Ravindra Mahajani, a popular and professional director-actor in the Marathi entertainment industry, passed away at the age of 77 on Friday, i.e., July 14th,2023. He was found dead in his rented apartment at the Xrbia Society in Pune’s Talegaon Dabhade vicinity. According to the police reports, he was staying alone at the apartment for the past eight months and owned a house in Mumbai.
On Friday, the neighbours of actor Ravindra noticed a foul smell coming from his apartment. They immediately, around 4:30 p.m. in the afternoon on Friday, called the police as they could sense something was wrong. After that, a team from Talegaon MIDC police station reached there, but the apartment was locked from inside, so they had to break in the apartment.
The actor was found dead in the apartment. It was reported that Ravindra Mahajani had passed away two or three days ago, which is somewhat on Wednesday. The senior police officer of Talegaon Dabhade, Ranjit Sawant, said, “We received a call from the neighbours of the flat, where Mahajani was staying alone, informing us about a foul odour emanating from his house. We went to the spot and broke open the door of the flat, where he was found dead.” He added, “It is suspected that he died three days ago.”
The reason and cause of Mahajani’s death will remain under investigation. Police have sent his mortal remains for a postmortem to the hospital to determine the cause of his death. It is still unknown how he died.
Police said the actor’s son, Gashmeer Mahajani, had been trying to reach his father, but the phone calls were going unanswered. On Friday, hours before his body was found, Gashmeer asked a friend in Pune to visit Talegaon Dabhade to check on his father. Gashmeer said his friend planned to visit his father on Saturday. “We have contacted his son in Mumbai and informed him,” police officials said.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar also paid tribute to the actor, saying that his untimely demise has caused a great loss to the Marathi film industry. “We share the grief of the Mahajani family. A heartfelt tribute to Ravindra Mahajani!” Sharad Pawar said in a tweet.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde condoled Mahajani’s death. “Veteran Marathi actor Ravindra Mahajani, who ruled the hearts of the audience through his impressive acting skills, has passed away. May God give eternal peace to his soul and give strength to the Mahajani family to recover from this grief. A heartfelt tribute.”
Ravindra Mahajani was known for his well-known and notable performances in Marathi Cinema. He was not only a veteran actor but also a great director. With a career spanning several decades, he worked on numerous films and theatre productions, leaving an indelible mark on the industry. He started acting in Marathi films from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s. His famous films were Mumbaicha Faujdar (1984), Kalat Nakalat (1990), Aaram Haram Aahe (1976), Zunj (1975), and Bolo He Chakradhari (1977). His son, Gashmeer Mahajani, is also an actor and is best known for his work in Marathi cinema. Ravindra Mahajani will be missed and it is a great loss to the Marathi cinema.
