Veteran actor Satinder Kumar Khosla aka Birbal passed away in Mumbai on Tuesday at the age of 84 due to a cardiac arrest.
The official X (formerly Twitter) page of the Cine & TV Artistes’ Association (CINTAA) confirmed the news. “CINTAA expresses its condolences on the demise of Birbal (Member since 1981),” the tweet reads.
With his bald pate and thick moustache, Birbal’s comic characters were a staple in Bollywood films during the 1960s and 1970s. He is best remembered for playing a prisoner in the Amitabh Bachchan-Dharmendra-starrer Sholay (1975).
Birbal made his acting debut in 1966 with Do Bandhaan. He worked in over 500 movies in various languages including Hindi, Punjabi and Bhojpuri. Some of his films include Mera Naam Joker (1970), Tapasya (1976), Gambler (1995) and Amir Garib (1974). The actor had also worked with Manoj Kumar on several films like Upkar (1967), Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (1974) and Kranti (1981).