Veteran Actor Vijay Crishna Passes Away At 81; Anupam Kher, Lillete Dubey Mourn His Demise

Hyderabad: Vijay Crishna, a veteran actor who is best known for playing Shah Rukh Khan's father in the film Devdas, has passed away at the age of 81. The news of his demise has left members of the film industry mourning. The cause of his death, however, has not yet been disclosed by the family.

Vijay Crishna was widely recognised for his role in the 2002 film Devdas, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. In the film, he played the father of Shah Rukh Khan's character. The movie also featured Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit. Crishna was also known for his work in the internationally acclaimed film Gandhi.

Vijay Crishna as Shah Rukh Khan's father in the film Devdas (Photo: Still From Devdas)

Several members of the film and theatre fraternity expressed their condolences on social media. Actor Lillete Dubey shared an emotional note on Instagram remembering her long-time colleague and friend.

Dubey's Instagram post read, "Heartbroken..our dearest Vijay Crishna .. part of our theatre family & ‘Dance like a Man’ for over 25 years .. has passed away..a man of many parts .. a brilliant actor, handsome, charming, bright with his dry tongue in cheek trademark humour, he was much loved & cherished by us all .. so many memories flood the heart & mind & overwhelm me .."

"RIP my Jairaj .. you will never be forgotten..May you entertain the angels as you did us all here ..love & prayers for his lovely wife Smita, girls Nyrika & Freyan & the whole family ..," the post concluded. Actor Anupam Kher also reacted to the news. Commenting on Dubey's post, he wrote, "This is so sad. Om Shanti!"

Apart from films, Vijay Crishna had a strong presence in Indian theatre. He performed on stage for more than 25 years and earned praise for his role in the English film Dance Like a Man, which was based on a play by Mahesh Dattani. The film also starred Shobana, Arif Zakaria and Anoushka Shankar. It went on to win a National Film Award.

Beyond acting, Crishna was also associated with the Godrej group of companies. He served as a non-executive, non-independent director with Godrej Industries from 1995. He later stepped down from the board in 2021 due to age. He was also known for his work as an environmentalist and his support for the arts.

He is survived by his wife, Smita Crishna, a businesswoman, and their daughters Nyrika and Freyan. In late 2024, Smita Crishna and Jamshyd Godrej were ranked 22nd on the Forbes list of India's wealthiest individuals.

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