Tubelight will be a bittersweet reminder of Om Puri's prodigious talent, and the void he's left in cinema

Om Puri, the actor who brought characters like Anant Velankar (Ardh Satya), Sanatan (Maachis), Rangeela (Singh is Kinng) to life, left a void in the Hindi film industry when he suddenly passed away on 6 January 2017, at the age of 66. The veteran actor will now be seen in what was one of his last Hindi film projects — Kabir Khan’s India-China war drama Tubelight, with Salman Khan and Sohail Khan. That Om Puri’s performance will light up the screen is a given. It also brings into focus, the most recent films Puri was part of — before his untimely demise. A Death in the Gunj [caption id=“attachment_3714865” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Still from the film. Image via Twitter.[/caption] Puri played uncle to Shutu (Vikrant Massey), in Konkona Sen Sharma’s directorial debut. Puri is seen reaching out for two things most frequently — his rifle and alcohol. Cast opposite Tanuja, Puri played the jovial old man perfectly. The Ghazi Attack [caption id=“attachment_3714845” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Still from the film. YouTube screengrab.[/caption] Puri played a naval officer in this war film, written and directed by Sankalp Reddy. The film is based on the mysterious sinking of PNS Ghazi, a submarine belonging to the Pakistan Navy, during the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971. The Jungle Book Puri lent his voice to the ferocious panther Bagheera for the Hindi version of the film. There could have been no other choice, apart from Puri’s booming voice, to bring Bagheera’s character to life in this much-loved jungle adventure. Here’s a small glimpse of Puri recording for Bagheera’s character.

Bajrangi Bhaijaan [caption id=“attachment_3714849” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Still from the film. Image via Twitter.[/caption] Puri was also seen in a guest appearance in this super-hit Salman Khan starrer. Playing a Pakistani priest, Puri pretty much becomes Salman’s saviour by protecting him from the Pakistani police force. He also helps him find the way to Munni’s house, and his character exuding warmth and rationality. Puri will be seen playing a significant role in Tubelight, as well. Agneepath Puri plays Eknath Gaitonde, the dedicated cop who silently protects Vijay (Hrithik Roshan) from the underworld mafia. Puri also is a father-figure to Vijay in the film, who lost his own dad at a very young. Puri’s the quintessential good cop who wants to eliminate crime from Mumbai. *** In a career spanning over 3 decades, Puri played all kinds of characters. From dark, disturbing ones to the ones that made us laugh uncontrollably, Puri will always remain the finest actors the world has seen. His posthumous appearance in Tubelight, which releases on 23 June 2017, will be a reminder of his prodigious talent.