'Chalte Chalte' actor Vishal Anand dies at 82
Mumbai: Veteran actor Vishal Anand, best known for featuring in the 1976 hit film "Chalte Chalte", passed away on Sunday following a prolonged illness, his family said in a statement on Monday. He was 82.
The actor, whose real name was Bhisham Kohli, appeared in several Hindi films in the 1970s, including "Hindustan Ki Kasam" and "Taxi Driver".
It was, however, "Chalte Chalte", also starring Simi Garewal, that earned Anand acclaim and fame. In a statement shared by Anand's nephew, actor Purab Kohli, the family said the veteran star passed away Sunday noon.
"He was not keeping in good health since the last couple of months. We would like people to remember him from the 1976 super-hit song and movie 'Chalte Chalte'.
"Our prayers are with him, may he rest in peace. We kindly request members of the press and media to respect the family's privacy during this sad time," the family said in the statement.
Anand had also produced "Chalte Chalte" and he is credited for giving veteran music composer Bappi Lahiri his big break with the Sunder Dar directorial.
The songs from the thriller, including Kishore Kumar's "Chalte Chalte Mere Ye Geet Yaad Rakhna" and "Pyar Mein Kabhi Kabhi", sung by Shailendra and Lata Mangeshkar, went on to become chartbusters.
Anand also featured in "Dil Se Mile Dil" (1978) and directed the Mithun Chakraborty-starrer "Kismet" in 1980.
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Shashi Tharoor calls for regulation and taxation instead of banning online gaming
New Delhi(PTI): Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday criticised the government’s move to ban online money gaming, warning that such a step would only push the industry underground and strengthen criminal networks.
He also said he had not studied the three Constitution amendment bills seeking to provide a framework for the removal of prime ministers, Union ministers, chief ministers and state ministers detained on serious criminal charges in any detail.
“On the face of it, it is difficult to say it has any problem, but obviously if anyone does something wrong they should not be a minister anyway. I don’t know if there is any other motive,” he remarked.
Discussing the bill seeking to prohibit and regulate online gaming introduced in the Lok Sabha, he said, "I had written a very long article on the argument that by banning online gaming we are simply driving it underground, whereas it could be a useful source of revenue for the government if we legalise it, regulate it and tax it."
He added that many countries have studied the issue in detail and concluded that regulation and taxation can generate funds for social causes, while bans merely enrich “criminal mafias”.
In a post on X, Tharoor recalled that he had “gone on record in 2018 urging the government to legalise, regulate and tax online gaming, rather than drive it underground by banning it, which will merely enhance the profits of the mafia”.
“It’s a pity that the government seems to have derived no lessons from the experience of other countries that have considered this issue,” he wrote.
He added that the bill should at least have been referred to a parliamentary committee “to consider all the pros and cons before rushing it into law”.
The proposed bill prohibits online money gaming and its advertisements, prescribing imprisonment or fines, or both, for violators. It differentiates such games from eSports and online social games, while calling for their promotion.
1/2 I went on record in 2018 urging the government to legalise, regulate and tax online gaming, rather than drive it underground by banning it, which will merely enhance the profits of the mafia. https://t.co/KYi2aTxDQQ
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) August 20, 2025
