Gashmir Mahajani’s father and veteran Marathi actor Ravindra Mahajani found dead in his rented apartment

In pic: Ravindra Mahajani

Ravindra Mahajani (77), a veteran Marathi actor, was found dead on Friday in his rented flat in Ambi village, Maval taluka, near Talegaon Dabhade. For a long period, the actor lived alone.

Neighbours who detected a foul odour coming from the flat contacted the Talegaon MIDC police station at about 4.30 p.m. on Friday. A police team arrived soon after and discovered the flat locked from the inside. The officers forced through the door, entered the house, and discovered Mahajani's body inside, all in the presence of neighbourhood residents. According to police, the deceased person was recognised as Mahajani by the apartment's owner.

TOI quoted, Senior Inspector Shivaji Gaware, "Our team broke the door and found Mahajani dead inside the flat. The body was sent to Talegaon Dabhade hospital for autopsy."

According to reports in the TOI, Senior Inspector Ranjit Sawant of the Talegaon MIDC police revealed that doctors believe Mahajani died three days ago. "He was staying alone for the last eight months," Sawant said.

He was known as ‘the Vinod Khanna of the Marathi film industry' because of his resemblance to the superstar. Director N. Chandra wanted him to feature in his 1986 film 'Ankush' because of his similarity to Vinod Khanna.

Mahajani worked on many romantic tracks, including ‘Ha Sagar Kinara', ‘Sumbaran Gao Deva,' and ‘Phite Andharache Jaale'. His film ‘Devta' is well-liked among rural audiences. He is well-known for his roles in films such as ‘Duniya Kari Salam' (1979), ‘Mumbai cha Fauzdar' (1984), ‘Zoonj' (1989), ‘Kalat Nakalat' (1990), and ‘Aaram haram Ahe'. The latter was a hit, whereas Laxmi Chi Pavale was a box office smash. He made a comeback in 2015 with the film ‘Kay Rao Tumhi'. His son Gashmeer Mahajani is also an actor.

Ravindra Mahajani's son Gashmeer is well-known in both the Marathi as well as Television industries. The actor most recently made headlines as he was a contestant in the dance reality show ‘Jhalak Dikhla Ja'. The show was hosted by Maniesh Paul and judged by Madhuri Dixit, Nora Fatehi and Karan Johar. Gashmeer was also a part of the well-known TV serial ‘Imlie'.