Alvida, brother!

It’s a tall order to fill the shoes of the man who is all heart. Longtime friends and fraternity members remember the actor who made an impact even in the smallest of roles

Being remembered even in a cameo  — that is the impact Arun Bikramjit Bali had with his performances. The senior actor, 79, who often played the doting grandfather on screen, passed away Friday morning. He was hospitalised earlier this year, after being diagnosed for Myasthenia Gravis — a rare muscular disease that causes a communication failure between the nerves and the muscles.

Friends since 1989, director Dr Chandrapraksh Dwivedi remembers meeting Bali for the first time when he made his directorial debut with the historical TV series, Chanakya, where the senior actor played the role of King Porus. “I was sitting by the window in my office when I saw Bali saab coming up to meet me. I told my assistant, ‘Here comes my Porus’. He had a majestic persona.” After beginning his innings in acting with director Lekh Tandon’s Doosra Kewal (1989), Bali went on to do shows, including Dekh Bhai Dekh (1993), The Great Maratha (1994), Shaktimaan (1997), Swabhimaan (1995) and POW (Bandi Yudh Ke).

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His “jovial nature and hospitality” moved Dwivedi who was new to Delhi then. “His family loved hosting people at their home,” says the director, who often rode pillion while exploring the nooks and corners of the capital. Bali was also part of Dwivedi’s Samrat Prithviraj. “During the shoot of the film, I could sense that he was slowing down. I was aware that it was not the age, but the illness catching up with him. One of the best aspects about Bali saab was that in one meeting, anyone could become a part of his family. He was my elder brother and I will miss him deeply,” says the filmmaker.

Laal Singh Chaddha director Advait Chandan remembers Bali as a ball of “energy and enthusiasm”, especially during a scene when he has to refuse golgappas offered by Aamir Khan’s character. “He had the energy of a young boy on the set, and would constantly come up with suggestions and improvisations. Arun ji told me, in reality, he would never ignore a sweet person offering golgappas to him on a train.”

For Umesh Shukla, Bali was the balance between depicting right and wrong for his film OMG: Oh My God (2012). “We wanted to show that while there are fake godmen, the world also has good-hearted sadhus. Bali ji played that role with a lot of conviction. To play a positive part against negative characters essayed by actors like Mithun Chakraborty and still being remembered for his strong performance is [a huge deal],” reminisced Shukla.

Bali was also seen in movies like Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman (1992), Khalnayak (1993), Satya (1996), 3 Idiots (2009), PK (2014), Manmarziyaan (2018), Kedarnath (2018), and Panipat (2019).

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