Boxing champ Dara Singh remembered

Former wrestling champion and Bollywood personality Dara Singh died last week on Thursday in Mumbai due to health complications. In his over five-decade long acting journey, Dara Singh featured in more than 140 films. It is rare to find a wrestler make it big in Bollywood from the ring to the screen and adapt to the transition without any hiccups. He was last seen on the silver screen in the Shahid Kapoor- Kareen Kapoor starrer Jab We Met as Kareena’s grandfather. His colleagues and well-wishers from the Bollywood industry and the world over have poured in with glowing tributes for this larger than life personality.

Dara Singh suffered a cardiac arrest on Saturday and was rushed to a hospital in Mumbai. The day before he passed away his family took him home after the doctors told them that he had a very ‘less chance of recovery due to significant damage to his brain’. He passed away at his residence in the presence of his family and very close friends. He had a cardio-respiratory arrest and he had also suffered paralysis a few years back and besides that he also had a very rare brain disease, according to his doctor. The ventilator and other support systems were only removed after his death.

Some of the condolence messages posted on Twitter included:

Amitabh Bachchan: Dara Singhji passed away this morning. A great Indian and one of the finest humans. An entire era of his celebrated presence gone.

Shahrukh Khan: Wrestlers are made of sweat, determination and a hard to find alloy called guts. Most apt for Dara Singhji our very own superman. Will miss you sir.

Mahesh Bhatt: Dara Singh passes away. Memories of this warm ‘pehlwan’-turned-actor flicker in my memory. When childhood heroes die the world looks desolate.

Abhishek Bachchan: Daraji passes away. Had the honour of working with him in ‘Shararat’. The most gentle and kind man. Really looked up to him. Will miss him.

Neha Dhupia: RIP Dara Singhji. Our ‘asli’ he-man. My condolences to the family.

Anupam Kher: Dara Singhji was larger than life but never made anyone feel dwarfed with his presence. The strongest and the humblest. A hero all the way.

Manoj Bajpayee: The symbol of physical strength, Dara Singhji is no more with us now. May god bless his soul with peace.

Madhur Bhandarkar: RIP Rustam-e-Hind. The strong man of India will be missed dearly.

Shekhar Kapur: RIP DaraSingh. At grand old age he used to stride down Juhu beach, body erect, smile on his face at a pace faster than 20 year olds.

Sujoy Ghosh: My dad made me watch most of Dara Singh’s black and white films. I believed everything Dara Singh did he could.

Sophie Choudry: RIP Dara Singhji. Original macho man, asli Punjabi and a hero to many through the years. Yet another legend joins the stars in the skies.

Arshad Warsi: Another great soul has left us. Dara Singh, a humble man who was made of steel and had a heart of gold. RIP sir.

Vishal Dadlani: Dara Singh Saab, RIP. Your name came to mean strength. Anyone attempting a feat of strength will forever be asked “Oye, Dara Singh hai kya?”

Ayushmann Khurrana: My first internship was at Dara studios, Mohali for Zee Punjabi during my Panjab University days. The man was full of life. RIP Dara Singhji.

Divya Dutta: The warmth in his eyes when he smiled as hanumanji, connected me to him the very first time as someone so good hearted. He never let anything wrong.

Kunal Kohli: Dara Singh personified strength and goodness in abundance. Our first super hero Dara Singh.

Bollywood's 'first superstar' Rajesh Khanna dies

Bollywood's "first superstar" Rajesh Khanna has died at the age of 69, his family has said.

The actor had been in and out of hospital in recent weeks. The cause of his health problems was unclear.

Khanna made his name playing the romantic lead in a string of films which were massive hits in the 1960s and 1970s.

The actor starred in more than 160 films, including hits such as Kati Patang, Aaradhana, Anand and Amar Prem.

He had a huge following and was mobbed by fans whenever he appeared in public.

Khanna died at his family home in Mumbai on Wednesday, the Press Trust of India reported. He had been discharged from a hospital in the city on Monday.

Scores of fans gathered outside Aashirwad, his home on Carter Road in Mumbai's Bandra area, following the news of his death, the agency said.

Popularly called "Kaka" by his fans, the actor won a host of industry awards during his long career, although he was only recently seen in his first television commercial.

During the peak of his popularity, there were reports of the his female fans marrying his photographs.

- BBC 

BILL CLINTON COMES TO SALMAN KHAN’S RESCUE

Former US President Bill Clinton was in Dublin just about the same time as Salman Khan as he was shooting for Ek The Tiger and both VIPs had rooms on the same floor in a the hotel they were staying in. Salman’s fans got to hear that he was staying at this hotel and turned up in hordes to catch a glimpse of their favourite star. The star struck fans got a bit out of hand and decided to force their way through to meet Salman and upon seeing this, Bill Clinton’s security staff intervened and came to Salman’s rescue. This was not a one off incidence as the security personnel actually ended up looking after Salman for three days while he was getting on with his shooting schedule. Kabir Khan, the director of Ek Tha Tiger confirmed the incidence. ‘I was staying on the same floor and to sanitize the area, they had to take care of Salman’s personal security too. It was amazing.’ I wonder if Shah Rukh Khan will up his game after hearing this. Poor chap keeps getting detained at American airports!

Kamal.kaur@radioafricagroup.co.ke