Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
NEW DELHI (AP) - Indian actor Farooq Shaikh, the plump, unlikely hero of scores of Bollywood films, has died. He was 65.
Press Trust of India reported that Shaikh suffered a heart attack Friday in Dubai, where he was visiting with his family.
Shaikh's film career began on a high note with the 1973 new wave film "Garm Hawa," about the 1947 partition of the subcontinent at the end of British rule. His performance earned him a key role in director Satyajit Ray's "The Chess Players," about the decadence of India's feudal classes.
Shaikh's cherubic looks struck a chord with ordinary people who tended to identify with his man on the street image.
Bollywood reacted sadly to the news of Shaikh's death, with several celebrities tweeting their condolences.
Noted Indian actress Shabana Azmi, who described herself as a close friend, said she was still trying to come to terms with Shaikh's death.
"Forty years ago, he and I started a theater group. It was a very long association, so it's difficult to speak about his death," Azmi tweeted.
Azmi and Shaikh appeared together in more than 300 performances of the play "Tumhari Amrita."
Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan tweeted: "A true gentleman, a wonderful colleague! A quiet honesty about him. Very, very sad."
Shaikh was active in Mumbai's theater scene, and acted in a Hindi version of the satirical British comedy "Yes Minister" on Indian television. He also produced a popular TV show on which he interviewed Hindi film stars.
Shaikh is survived by his wife and two daughters.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
