Vijay Crishna, who played SRK’s father in Devdas, passes away

Mumbai: Veteran actor Vijay Crishna, who portrayed the father of Shah Rukh Khan’s character in director Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Devdas, passed away at the age of 81. The cause of his death has not yet been disclosed by his family.

Several personalities from the worlds of theatre, film and television expressed their condolences. Actors Anupam Kher and Lillete Dubey, among others, paid tribute to the late actor and remembered him for his contribution to Indian performing arts.

He is survived by his wife, Smita Crishna, a noted businesswoman, and their daughter, Nyrika Holkar.

Who was Vijay Crishna?

Vijay Crishna was a respected name in Indian theatre and performed on stage for over 25 years. He received widespread appreciation for his role in the English film Dance Like a Man (2004), based on a play by Mahesh Dattani. The film, which also starred Shobana, Arif Zakaria and Anoushka Shankar, went on to win a National Film Award.

In Bollywood, Crishna is best remembered for his role as the strict patriarch in Devdas (2002), where he shared screen space with Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit. His performance left a lasting impression despite limited screen time.

Apart from acting, Vijay Crishna was also known for his work as an environmentalist and had earlier served as an executive director with the Godrej family-run businesses.

As of now, Shah Rukh Khan has not issued any public statement or reaction to the news of Vijay Crishna’s demise.