Mumbai during Holi and was severely beaten up.

Sadhashiv Amrapurkar’s characters have made a lasting impression on our mind. He will always be remembered.