Veteran actor and comedian Mushtaq Merchant passed away in Mumbai on December 27. He was 67. He breathed his last at Mumbai’s Holy Family Hospital. He was suffering from diabetes and receiving treatment at the hospital. He was living in the Bandra area of Mumbai.
Hanif Zaveri, who is a close friend of Mushtaq Merchant, informed the media that the cause of Mushtaq’s death was his high blood pressure and diabetes.
According to Zaveri, Mustaq was suffering from diabetes for the last 10-12 years and he was admitted to the hospital on December 27 after his health deteriorated. He passed away a few hours after admission to the hospital.
He made his debut in Bollywood with Jawani Diwani in 1972. He also acted in films such as Seeta Aur Geeta, Sagar, Fifty Fifty and Sholay among others. He had a long career spanning over two decades and performed in over 80 films.
Mushtaq was supposed to have an appearance in Sholay that starred Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra. But his role in the film could not make it to the big screen, as the scenes featuring him were removed in the final edit due to the length of the film. IMDB on its website said that Mushtaq essayed two roles in Sholay – train driver and a biker.
According to reports, Mushtaq had won the Best Actor award at the All India Inter College Competition held in Mumbai. He has also won the Best Writer and Director award for three consecutive years at college competitions. Mushtaq had also written scripts for some movies like Pyaar Ka Saaya, Laad Saab, Sapne Saajan Ke and Gang.
According to reports, he quit his film career 16 years ago and had engaged himself with religious activities.
