Veteran actor Ranjit Chowdhry breathed his last on April 15 in the United States. He was 64 years old. Son of actress Pearl Padamsee, Ranjit had worked in films, theatre and television. He was a part of classic Hindi movies like Khubsoorat, Baton Baton Mein and Khatta Meetha.
Ranjit is the son of Mumbai theatre heavyweight Pearl Padamsee and the step son of ad film maverick, Alyque Padamsee, also remembered for playing MA Jinnah in Ben Kingsley’s Gandhi.
Taking to Instagram, Ranjit’s half-sister Raell Padamsee shared the news of his demise. Sharing a monochrome picture of Ranjit, she wrote, “For all those who knew Ranjit, the funeral will be held tomorrow and a gathering to celebrate his life n share his stories on May 5th. With love, Raell (sic).”
Actor Rahul Khanna also condoled the actor’s death on Twitter. He wrote, “Gutted to learn of #RanjitChowdhry’s passing. Despite his diminutive frame, he was a towering icon of Indian diaspora cinema and a master of his craft. By far, one of the most endearingly quirky and acerbically witty people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. A true original! I have such fun memories of working with him on Bollywood/ Hollywood, then, on an off-Broadway musical (that we both eventually ended up not doing) and, of course, the dinners at his apartment in New York. Giving you a standing ovation & raising a toast to you, my friend! (sic)”
Gutted to learn of #RanjitChowdhry’s passing. Despite his diminutive frame, he was a towering icon of Indian diaspora cinema and a master of his craft. By far, one of the most endearingly quirky and acerbically witty people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. A true original!
— Rahul Khanna (@R_Khanna) April 16, 2020
I have such fun memories of working with him on Bollywood/ Hollywood, then, on an off-Broadway musical (that we both eventually ended up not doing) and, of course, the dinners at his apartment in New York. Giving you a standing ovation & raising a toast to you, my friend!
— Rahul Khanna (@R_Khanna) April 16, 2020
My heartfelt condolences to his family & especially his son. 💔
— Rahul Khanna (@R_Khanna) April 16, 2020
In Bollywood, Ranjit was last seen in Sanjay Gupta’s Kaante. He made his film debut with Basu Chatterjee’s Khatta Meetha, in which he played the role of Russie Mistry. The actor had worked with renowned filmmakers including Mira Nair in Mississippi Masala, Shekhar Kapur in Bandit Queen and Deepa Mehta in Fire and Sam & Me. He was also a part of popular American drama Prison Break where he played Dr Marvin Gudat.