Bollywood mourns Parrikar's demise

Mumbai: Several Bollywood celebrities including Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Riteish Deshmukh and Madhur Bhandakar, Sunday expressed grief over the demise of Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.

Parrikar, 63, died at his private residence near here on Sunday. He was suffering from pancreatic cancer since February 2018.

However, officially he was described to be suffering from a pancreatic ailment.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan took to Twitter to express his grief.

“Manohar Parikar CM Goa, passes away .. a gentleman to the core, simple in demeanour and well respected .. spent few short moments with him .. very dignified .. fought his illness bravely .. prayers and condolences,” Bachchan said.

Sanjay Dutt tweeted, “Sad to hear about the loss of one of our finest leaders, #ManoharParrikar ji. May he rest in peace. My prayers are with the grieving family & friends”.

Actor Randeep Hooda, who had met Parrikar at the launch of a movie, described him as a man of few words.

“Man of few words, simple, epitome of integrity & efficiency, straight shooter, the defence minister, 3-time chief minister of Goa, away from the trappings of a person in power, IITian, well mannered, a true servant of the nation, an example to follow for one and all.. Salute #ManoharParrikar,” Randeep described Parrikar in his message on twitter.

Riteish Deshmukh tweeted, “Deeply saddened by the passing away of Shri #ManoharParrikar ji … one of the tallest leaders of India. Condolences to the family & loved ones.” 

Veteran actor Anupam Kher posted a picture of him alongside Parrikar and wrote, “Deeply deeply saddened to know about the untimely demise of Shri #ManoharParrikar ji”.

“He was one of the most real, dignified, intelligent, warm, down-to-earth & honest person I had met. He had a great quality of inspiring people so effortlessly. Will miss him. Om Shanti”.

South actor Siddharth also expressed grief over the development.

“ManoharParrikar lost his battle to cancer but in his last days set a fine example of working against all odds. He will be a tough act to follow. Rest in peace sir,” he tweeted.

Praising the late chief minister, comedian-actor Vir Das tweeted, “ManoharParrikar always came across as one of the more level headed and decent politicians in the country. Rest in Peace sir.” 

In his tweet, filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar wrote that Parrikar will always be remembered for his simplicity.

“Saddened to know about the demise of #ManoharParrikar ji. He will always be remembered for his simplicity and as a common man with strong determination. It’s a great loss for the nation,” 

Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri wrote” “Om Shanti”.