\'Jaane bhi\' star, Baswani, dies of a heart attack

NEW DELHI: In the Bollywood of 80s, when comedy often meant either slipping on banana peel or running on the streets in underwear, Ravi Baswani brought a healthy dose of subtlety and sophistication to the craft. The 63-year-old actor, who passed away after suffering a massive heart attack in Shimla on Tuesday, excelled in two sparkling cult comedies that earned both critical plaudits and cash counter success — Sai Paranjpe\'s \"Chashme Buddoor\" (1981) and Kundan Shah\'s \"Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro\" (1983).



In \"Chashme Buddoor\", Baswani played Jai, a college student rather desperate for a girlfriend. Blessed with inquisitive, talkative eyes, the Delhi-born actor imbued the part with credibility without sacrificing on humour. Jai is hilarious but we also empathize with the guy.



In \"Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron\", Baswani formed a wonderful comic team with Naseeruddin Shah, both playing professional photographers. Again, there were no antics or mimics from Baswani but he still managed to tickle the funny bone. He won the Filmfare Award for the best comedian for the role. In recent years, there was much talk of a \"Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro\" sequel but nothing came of it.



Baswani was also outstanding in \"Ab Ayega Maza\" (1984) where he played a foreign-returned guy with a funny accent. The way he spoke his lines — Dharmendra kidhar rehte hain — had the audience in splits. TV audience also enjoyed watching him in \"Idhar Udhar\", the hugely popular comedy serial on Doordarshan in the 1980s.



\"After \'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro\', colour television came to my rescue. I got to act in a lot of serials on Doordarshan. Soon after, I got to produce and direct my first serial. These things have kept me occupied and learning,\" he said in an interview to Bangalore Mirror earlier this month. Sadly, a career that started out so promisingly got lost in a maze of forgettable roles in forgettable Bollywood films: \"Love 86\" (1986), \"Return of Jewel Thief\" (1996), \"Chal Mere Bhai\" (2000), to name a few. One of his forthcoming films is \"Mastang Mama\".



\"His was a crucial casting (for Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro). He even helped Naseeruddin Shah flesh out his character,\" the film\'s director Kundan Shah said.


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