No doubt, Om Puri, the acclaimed Indian actor who appeared in hit films including "Gandhi", "City of Joy" and "East is East", has left a large number of his admirers in a state of shock. Not only was he an overly astute performer, he was also a brutally honest man. According to him, though he did try to resist commercial films for quite some time, he succumbed to it finally as money was equally important as art.

A few months prior to his death he invited the anger of right-wingers in India who had not approved of his remarks that he made in response to a media question on the death of a Border Security Force soldier. Though Puri withdrew his 'controversial' words almost immediately and presented himself for a trial even by a military court so that he could effectively 'repent' for his 'sin', he amply demonstrated that he had deep insights into India's Establishment's machinations. The roles that he played in a couple of Sikh insurgency-related movies, for example, made him vastly different from those of his peers and others. He will always be remembered for his Bollywood roles and his approach to social and political issues.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017