MUMBAI: The Indian TV industry is just about begin to recover from the horrific news of the death of two fine character actors Gagan Kang and Arijit Lavania in a car accident. TellyChakkar.com has been at the forefront, reporting on the accident, profiling the actors, speaking to colleagues and friends to get their insights into the two deceased’s life.
Actor Suyyash Rai made it a point to make it to Gagan’s apartment complex as well as to the crematorium where his remains were consigned to the pyre. Suyyash is very close to Amit Sarin; and he went there to support him and his sister, Pooja, as well as the mythological actor’s family.
Speaking to TellyChakkar.com, like Barkha Bisht Sengupta, he too stated that he would have liked to see more representation from actors who claimed to know him on social media.
“It is a small industry, I wish more people would have turned up for the cremation, there were very few people present,” he says.“I was in Goa shooting for my new music video at the time of the accident but I left it mid way. During the last sequence I had to cry and I just couldn’t stop crying, it was getting difficult to shoot. We had to cancel the shooting. I used to meet Gagan from time to time at private gatherings around the shows he acted in, but I felt I owed it to Gagan and Amit to be in Mumbai.”
(Read: Barkha Bisht Sengupta has a few questions)
Recalling the scenes of grief during the last rites, Suyyash says that while Gagan had an injury to his head which probably led to his death, Arijit’s body and face were unscarred. “Everyone, believes he died because of a heart attack. The accident was so sudden that they did not even have time to shut their eyes; their eyes were still open even after they passed away.”
Suyyash discloses that Arijit’s family had come to Mumbai to surprise him on his thirty first birthday on 24 August. And that’s what made it even more painful for them. His mother kept on calling out to her son to come back, while his father sad in a resigned manner that the family had come to the city to bring in his birthday, little did he know that they would be taking back his lifeless body.
Suyyash says Gagan’s mother displayed tremendous strength of character. Says he (his eyes brimming with tears and a quiver in his voice): “She just cried once. She sat next to him, tried shutting his eyes and said: ‘Beta! Dhyaan rakhna (Son! (Take care).’ I hugged her, I couldn’t say anything.”
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