, Oct. 21 -- Veteran Bollywood actor and comedian Govardhan Asrani, popularly known as Asrani, passed away on Monday at the age of 84 after a prolonged illness. He had been hospitalized for five days due to age-related ailments.

Born on January 1, 1940, in Jaipur to a middle-class Sindhi family, Asrani chose acting over his father's carpet business. He completed his schooling at St. Xavier's School and graduated from Rajasthan College, supporting his studies by working as a voice artist at All India Radio, Jaipur.

Asrani trained under Sahitya Kalbhai Thakkar from 1960 to 1962 and later joined the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, in 1964. He made his Bollywood debut in 1967 with Hare Kaanch Ki Choodiyan and also appea...