Veteran actor Sameer Khakhar passes away at 71

Veteran actor Sameer Khakhar is no more. He was 71.The news of the actor's demise was confirmed by his brother Ganesh. He informed that Sameer died due to multiple organ failure on Wednesday.

"He experienced some respiratory issues yesterday morning, we called the doctor home and he asked to get him admitted. So we took him to the hospital and he was admitted to the ICU. He then had multiple organ failures and today at 4.30 am he passed away," Ganesh said.After learning about the unfortunate news, filmmaker Hansal Mehta paid a heartfelt tribute.

"For some reason I was nicknamed Khopdi in college after his iconic character in Nukkad. My closest friends from the time still call me Khopdi. But I guess it's time to say goodbye to the OG. Goodbye Sameer Khakhar. Thank you for the memories," he wrote.

Sameer Khakhar's career spanned nearly four decades. He rose to fame with his roles in TV shows 'Nukkad' and 'Circus'. He was also featured in 'Shrimaan Shrimati', and 'Adaalat'. He also played vital roles in films, including 'Hasee Toh Phasee', 'Jai Ho', 'Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi'. More recently, he was seen in the Shahid Kapoor-starrer OTT series 'Farzi'.