Veteran Gujarati and Hindi actor Ghanshyam Nayak dies of cancer

Veteran Gujarati and Hindi actor Ghanshyam Nayak died last evening after a long battle with cancer. The artiste, who was in his late seventies, is survived by his wife and three children.

Although Nayak had been active in Gujarati theatre, television, films and Hindi cinema for more than four decades now, he was known most widely for his character Natu Kaka in the popular television sitcom Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, a role that he had been playing for more than a dozen years now.

News of Nayak's death was shared by the show’s creator, Asit Kumar Modi, on Twitter. He wrote, “Our beloved Natu Kaka is no more with us. May the almighty give him a place at his feet and may his soul rest in peace. May his family gather the strength to overcome this tragedy. We won’t be able to forget you Natu Kaka.”

Speaking to the Press Trust of India news agency yesterday, Modi said, “He passed away today evening. He wasn’t keeping well for a long time. He had cancer. He always wanted to keep shooting. Even though he was unwell, work would always make him happy. I would look for opportunities to get him on the show. But it had become difficult for him to shoot. For the last two days he was extremely unwell.”

Nayak also featured in several Hindi films like Tirangaa (1993), Krantiveer (1994), Ishq (1997), China-Gate (1998), Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) and Tere Naam (2003). He was recently seen in the Gujarati films Ekko Badshah Rani (2016), Samay Chakra: The Time Slot (2017) and Love Ni Bhavai (2017).