Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, and the film industry mourn the demise of former external affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj

India's former external affairs minister, and Bharatiya Janata Party leader, Sushma Swaraj passed away in Delhi, late on Tuesday, 6 August. She was 67. 

One of the most prominent leaders of the ruling BJP party, Swaraj was a Supreme Court lawyer, and had also become only the second woman in India to hold the post of External Affairs Ministry. Her death was greeted with condolences across party lines. 

Even in the Hindi film industry, actors and filmmakers took to their social media to express their sadness at this tragic loss. Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Ritesh Deshmukh, Rishi Kapoor, Hema Malini were among the many who took to Twitter to express their sadness at the loss. 

Bachchan wrote 'Ek atyant dukhat samachar! Ek bahut hi prabal rajnitigya, ek milansaar vyaktitwa. Atma ki shanti ke liye, prarthana (An extremely sad news. A strong politician, a friendly personality. Prayers for the departed soul).' 

Actor Boman Irani also expressed his condolence for the sudden demise. 

Anupam Kher, a vocal supporter of the ruling BJP party, also expressed his shock at the untimely demise, calling her 'one of the finest human beings, and one of the most charismatic and honest leaders of India'. 

Singer Lata Mangeshkar also took to social media to praise her 'keen understanding of music and poetry' 

Actor Randeep Hooda praised Swaraj as a 'tall leader and a doer' in his condolence message. 

Karan Johar was among the many filmmakers who took to Twitter to express his condolences. 

Director Anurag Kashyap, who recently copped some flak for his statement on the decision about Article 370, also praised Swaraj, calling her an 'amazing parliamentarian'. 

The praise for Swaraj came from across party lines, signifying the effect of her work in politics. Among those praising her was Swara Bhasker. While the actress has often been on the opposition for the ruling BJP party, she was profuse in her praise for the late Swaraj. 

Parineeti Chopra, who hails from the same district as the late External affairs minister, also expressed her sadness at the news. 

Like Anupam Kher, Hema Malini shared a picture of herself with her senior party leader.