Veteran actor Shriram Lagoo passes away
Pune: Eminent theatre and film actor Shriram Lagoo, who played an important role in the growth of theatre movement in Maharashtra and was known for his progressive and rationalist views that he expressed without fear, passed away on Tuesday evening. He was 92.
Lagoo died of cardiac arrest at his Pune residence around 8 pm. The last rites will be performed after his son comes from the US, his wife Deepa Lagoo said in a statement.
"He passed away due to age-related complications," playwright Satish Alekar told PTI.
As an actor, Lagoo's roles in Marathi plays such as "Natsamrat" and "Himalayachi Saoli", and films like "Pinjra" made him popular. He essayed memorable roles in Bollywood films such as "Ek Din Achanak", "Gharonda" and "Lawaris" to name a few.
Lagoo, who was a trained ENT surgeon, played a key role in the growth of theatre movement in Maharashtra in the post-Independence era along with Vijay Tendulkar, Vijaya Mehta and Arvind Deshpande.
Alekar said after the demise of Lagoo, affectionately known in theatre circles as 'Doctor', "we have lost a giant actor from the Indian theatre scene".
Lagoo was at par with any stalwarts internationally known. He was the last soldier who steadfastly believed in the freedom of expression and he stood for the freedom of expression during the Emergency, according to Alekar.
"He steadfastly stood behind Vijay Tendulkar and other actors of Ghanshiram Kotwal and Sakharam Binder," the playwright said.
In a tweet, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said: "My tributes to all time great artist Shreeram Lagoo. We have lost a versatile personality. A unique theatre actor dominated silver screen and created impact. He was social activists simultaneously.
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He's crazy person: Himanta on Rahul alleging Assam CM misused state power to harass opponents
Bhubaneswar (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma threw a "crazy person" barb at Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday after the Congress leader accused him of "abusing state power to harass his political opponents and critics".
Sarma, who arrived at the airport here before proceeding to Puri to pray at the Jagannath Temple, challenged Gandhi to make his passport details public and reveal which countries the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha had visited.
His scathing remarks came after Gandhi termed Sarma "most corrupt in the country" and said the Congress stood with Pawan Khera, who has alleged that the Assam CM's wife has multiple passports and offshore properties, which were not declared in the chief minister's election affidavit.
The Sarmas have rejected the allegations as false.
In a post on X, Gandhi alleged, "The present CM of Assam is the most corrupt in the country. He will not escape the law. His abuse of state power to harass his political opponents and critics is against the Constitution."
"The questions that are being raised have to be probed. Transparency, accountability of power and the rule of law are the basis of our Constitutional values. The Congress stands with Pawan Khera. We will not be intimidated," he has said.
Responding to reporters' questions over Gandhi's remarks, Sarma said, "Let me make it very clear, neither I nor any member of my family has a golden visa, as alleged. Rahul Gandhi is a crazy person."
"I challenge Rahu Gandhi to present his passport in front of the media, and I will bring mine and those of my family members. Let the media know who is visiting which country," Sarma said.
The Assam chief minister also said that Rahul Gandhi "is not God". "If I make allegations against him, will he be ready for a probe into those? He should know that others, too, have the right to ask him questions."
Asked about the Supreme Court staying the Telangana High Court's order granting Kehra one-week transit anticipatory bail in the case registered for levelling allegations against Sarma's wife, the BJP leader said he was not aware of it.
"However, according to me, the Telangana High Court cannot grant transit bail to Khera as he is not a resident of that state. The law will take its own course," Sarma said.
The senior BJP leader said he would join his party's election campaign in West Bengal from Thursday.
Later, in a post on X, he said, "On Assamese New Year, offered my prayers to Mahaprabhu Jagannath for Assam's continued peace and progress." Along with the post, he also shared a video of his visit to the temple.
