Year in Review 2020: Indian personalities we said goodbye to in 2020

The death of the Angrezi Medium actor at the age of 53 on April 29, this year, left a huge void in the film industry. Irrfan Khan, who was battling neuroendocrine cancer, had been hospitalised at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital where he was undergoing treatment for a colon infection.

The icon, who was equally revered in India and abroad, had many successful Indian and international films in his kitty, including Life of Pi, A Mighty Heart and The Lunchbox. Director Wes Anderson even wrote a special role for Khan in his film, The Darjeeling Limited, so that they could work together.

Yet to come to terms with the death of Irrfan Khan, the film industry suffered another blow as veteran actor Rishi Kapoor passed away on April 30. Bollywood’s original chocolate hero had battled leukaemia for two years and had undergone treatment in the United States.

Kapoor will be remembered for his roles in hugely popular films including Bobby, Amar Akbar Anthony, Chandi, Prem Rog, Saagar and the more recent Rajma Chawal and Mulk.

Image credit: Ranjit Dahiya bollywood art project made 24 X 36 inch graffiti as a tribute to Late Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor ahead of his birthday at Band stand, Bandra (Photo by Satish Bate/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

Bollywood composer, part of the popular composer duo Sajid-Wajid, passed away of a cardiac arrest on May 31, 2020. Wajid Khan, who had tested positive of COVID-19, was 42.
Khan had been suffering from kidney ailment and had undergone a transplant. He is known for his compositions for popular Salman Khan films such as the Dabangg franchise, Wanted, Hello Brother and Ek Tha Tiger.

Image credit: (Photo by STR / AFP) (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

93-year-old veteran director-screenwriter, Basu Chatterjee, passed away on June 4 following age-related complications. The ace director is best known for his slice-of-life, urban, light-hearted films such as Rajnigandha (1974), Chhoti Si Baat (1975), Baton Baton Mein (1979) and the hit Doordarshan series, Byomkesh Bakshi.
Image credit: (Photo by Kunal Patil/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

Chiranjeevi Sarja suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away on June 10th. The 39-year-old actor’s sudden death shook the Kannada film industry. Sarja, who was launched by his uncle actor Arjun Sarja, who made his debut in the family production Vayuputra, acted in 20 movies in a career spanning a decade. He had married actress Meghana Raj two years ago. Raj recently gave birth to the couple’s son.
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In a year that saw numerous deaths, none affected the entire country as much as that of the young, promising actor Sushant Singh Rajput. The Chhichhore actor was found dead in his apartment on June 13, with the police terming the case as a suicide. Investigations into his death are still underway, with the CBI taking over the case.

Rajput’s last film, Dil Bechara, which was released posthumously on Disney+Hotstar, registered record-breaking OTT viewership.

The legendary choreographer passed away of a cardiac arrest on July 3, this year. 71-year-old Saroj Khan, who suffered from diabetes and other age-related ailments, had been admitted to the hospital on June 20 due to breathing issues.

Known for her collaborations with Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit, across her more than four-decade-long career, Khan choreographed many iconic dance numbers such as Dola Re, Dhak Dhak Karne Laga and Tamma Tamma, among others. She is known as the first woman choreographer in Bollywood.

Image credit: In this Sept. 19, 2019, file photo, Indian choreographer Saroj Khan is presented a special award during the 20th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards ceremony in Mumbai, India. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File)

Director Rajat Mukherjee, known for helming films such as Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya and Road, passed away on July 19 in Jaipur. The filmmaker, who was in his 50s, had been suffering from kidney and heart-related ailments for a long time.

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Veteran comedian Jagdeep passed away on July 19, this year. He was 81. The actor, best remembered for his role as Soorma Bhopali in Sholay, was known for his comic timing and portrayal of quirky and unique characters.
Jagdeep, who appeared in nearly 400 films, also tried his hands at directing.
Image credit: (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon passed away on 21 July 2020, aged 85, following a prolonged illness. A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Tandon was the leader of the Opposition of the Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh from 2003 till 2007.
Image credit: LUCKNOW, INDIA - JULY 21: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh pays tribute to Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon during his last rites, at Gulala Ghat on July 21, 2020 in Lucknow, India. (Photo by Dheeraj Dhawan/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

