Veteran actor Viju Khote dies, best known as Kalia from Sholay

Veteran Bollywood actor Viju Khote has died. The actor best is remembered for his role as Kalia in the cult classic Sholay.

The actor died in his sleep at his residence due to multiple organ failure. “He passed away today at 6.55 am peacefully in his sleep at the residence. He has been unwell for quite some time. He had multiple organ failure,” actor Bhavana Balsavar, his niece, told PTI.

The actor, who worked in a number of Hindi and Marathi films, has been working in film since 1964. Apart from Sholay, he is remembered for his roles in films like Andaz Apna Apna, in which he starred as Robert. The actor is related to veteran actors Shubha Khote and Durga Khote. 

Even as Viju immortalised Kalia as one on the most memorable characters of Indian cinema, he actually had just two scenes in Ramesh Sippy’s film. Talking about the popularity of his character, Viju told The Times of India in 2015 that he enjoys the love he has got. “It signifies the tremendous popularity of the movie. And that people liked Kaalia as a character,” he said.

Viju and actor Amjad Khan--who played Gabbar Singh in the film-- worked multiple times together. “Actually I had done a play with him before the movie. The play, To This Night A Dawn, was directed by his brother Imtiaz. After Sholay, I did four-five more films with him. But I don’t remember their names,” he said.

Follow @htshowbiz for more