Shashi Kapoor Dies at Age 79 After Prolonged Illness

New Delhi: Veteran Bollywood actor Shashi Kapoor, the romantic screen icon of the 70s and early 80s who immortalised the line "Mere paas Maa hain", died on Monday after prolonged illness. He was 79.

Known for his work in films such as Deewar, Satyam Shivam Sundaram and Kabhie Kabhie, the 79-year-old had stayed away from the limelight in the last two decades.

He had been suffering from ailments for the past few years. He had undergone a bypass surgery and was also hospitalized for a chest infection in 2014.

He is survived by three children - Kunal, Sanjana and Karan Kapoor.

His nephew Mohit Marwah confirmed the news on Twitter. “My favourite Shashi Kapoor rests in peace today. Will be remembered always,” he tweeted.

My favourite shashi kapoor rests in peace today 🙏🏽 will be remembered always pic.twitter.com/hv2KQOgOyf

— Mohit Marwah (@mohitsmarwah) December 4, 2017

He took his last breath at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital here.

"Yes he has passed away. He had kidney problem since several years. He was on dialysis for several years," Randhir Kapoor told PTI.

The funeral will be held tomorrow morning, he said.



"Shashi Kapoor expired at 5:20 pm on December 4 at Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai," Dr Ram Narain from Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital told PTI.

Shashi Kapoor hit the spotlight at the age of four, acting in plays directed and produced by his father. He started acting in films as a child artiste in the late '40s.

His best known performances as a child actor were in "Aag" (1948) and "Awaara" (1951), where he played the younger version of the character played by Raj Kapoor. Shashi Kapoor also worked as assistant director in the '50s.



He made his debut as a leading man in the 1961 film "Dharmputra" and went on to appear in more than 116 films during '70s and until the mid '80s.

He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 2011 and received the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke award in 2015.