As Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister “Yogi” Adityanath hogged the headlines in 2020 for a series of measures that attacked and marginalised Mus...
As Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister “Yogi” Adityanath hogged the headlines in 2020 for a series of measures that attacked and marginalised Muslims, a recent tweet by the writer Genesia Alves reminded us of another Yogi – a non-divisive and beloved fictional character who was indelibly brought to life by the renowned actor Mohan Gokhale.
when I find myself slightly panicking while reading about angry orange I let this tune play in the background pic.twitter.com/iOJrU9mU5l
— BookOfGenesia جينيسيا (@genesiaalves) December 18, 2020
Mr Yogi, Ketan Mehta’s entertaining television serial from 1989, was one of the high points in Gokhale’s fruitful but short career. The spindly actor with the brown eyes, sharp nose and deep dimples moved smoothly between theatre, cinema and television from the 1970s and the 1990s. His movie credits include Mehta’s Holi, Bhavni Bhavai, Mirch Masala and Hero Hiralal.
Gokhale was shooting for Kamal Haasan’s Hey Ram in Chennai on April 29, 1999, when he died in his sleep from a heart attack. He was 45.
Mehta met Gokhale while studying direction at the Film and Television Institute in Pune. Gokhale had already built a reputation on the stage in Pune. He had also appeared in films that FTII students were required to make during their course.
“He was a very fine theatre actor,” Mehta recalled. “He was in the play Ghashiram Kotwal, and I...
