Mumbai, Oct 20: Veteran actor Govardhan Asrani, who endeared himself to the audiences by playing the eccentric jailer in “Sholay” and many other memorable roles in over 300 films, passed away in a hospital on Monday. He was 84.

The actor, popularly known as Asrani in the industry, was known for his impeccable comic timing in Hindi cinema but fans most remember him for the role of the dictatorial jailer in “Sholay” who often mouths the dialogue “Hum angrezon ke zamaane ke jailer hain”.

His role in the 1975 film still evokes laughter all these years later. Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar modelled the character after Charlie Chaplin in “The Great Dictator”.

According to Asrani’s manager Babubhai Thiba, the actor was admitted to Bharatiya Arogya Nidhi Hospital in suburban Juhu four days ago.

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