The 86-year-old veteran Bollywood actress passed away on July 28. Daughter of the Nabab of Hussainabad, Kumkum, whose real name was Zaibunnisa, entered the film industry with the song Kabhi Aar Kabhi Paar, from the film Aar Paar.
A trained Kathak dancer, Kumkum worked in around 115 films, including the highly acclaimed Mother India, Naya Daur, Geet and Mr X in Bombay.
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Member of Parliament and former general secretary of the Samajwadi Party, Amar Singh, passed away on August 1, this year. Singh, 64, was in Singapore undergoing treatment for a kidney ailment.
Singh, who had friends across the political spectrum, was also known for his friendship with Bollywood stars including Amitabh Bachchan. He, however, had a fallout with Bachchan after he was expelled from the party in 2010.
Earlier this year, Singh came out in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s fight against the coronavirus and had posted a short video on Twitter, appealing to his followers to help in the fight against the virus.
Image credit: (Photo by Mohd Zakir/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

Television actor Sameer Sharma was found hanging at his house in Mumbai on August 5, this year. Sameer, who acted in serials such as Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki and Ye Rishtey Hain Pyar Ke, had also acted in the 2014 film Hasee Toh Phasee.
He had separated from his wife and was living alone.

Filmmaker Nishikant Kamat passed away of liver cirrhosis at the age of 50 on August 18th, this year. The director, who is known for directing the Hindi remake of the Malayalam film Drishyam, had been undergoing treatment for chronic liver disease in Hyderabad.
Apart from helming Hindi films such as Force and Madaari, Kamat was also prominent in the Marathi film industry with his debut film, Dombivali Fast, earning him accolades.

Veteran statesman, Pranab Mukherjee, who served as the President between 2012 and 2017, passed away on August 31, this year, aged 84. The former President was diagnosed with COVID-19, while in the hospital for removing a clot in his brain.
A leader respected across various spectrums of the political sphere and society, Mukherjee held several top portfolios including that of Finance and Defence.
Image credit: An Indian army soldier wearing a face mask stands beside a portrait of Pranab Mukherjee during the cremation of the former Indian President in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Tamil comedian, mimicry artist and actor, Vadivel Balaji, passed away aged 45 on September 10, this year. He had suffered a cardiac arrest. Vadivel was best known for his work on the Tamil channel Vijay TV; he had also acted in films such as En Rasavin Manasile and Kolamavu Kokila, apart from TV shows such as Kalakapovathu Yaaru.
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A popular face in Marathi and Konkani theatre, Ashalata Wabgaonkar passed away on September 22 in Satara. The 79 year-old actor had reportedly contracted the coronavirus while shooting for the Marathi television show, Aai Mazi Kalubai. The veteran actor has acted in over 100 Hindi and Marathi films including Aahista Aahista, Shaukeen, Woh Saat Din, Umbarta and Sutradar.
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The Vicky Donor actor passed away on September 23, this year. Bhupesh Kumar Pandya had been battling stage IV lung cancer and was undergoing treatment at an Ahmedabad hospital. A fund raiser had been started through Ketto, to raise Rs 25 lakhs for his treatment, and a total amount of Rs 23 lakhs has been raised so far.
An alumnus of the National School of Drama, Pandya had also acted in Hazaron Khwahishein Aisi and Delhi Crime.
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Former Minister of State for Railways, Suresh Angadi passed away of COVID-19 on September 23, at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). The 65-year-old BJP leader, a lawyer by training, had announced his diagnosis on Twitter, adding that he was fine. He had been under medical care for 15 days before his death.
Among the senior leaders of BJP from Karnataka, Angadi was a four-time elected MP from Belagavi before becoming a Union Minister.
Image credit: Minister of state Railways Suresh Channabasappa Angadi leaves after attending the Budget Session on July 8, 2019 in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

Legendary singer SP Balasubrahmanyam, 74, passed away due to complications arising from COVID-19 on September 25, this year. Popularly known as SPB, the singer had been battling COVID-19 for over a month in Chennai. Despite testing negative, SPB was hospitalised again after his condition deteriorated. SPB holds the Guinness World Record for the highest number of songs by a singer.
Image credit: (Photo by Shekhar Yadav/The India Today Group via Getty Images)

