Comedian and veteran actor, Dinyar Contractor passed away on Wednesday, June 5 at the age of 79. The actor had worked with celebrities like Akshay Kumar, Shahrukh Khan in Bollywood movies and was also a renowned face in Gujarati films and plays.
Contractor was also part of television shows such as Khichdi and Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah. The actor had been suffering from several age-related illnesses for a long time.
Dinyar Contractor's last rites will be performed later in the day in Worli. The actor was also awarded the Padma Shri in 2019 and was presented the award by Ramnath Kovind, President of India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took Twitter to offer condolences.
Dinyar Contractor had learned acting in school and soon began his professional acting career in 1966. The veteran comedian is a renowned theatre artist and has acted in various Gujarati as well as Hindi plays.
Subsequently, he began working on television programs when Mumbai Doordarshan launched their DD-2 channel in Mumbai with a Gujarati show called Aao Marvao Meri Saathe.