'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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Ex-CJI Chandrachud removed fear of law from political defectors, claims Sanjay Raut
Mumbai (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday slammed former Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, alleging that he had removed the fear of the law from politicians who defected from parties in Maharashtra.
Raut claimed that by not deciding on the disqualification petitions, Chandrachud kept doors and windows open for defections.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader's statement comes after his party faced a severe drubbing in the state assembly elections, as it managed to clinch only 20 out of 95 seats it contested as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
The performance of the party's alliance partners was no better, with the Congress winning only 16 out of 101 seats and NCP (SP) getting only 10 out of 86 seats it contested.
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged, "He (Chandrachud) has removed the fear of the law from defectors. His name will be written in black letters in history."
Following the split in the undivided Shiv Sena in 2022, the party's faction headed by Uddhav Thackeray filed petitions in the Supreme Court on the disqualification of party MLAs who defected along with Eknath Shinde. The apex court put the onus on the assembly Speaker to decide on the disqualification petitions, which he did earlier this year, declaring the Sena bloc led by Shinde as the “real political party”.
Raut alleged that the results of the assembly election were pre-decided. If the then CJI had decided on the disqualification petitions on time, the outcome would have been different.
"We are sad but not disappointed. We will not leave the fight incomplete. Division of votes was also a factor, and the RSS played an important role in the election. The poisonous campaign impacted us negatively," he said.
He said the swearing-in ceremony for the new government should be held in neighbouring Gujarat.
Meanwhile, in his weekly column "Rokhthok" in the party mouthpiece "Saamana", the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader claimed that it was time to offer condolences to the Election Commission, which turned a blind eye to the use of money power.
"The courts have been in the ICU for a long time," he alleged.
