Srinagar, Aug. 29 -- Srinagar- On August 29, the news of Ashok Jailkhani's death spread through a single message that carried the weight of a life.

It was Shabir Mujahid, his former colleague at Doordarshan, who broke it: a friend, a boss, an actor, a director, a theorist, above all a perfect gentleman, no more.

Hours earlier, the 72-year-old had eaten breakfast, gone for a nap, and never woken up.

For those who grew up in the age of Kashmiri theatre and early television, Jailkhani's passing felt like the curtain falling on a long and luminous performance.

Born in Aali Kadal in 1953, Jailkhani was drawn to theatre as a teenager. At sixteen he joined Rangmunch Dramatic Club and began acting in plays that carried the scent of a valley i...