Quite a few film folk from the Marathi film industry attended the funeral of veteran actor Atul Parchure, who died on October 14 after a long battle with cancer. He was 57.

Parchure’s filmography includes memorable performances in Navra Mazha Navsacha, Salaam-E-Ishq, Partner, All The Best: Fun Begins, Khatta Meetha, Bbuddah… Hoga Terra Baap, Brave Heart. He was also known for his comic performances on The Kapil Sharma Show.

“What can I say? I don’t have words,” actor Jaywant Wadkar told ANI, recounting his long friendship with Parchure.

“When he was in the 9th standard, he acted in a play with me for the first time. The play’s name was Tilak Ani Agarkar. It was a very famous play,” Wadkar says.

“He has done a lot of shows in Marathi. The way he has portrayed Pula (P L) Deshpande, no one has ever presented it like this,” he adds.

Wadkar further reflected on Parchure’s dedication to his craft, noting, “After being diagnosed with cancer, he came out and did a show.”

Despite his health challenges, Parchure’s passion for acting never waned. He had been rehearsing for a show titled Suryachi Pillay and only days before his passing, he was optimistic about returning to the stage.

“He was rehearsing for the show. Eight-ten days before that, there was a little problem. So the doctor called him and said that I have to do an operation. So he did that. He was in the ICU. He had come out too. My friend Pushkar also works in it, so I kept asking him about his health. We were not allowed to meet him at that time,” he said.

“I have never seen such a fantastic actor like him. For us, a very good actor, a good friend has gone.”

Parchure’s last rites were held at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park crematorium.

Shreyas Talpade, seen here with wife Dipti, mourned the actor and said, “He was a very big actor. He has inspired almost all of us. He has inspired everyone in our generation. We grew up watching his work. Today is a big loss for all of us. It is extremely unfortunate.”

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Chief Raj Thackeray attended the funeral along with party leader Nitin Sardesai.

Parchure’s death marks a significant loss to both the Marathi and Hindi film industries, where he made a lasting impact through his diverse roles.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde echoed the sentiments of grief on X: ‘The untimely death of Atul Parchure is painful. Sometimes making the audience laugh requires immense talent.

‘Atul Parchure started his brilliant acting career in children’s theatre. He left his mark in all the three fields of drama, film, and serials.’

Rohini Hattangady arrives with Sunil Barve.

Mahesh Manjrekar with Sachin Khedekar.

Bharat Dabholkar.

Sumeet Raghavan and wife Chinmayee Surve, extreme left.

Pradeep Velankar.

Pushkar Shrotri and Sukanya Mone.

Umesh Kamat, second from left, and Rajan Bhise (with mask).

Vijay Kenkre.

Vijay Patkar.

Bharat Ganeshpure.

Ashok Shinde.

Manava Arun Naik.

Sonali Khare with Bijay Anand.

Mohan Gokhale and Sunil Barve.

Prasad Oak and Nirmiti Sawant.

Photographs: Sahil Salvi