Former Union Minister and Armed Forces officer and a close associate of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Jaswant Singh passed away on September 27. He had been in a coma since August 2014, after suffering a fall at his home in Delhi.
Singh was a Member of Parliament from 1980 to 2014, having been elected to the Rajya Sabha five times and four times to the Lok Sabha. Singh held the portfolios of Defence, External Affairs and Finance in the BJP Government.
Image credit: Jaswant Singh, shows his book 'A Call to Honor-In Service of Emergent India,' during its launch in New Delhi, India, Thursday, July 27, 2006. The book is an account about India's history during BJP government rule. (AP Photo)

Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ram Vilas Paswan, breathed his last on October 8. Paswan had undergone heart surgery on October 4 after battling a cardiac ailment for two months.
One of the foremost Dalit leaders of Bihar, the founder of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) had been a Cabinet minister in almost all Central Governments formed since 1989.
RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav had described him as ‘mausam vaigyanik’ or weather scientist for his ability to read the situations and always go with the winning side.
Image credit: Lok Janshakti Party President Ramvilas Paswan on their way to Greater Noida where four persons were killed during a farmers agitation, on August 19, 2008 in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Arvind Tadav/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

The noted actor, last seen in the web series Pataal Lok, was found hanging in his residence at Dharamshala on November 12th. While the police have, prima facie, ruled his death as suicide, they are investigating into the matter. The actor, who is known for his work in films such as Jab We Met, Kai Po Che, Parzania and Black Friday, had been staying at the rented Dharamshala house for four years, travelling to Mumbai for work.
Image credit: (Photo by Jyoti Kapoor/The India Today Group via Getty Images)

The entire country mourned the loss of legendary Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee on November 15, this year. The actor, director, playwright, writer and poet, was admitted at a hospital in Kolkata after testing positive for COVID-19. He was 85 years of age.
Chatterjee is known for his collaboration with celebrated director Satyajit Ray, his debut role in the Apu Trilogy and his portray of Feluda, a fictional private Bengali investigator. He was also the first Indian actor to be conferred France’s highest award for artists – the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (1999). Chatterjee was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2012.
Image credit: (Photo by Indranil Aditya/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Former Assam Chief Minister Taurn Gogoi passed away from post-COVID complications on November 23, this year. A member of the Indian National Congress, Gogoi was the longest-serving CM of the state, leading the party to three consecutive wins.
The veteran politician had tested positive for the coronavirus on August 25 and was admitted to the hospital. Though he had recovered and was discharged, he developed complications, post which he had to be re-admitted on November 2.
During his 15-year stint as the CM, the octogenarian is credited to have changed the face of Assam from an insurgency-ridden state to one of opportunities.
Image credit: (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Television industry lost another actor with the death of TV actor Ashiesh Roy. Known for his work in the serial Sasural Simar Ka, Roy passed away due to kidney failure on November 24. The 55-year-old actor, who had been undergoing dialysis for a kidney ailment, had tweeted in May requesting for financial assistance. Roy has worked in serials such as Baa, Bahu Aur Baby, apart from films such as Home Delivery.
Image credit: Twitter

Member of Parliament, Ahmed Patel passed away due to COVID complications on November, 25. With his death, Congress has lost one of its senior-most members.
The veteran Congress leader had tested positive on October 1 and had urged all those who came in contact with him to self-isolate.
Patel, who was in Parliament continuously from 1977, was a confidante to three generations of the Gandhi family.
Image credit: (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Divya Bhatnagar, known for her role in the serial Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hei, passed away on December 7 due to COVID-19 related complications. She was admitted to the hospital after testing positive for the virus and had been on ventilator support. The 34-year-old actor suffered a cardiac arrest. The actress had also acted in shows such as Genda Phool, Sawaare Sabke Sapne Preeto, Vish, among others. Image credit: Divya Bhatnagar/Instagram

Actress Arya Banerjee, who played the role of Shakila in Milan Luthria's biographical Dirty Picture, died in her Kolkata home, under suspicious circumstances, on December 12. The body of the 33 year old actress was found in the bedroom of her home, by the police. The actress, who is the younger daughter of late Sitar Maestro Nikhil Banerjee, has also acted in Dhibakar Banerjee's Love Sex Aur Dhoka .

Popular Tamil actor and television host VJ Chitra was found dead in her hotel room on December 9. While the police have ruled out foul play and have called it a suicide, Chitra's family members have alleged that the actress was subjected to torture by her husband. Chitra has hosted many shows on television and was part of the popular television serial Pandian Stores.