Veteran actor Vijay Chavan, known for his comic timing, professionalism, and for his warm personality off the sets, passed away on Friday morning owing to a chronic lung disease. The Marathi film industry has almost unanimously declared his demise as an irreplaceable loss. Director-actor Mahesh Kothare remembers Chavan as a friend and cooperative actor. The two had been friends since their film Zapatlela, which came out in 1993. “He was with me since that film. He featured in most of my films and was a fine actor. He was a dear friend, and after Laxmikant (Berde), I have lost another friend. He was a very cooperative actor on the sets and was in practically every one of my films. It is a sad day, as we have lost one of our best,” says Kothare.
Actor Subodh Bhave, who worked with Chavan in two films, says, “We have lost a talented soul and it is really very heartbreaking. He always entertained through his work. He would always make new artistes comfortable and let everyone work with ease. This loss is going to be saddening for a very long time.”
Actor Ajinkya Deo, who knew the veteran on and off sets, shares that Chavan was a dear friend. Deo says, “We did a couple of films together. I remember one shoot in Kolhapur where we had a blast. I had a bike and he rode pillion. I was riding really fast, and Vijya, as we fondly called him, was terribly scared and was shouting all along on the roads of Kolhapur. It was hilarious. I can’t ever forget that he was a superb human being. I had visited his home for dinner, and he served us some amazing fish. I have lost a good friend and Marathi cinema has lost a great actor. It is an early exit.”
{{/usCountry}}Actor Ajinkya Deo, who knew the veteran on and off sets, shares that Chavan was a dear friend. Deo says, “We did a couple of films together. I remember one shoot in Kolhapur where we had a blast. I had a bike and he rode pillion. I was riding really fast, and Vijya, as we fondly called him, was terribly scared and was shouting all along on the roads of Kolhapur. It was hilarious. I can’t ever forget that he was a superb human being. I had visited his home for dinner, and he served us some amazing fish. I have lost a good friend and Marathi cinema has lost a great actor. It is an early exit.”
{{/usCountry}}Actor Uday Tikekar remembers the veteran as a supremely talented actor and a great human being. “He was extremely talented, and at the same time a superb person as well. May his soul rest in peace,” says Tikekar, who worked with Chavan in Kho Kho (2013).
Chavan’s colleagues reveal that he is an irreplaceable actor. Actor Bhargavi Chirmule shares, “It is a big loss to the industry. He was not only a great comic actor, he was an equally great human being as well. I feel that him being a good human translated to his honest and impeccable work on-screen. I am lucky to have known him and worked with him. The vacuum created by his leaving is definitely irreplaceable.”