Over the years, the Hindi film industry has lost several talented actors, some of whom passed away before the release of their upcoming film, which unfortunately also turned out to be their last on-screen appearance. Sridevi, Irrfan Khan, Sushant Singh Rajput to more recently Rishi Kapoor are among several other stars who could not witness the release of their last films.
Rishi Kapoor
Kapoor was shooting for his film Sharmaji Namkeen when he passed away due to leukemia on April 30. His unfinished parts were completed by Paresh Rawal, who stepped into his shoes to play the lovable 60-year-old man in the film. The film was released on Amazon Prime on March 31.
Helmed by Hitesh Bhatia, the film has been bankrolled by Excel Entertainment and MacGuffin Pictures. The film features Rawal, Chawla, Taaruk Raina, Sheeba Chaddha, Suhail Nayyar, Satish Kaushik, and Isha Talwar in significant roles.
Sushant Singh Rajput
Sushant Singh Rajput’s sudden and tragic demise left his fans across the globe shocked. What’s more disheartening is the fact that he left us just days before the release of his film Dil Bechara, which went on to become one of the most loved films of this year so far. The film was directed by Mukesh Chhabra.
Meena Kumari
Kumari fell ill three weeks after the release of Kamal Amrohi directed drama Pakeezah (1972) and died soon after. The film made Rs 3 crores at the box office and was followed by Saawan Kumar Tak’s Gomti Ke Kinare the same year, Kumari’s last release.
Sridevi
Sridevi passed away on February 24, 2018, at a hotel in Dubai. She had a cameo appearance in the film Zero starring Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif, and Anushka Sharma in lead roles. The film was released on December 21, 2018, months after her tragic demise.
Madhubala
Considered one of the most beautiful actors in the Hindi film industry, Madhubala stopped working in the 1960s owing to a heart condition. In 1971, two years after her death, the action film Jwala co-starring Sunil Dutt was released.
Irrfan Khan
Irrfan Khan’s last film Murder at Teesri Manzil 302 which also starred Ranvir Shorey, Deepal Shaw, Lucky Ali to name a few, was released on an OTT platform after he passed away.
Smita Patil
Smita Patil had quite a few posthumous releases. Insaniyat Ke Dushman, Nazrana, Hum Farishte Nahin, Waaris, Galiyon Ke Badshah were some of them.
Om Puri
Another legendary Bollywood actor Om Puri passed away on January 6, 2017, due to a heart attack. But just a month before his untimely death, he had completed shooting for Salman Khan’s Tubelight which was released on the occasion of Eid on June 25, 2017, months after his unfortunate demise.
Divya Bharti
Divya Bharti was one of the most successful actors of her time. Unfortunately, she died in 1993 at the young age of 19 and left the entire industry shell-shocked. Her last film Shatranj released nine months after her tragic and sudden demise. The film, later on, went on to become super successful at the box office.
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