Who was Arun Bali, ‘3 Idiots’ actor dead at 79?

Arun Bali, a veteran actor known for his roles in films such as 3 Idiots, Kedarnath and Panipat died at 4:30 AM on Friday, October 7, in Mumbai. The renowned actor, who appeared in several TV shows, was 79 years old. He was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis, a rare long-term neuromuscular disease earlier this year.

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The actor’s son Ankush said his father had Myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune condition caused by nerve and muscle communication failure, for which he was brought to a hospital earlier this year. Ankush stated that his father was responding well to the treatment but died around 4.30 a.m. 

“My father left us. He was suffering from Myasthenia gravis. He had mood swings for two-three days. He told the caretaker he wanted to go to the washroom and after coming out he told him he wanted to sit down and he never got up then,” he told PTI.

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Who was Arun Bali?

Arun Bali was born on December 23, 1942, in Jalandhar, Punjab.  His wife’s name is Prakash Bali. They have three daughters, Pragati Bali Jairath, Stuti Bali Sachdeva, and Itishri Bali and a son, Ankush Bali. The actor was last seen in Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor’s Laal Singh Chaddha.

He played the part of King Porus in the 1991 period drama Chanakya, Kunwar Singh in the Doordarshan soap opera Swabhimaan and the Chief Minister of undivided Bengal, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, in the controversial and critically acclaimed 2000 film Hey Ram.

Arun Bali used to work for Britannia Industries when he was young. He worked as a salesperson, travelling to states such as Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan to sell biscuits.

He made his Bollywood debut in 1991 with the movie Saugandh. In the film 3 Idiots, he played Shyamaldas Chanchad. In the movie Punjab 1984 (2014), he played the role of Darshan Singh Poonpuri, and in the film Kedarnath (2018), he played the main priest of the Kedarnath Temple. He played the role of Jhilmil’s grandfather in the film Barfi (2012).

He acted in films such as Khalnayak (1993), Aa Gale Lag Jaa (1994), Shikari (2000), Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman (1992), Dand Nayak (1998), Aankhen (2002), Arman (2003), Laal Singh Chaddha (2022). His first Punjabi film, Visakhi, was released in 1991. In the Punjabi film Munde U.K. De (2008) he acted as a grandfather named Gurdit Singh.

He made his television debut in 1989 with the Doordarshan TV series Doosra Kewal, in which he co-starred with Shah Rukh Khan. Later in his career, he participated in several Hindi television shows, including Des Mein Nikla Hoga Chand (2002), Kumkum (2002), Maayka (2007), Swabhimaan (1995), and Woh Rehne Waali Mehlon Ki (2007). In 2018, Arun Bali published the book Main Or Meri Tukbandiya.