The year 2020 has undoubtedly been a bizarre and unprecedented year. Novel Coronavirus, a global pandemic pushed humans to lockdown, the economy stepping down and people caught in a dark world of isolation bringing fear and gloom. 2020 was also a year of loss as we lost many talented and prominent personalities from the world of showbiz.
From Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s shocking suicide to Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor both succumbed to cancer, this year of the pandemic has snatched many icons.
Ace actor Irrfan Khan’s demise on April 29 left the cinema industry and his fans devastated. The actor was 54 years of age at the time of his demise. Angrezi Medium was his last film. He died due to colon infection in Mumbai after a two-year-long battle. Maqbool, The Namesake and Hindi Medium, were some of his best movies given to the cinematic world.
Unmatched actor Rishi Kapoor succumbed to cancer on April 30. The 67-year-old actor was first diagnosed with cancer in the year 2018. The Legendary actor shot to fame with his debut film ‘Bobby’ and went on to star in many romantic films for three decades till the ‘90s. Mera Naam Joker, Do Dooni Chaar, Mulk, Agneepath, Henna and Bol Radha Bol were some of the superhit films from his larger than life career span.
Bollywood composer-singer Wajid Khan of the popular sibling composer duo- Sajid-Wajid passed away on June 1. The 42-year-old singer and composer died of a cardiac arrest. Sajid-Wajid shot to fame with the Salman Khan blockbuster Dabangg in 2010. The duo has several super hit songs in their musical career.
14 June marked the death of popular Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput. The 34-year-old actor was found hanging in his Bandra apartment. His unnatural death resulted in a probe which had to be constituted to controversies revolving around his death. Three central agencies, came in to probe the suicide case and it is still going on. The late actor had become a household name after his debut in Ekta Kapoor’s TV show, Pavitra Rishta, in 2009. In 2013, he made his big-screen debut with Kai Po Che!. He was later seen in Shuddh Desi Romance, M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!, Drive, Kedarnath, and Chhichhore. Dil Bechara was his last film which was released on the digital platform.
Veteran Bollywood Choreographer Saroj Khan passed away on July 3. The 71-year-old choreographer died due to cardiac arrest. Bollywood mourned the demise of the Master. She won the National Award thrice in her lifetime. In 2003, she received the honour for the song “Dola re dola” in “Devdas, ‘ye ishq haaye’ from the film ‘Jab We Met’. Her latest works included choreographing Kangana Ranaut in “Manikarnika” last year.
Another suicide news that shook the TV industry was the death of actor Sameer Sharma of Kahani Ghar Ghar Kii. The actor was found hanging at his Mumbai flat. While no suicide note was recovered from his apartment, it was suspected that he was going through mental health-related problems.Actor Asif Basra, known for his performance in Black Friday, died by suicide on 12 November at his residence in Dharamsala.