Veteran actor Arun Bali passes away at 79

Mumbai, Sep 07: Veteran actor Arun Bali passed away on Friday at the age of 79 in Mumbai. Known for his roles in '3 Idiots', 'Kedarnath', 'Panipat' among many other films Bali had been diagnosed with a rare long-term neuromuscular disease Myasthenia Gravis (a rare autoimmune disease caused by communication failure between nerves and muscles).

He had worked in numerous films and television series. He played the part of King Porus in the 1991 period drama Chanakya, Kunwar Singh in the Doordarshan soap opera Swabhimaan and the Chief Minister of undivided Bengal, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, in the controversial and critically acclaimed 2000 film Hey Ram.

In the 2000s, he became known for his "grandfatherly" roles like that of Harshvardhan Wadhwa in Kumkum and has even garnered popular awards for the same. He is also a National Award-winning producer. He hails from a Punjabi Muhiyal (Brahmin) Family.

In 2001, the prominent writer, actor and director Lekh Tandon counted Bali amongst his favorite actors.