Jackie Shroff remembers Achyut Potdar, Gopi Kishan on birth anniversary, wishes Paintal on 78th birthday

Mumbai, August 22 (IANS) Bollywood star Jackie Shroff on Saturday remembered late veteran actor Achyut Potdar and ace classical dancer and choreographer Gopi Kishan on their birth anniversaries.

He also extended birthday wishes to actor Paintal with a post on his social media account.

Jackie shared a picture of Achyut Potdar on his social media account, featuring the veteran actor alongside a message that read, “Always in our hearts #AchyutPotdar”. The post also carried the words: “Remembering Achyut Potdar ji on his birth anniversary”.

He shared the picture with a dialogue of the actor from the 1992 film Angaar, as the background score.

For the uninitiated, in the film, Jackie played Jaikishan, popularly known as Jaggu, while Achyut Potdar played his father. The dialogue captures Potdar addressing his on-screen son as “Jaggu” and asking him about wearing his “chappals”.

For the uninitiated, Angaar, directed by Shashilal K. Nair, featured Jackie alongside Dimple Kapadia, Nana Patekar and Om Puri, with Potdar playing Jaggu’s father.

Jackie Shroff and Achyut Potdar also worked together in the blockbuster movie Rangeela, though they hardly had shared the screen space together.

Talking about Achyut Potdar, the actor was born on August 22, 1934, in Jabalpur and entered films at the age of 44 with Govind Nihalani’s Aakrosh in 1980. Before entering the entertainment industry, he had served in the Indian Army and later worked with Indian Oil. He went on to act in more than 125 films and nearly 100 television serials.

His extensive filmography included Ardh Satya, Tezaab, Parinda, Rangeela, Ishq, Vaastav, Hum Saath-Saath Hain, Lage Raho Munna Bhai and 3 Idiots. He became particularly memorable for a younger generation as the professor in 3 Idiots, with his “Kehna kya chahte ho?” dialogue becoming a popular meme.

Jackie also shared a birthday tribute for veteran actor Kanwarjit Paintal. His post featured Paintal’s photograph with the message: “Warm Wishes, Paintal ji #HappyBirthday #KanwarjitPaintal.”

Talking about the veteran actor, he was born on August 22, 1948, in Tarn Taran, Punjab, trained at the Film and Television Institute of India and entered the Hindi film industry after graduating in 1969.

Known for his comic timing and character roles, Paintal has worked extensively across Hindi cinema and television. He has appeared in films including Bawarchi, Jawani Diwani, Piya Ka Ghar, Parichay, Jangal Mein Mangal, Heera Panna and Satte Pe Satta. He also played Shikhandi and Sudama in B.R. Chopra’s Mahabharat. He later served as Head of the Acting Department at FTII.

Jackie also remembered Gopi Krishna, sharing a rare black-and-white picture of the legendary dancer performing Kathak. “Remembering Nataraj Gopi Krishna ji on his birth anniversary,” he wrote.

Born on August 22, 1935, Gopi Krishna was one of India’s most celebrated Kathak dancers, choreographers and actors. He began training in Kathak as a child and later also studied Bharatanatyam. At just 17, he became one of the youngest choreographers in Hindi film history when he was hired to choreograph dances for Saqi in 1952.

Gopi Krishna went on to make a lasting contribution to Indian cinema through films such as Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje, Grahasti, Dastaan, Mehbooba, Umrao Jaan and Naache Mayuri. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1975 and was also known for setting a record for the longest continuous Kathak performance, lasting nine hours and 20 minutes.

–IANS

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