‘Son of Sardaar’ and 'Jai Ho' actor Mukul Dev dies at 54
Mumbai (PTI): Actor Mukul Dev, best known for his roles in films such as “Son of Sardaar”, “Yamla Pagla Deewana” and “Jai Ho”, has passed away, his brother Rahul Dev said on Saturday. He was 54.
"My brother Mukul Dev passed away peacefully last night at New Delhi due to ailing health," Rahul Dev told PTI.
According to Mukul Dev's close friend Vindu Dara Singh, the actor died at a hospital in the national capital.
“He was unwell for eight to ten days. He was not looking after his health and was depressed after the demise of his mother. We were waiting for Mukul to join us for the photo shoot of ‘Son of Sardaar 2’ but he had stopped answering our calls,” Singh told PTI.
His last rites will be held at Dayanand Mukti Dham crematorium in Nizamuddin West at 5 pm.
Mukul Dev, a former model, is survived by his daughter, Sia Dev, from his marriage to ex-wife Shilpa Dev.
He made his acting debut with the 1996 movie "Dastak", co-starring Sushmita Sen and Sharad Kapoor. He was largely seen playing supporting roles in Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali and Telugu films.
Some of his notable movies included Ajay Devgn's "Son of Sardaar", Salman Khan-starrer "Jai Ho" and "Yamla Pagla Deewana", starring Dharmendra, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol, as well as "Kohram", "R... Rajkumar" and "War Chhod Na Yaar".
He was also the co-writer of filmmaker Hansal Mehta's critically-acclaimed 2017 movie "Omerta", starring Rajkummar Rao.
Mehta mourned Mukul Dev's death in a post on Instagram.
"Not done Mukul mere dost… so many more stories, so much more laughter. See you on the other side my dear friend," he wrote alongside a photo of the actor.
Actor Manoj Bajpayee posted, "It’s impossible to put into words what I’m feeling. Mukul was a brother in spirit, an artist whose warmth and passion were unmatched. Gone too soon, too young. Praying for strength and healing for his family and everyone grieving this loss. Miss you meri jaan…until we meet again. Om Shanti."
"Rip Mukul bhai. You will always be missed. Stay strong @rahuldevofficial bhai," wrote actor Sonu Sood on social media.
Actor Arshad Warsi also condoled Mukul Dev's death, saying he was "heartbroken".
"I was really fond of him. He was a friend, colleague, a wonderful person with a beautiful soul… may his soul rest in peace," he wrote on Instagram.
On the small screen, Mukul Dev appeared in popular daily soaps such as "Gharwali Uparwali", “Kumkum”, "Kutumb" and "Kasshish".
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Representative of Iran's Supreme Leader in India calls current situation 'no war, no peace'
Bengaluru (PTI): Representative of Iran's Supreme Leader in India, Abdul Majeed Hakeem Ilahi on Saturday characterised the ongoing tensions between his country and the Israel-US alliance as a state of “no war, no peace”.
Calling for an immediate halt to the conflict, he said the global stability hinges on those who initiated the war.
He questioned why countries affected by the war and suffering from the energy crisis are not pressuring the US and Israel to stop the aggression.
Addressing a press conference here, Ilahi said Iran did not want the conflict, but was compelled to respond amid continued attacks, even as negotiations were expected to continue.
"Iran didn't want this war, but Iran was forced by the war and several times Iran tried to avoid this war... I don't know what is the condition of these people and these countries (US-Israel)... they want to impose on other countries what they want, and who gave them this authority?" he questioned.
Recalling the negotiations Iran held in Oman, he said talks later moved to Geneva and made progress before being disrupted by sudden attacks.
Ilahi claimed that airstrikes and missile attacks led to the deaths of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ministers, commanders and civilians.
"They killed a lot of civilians… They attacked a primary school, and they killed 175 innocent girls," he said, claiming over 4,000 deaths, more than 40,000 injuries, and widespread damage to houses, hospitals, universities and public infrastructure.
Despite these losses, he said Iran resisted calls for “unconditional surrender” and stood firm and defended itself.
"They wanted unconditional surrender. Which no one—no one can accept it. Iran said, 'Okay, we are ready to be sacrificed,' but we are not ready to submit ourselves," he added.
He argued that they (US-Israel) proposed the current ceasefire only after realising that they could not achieve any of their objectives after 40 days of conflict.
The envoy further claimed that the ceasefire is not an actual ceasefire, but a “no war, no peace” situation.
Explaining the current situation in Iran, he said conditions remain stable and people are going about their daily lives.
"They are working ....(leading) their ordinary life. They are working—they're going farming and they do everything....and they aren't scared of anything. And they are ready to defend themselves," he added.
Addressing the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, he said the situation was stable before February 28 and all countries benefited from it.
"(For) 10,000 years, the Strait of Hormuz was open...and Iran daily yearly spent a lot for providing security in the Strait of Hormuz... so no one even complained anything about the Strait of Hormuz. Everyone was free...and even our enemies their warship was passing through the Strait of Hormuz," he said.
However, he linked the current maritime instability to the actions of the US and Israel.
"So Iran cannot do anything. Those people who initiated, created and started this war, they have to stop it. And everything will go back to normal," he said.
Criticising the mentality of the "great powerful country", Ilahi said, "they think they have the right to do whatever they want. It should change."
He sought to know why the countries affected by the conflict are not exerting pressure on the US and the "Zionist" regime to halt the war.
"Why are they not asking them? This crisis and problem by which a lot of countries are affected was created by them. A lot of factories are closed and even working days in some countries reduced... A lot of restaurants are closed," he said.
Seeking fairness and justice, Ilahi said instead of asking Iran, all those nations should ask those who initiated this war to stop it, by telling them, "we are suffering."
To a query on international mediation, Ilahi, referring to the US, asked, "Is it acceptable and reasonable that one country orders all countries -- you should not deal with this country, You should not purchase from this country. You should not have business with this country. You should not buy from this country."
Ilahi also highlighted Iran's long-standing ties with India and said, "It is a great country and we respect India and Indians."
"We have 5,000 years relationship and friendship. We are connected to India by education, by philosophy, by culture, by civilisation and by the economy," he said.
According to him, the bilateral cooperation remains strong, citing diplomatic engagement.
"At the moment also, our relationship, collaboration, cooperation with India is very good," he said, adding Iran allowing Indian ships to pass through Strait of Hormuz reflects the ties.
"Iran allowed Indian ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Why? A lot of countries couldn't get this permission?... The relationship between Iran and India is very good," he added.
He expressed confidence that in future too, the ties between Iran and India will be strong.
