Om Puri: Helen Mirren remembers the ‘life loving man’

The Oscar winning actor, who worked with Puri in A Hundred-Foot Journey, says he loved his country and its culture

British star Helen Mirren, who worked with late actor Om Puri in Hollywood film A Hundred- Foot Journey (2014), calls him a great friend and says she will miss him.

Oscar winning actor Helen Mirren remembers Om Puri as a “great, expansive, life force of a man.”

Om Puri and Helen Mirren in A Hundred-Foot Journey.

“I worked with Om only once on the film A Hundred-Foot Journey, however, once met, he was unforgettable. Om Puri was such a great, expansive, life force of a man, he instantly became a great friend. He was a generous, life loving man. He loved to act, he loved to feed people, and above all he loved his country and its culture. My profession will miss an original, and India will miss a great representative,” says the 71-year-old, who has worked in popular films such as The Queen (2007), Gosford Park (2001), Calendar Girls (2003), and Hitchcock (2012) among others.

My profession will miss an original, and India will miss a great representative

Veteran actor Om Puri died of heart attack on Friday morning in Mumbai. The 66-year-old actor had worked in critically acclaimed films such as Akrosh (1980) (Ardha Satya (1982), Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron (1983), Mirch Masala(1987) and Maachis (1996) among others. His funeral was attended by Bollywood celebs such as Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar and Manoj Bajpai among others.