The passing of Govardhan Asrani marks more than the end of a long and joyous career; it marks the quiet departure of an era when laughter in Indian cinema had innocence, timing, and heart. For over five decades, Asrani remained a bridge between two generations of Indian viewers ~ the ones who first watched him in theatres and the ones who later discovered him on television. His humour never needed vulgarity, his exaggeration never slipped into cruelty, and his warmth never dimmed behind the mask of caricature.

In a country where comedy often gets reduced to mimicry or noise, Asrani was a craftsman. His art lay in balance ~ his ability to be funny without being foolish, expressive without being overblown. Whether as the bumbling jailer in Sholay or the domesticated husband in Pati Patni Aur Woh, his characters mirrored the everyday man ~ naïve, well-intentioned, and........

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