Often known as Bollywood’s favourite mother, Reema Lagoo died of a cardiac arrest early on Thursday morning. The actress was reportedly in good health prior to the attack, and even finished shooting for her daily soap, Naamkarann on Wednesday.
However, Reema complained of chest pain late in the night, following which she was taken to Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai. The actress’ son-in-law, Vinay Waikul said, “We took her to the hospital when she complained. She passed away of a heart attack then. It’s really shocking because she was absolutely fine.” She breathed her last at 3.15 am.
Still of Reema Lagoo in Kal Ho Naa Ho
The Naamkarann crew called the Thursday shoot off, to pay respects to the late actress. Yususf Ansari, one of the directors of the soap said, “It’s so shocking because she shot for all her scenes on Wednesday, and Thursday morning we get the news that she’s no more. She shot for a sangeet sequence, and was absolutely fine and smiling through the day. It’s such a big loss to the industry.”
The late actress was known for her roles in films like Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, Hum Saath Saath Hain, Maine Pyaar Kiya, and Kal Ho Naa Ho. Mohnish Bahl, who played Reema’s son in movies like Vaastav, and Hum Saath Saath Hain remembers her as a very welcoming person, “I have done a lot of work with her, and there’s so much to say. As a human being, she was a very welcoming person, and very non-judgemental to all of us. She was so beautiful and gracious. I met her long ago, and we were not friends beyond the profession, but we felt more for her, because of the kind of person she was and the way she welcomed you. It’s a huge loss.”
Still of Reema Lagoo in Judwaa
Rakesh Bedi, who did Shriman Shrimati with Reema said, “I always used to bully her on the sets. I would irritate her with small little things, and I can’t put in words the kind of friendship I shared with her. I thought we would get a chance to work with each other again because of the web series trend. I hoped the series would get remade into a web one and we’d work together again. But this was truly unexpected. I was in a state of shock when I heard the news. It’s a huge loss for the industry.”
Aamir Khan too paid tribute to Reema. “We are shocked because she didn’t have any health issues that we knew of. This happened suddenly, and it’s very sad. My first film was with her. She was a great actress and she was such a clean hearted person. May her soul rest in peace,” he said.
The late actress is survived by her daughter Mrunmayee, who is also a theatre and film actor and theatre director, as well as her husband, Vivek Lagoo. Her funeral took place on Thursday afternoon.
