Veteran actor and director Ravindra Mahajani was found dead in his rented accommodation in the Talegaon-Dabhade area of Pune district on Friday evening.
He was 75. Mahajani was staying alone in his flat. Mahajani was last seen on Tuesday.
His neighbours complained of foul smell emanating from the flat on Friday and informed the police, which broke open the door to find Mahajani’s decomposed body.
The Pune Rural police is investigating the case. The body has been set for autopsy.
Meanwhile, his son and Marathi actor Gashmeer Mahajani rushed from Pune to Talegaon-Dabhade.
Most of the neighbours were shocked to learn that he was a famous actor but they never recognised the celebrity.
His fans and admirers condoled his death taking to social media platforms.
Born in Belgaum in Karnataka, Mahajani had come to Mumbai in the 1960s and started working as a taxi-driver and managed to get a break in films.
He got a small role of a policeman in the Hindi film, Saat Hindustani (1969) - which was also the debut film of Amitabh Bachchan.
Mahajani got a role in Kiran Shantaram’s film, Zunj (1975), which established him as an actor in the Marathi film industry. He also got films like Mumbai cha Fauzdar, Kalat Nakalat, Laxmi (1978), Duniya Kari Salaam (1979), Gondhalat Gondhal (1982), Mumbaicha Fauzdar (1984), Sarja (1987).
He has also essayed a role in Panipat (2019).