'The Office' actor Ranjit Chowdhry dies at 65, fans bid goodbye to a 'wonderful part of childhood memories'
'The Office', actor Ranjit Chowdhry passed away on Wednesday, April 15, in Mumbai, India at the age of 65. His half-sister Raell Padamsee, took to Instagram to announce the news. The actor played Vikram, a telemarketer, in the series opposite Steve Carell‘s Michael Scott.
"For all those who knew Ranjit, the funeral will be held tomorrow and a gathering to celebrate his life n share his stories on May 5th. With love, Raell," she posted. The actor had been unwell for a while and suffered a perforated intestinal ulcer this week. After undergoing emergency surgery at the Breach Candy Hospital in his hometown, he died.
The actor, who was in India for dental treatment, couldn't go back to the US due to the coronavirus lockdown. “He was so well-loved and an adorable guy. I reached out to the family. He has a wife and a 16-year-old son in New York. He had come to India for dental treatment. He has been here since December-January. He was booked to go back April 8 and the lockdown came,” theatre personality Dolly Thakore told Orissa Post.
The actor started with his theater background in Mumbai and started his film career in Bollywood with Basu Chatterjee's 'Khatta Meetha', and was a part of a few more comedy classics such as 'Baton Baton Mein' (1979) and Hrishikesh Mukherjee's 'Khubsoorat' (1980). He moved to the United States in the early 1980s and gained prominence as a writer after penning down the screenplay of Deepa Mehta's 'Sam & Me', which also won an honorable mention at Cannes in 1991.
Soon, he starred in Mira Nair’s 'Mississippi Masala' (1991) and 'Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love' (1996) and was also seen in Mehta's 'Fire' (1996). He is still remembered for his character in 'The Office' even though it was just for a couple of episodes. He appeared in two episodes of 'The Office' in Season 5 where Michael recruited him to work at the Michael Scott Paper Company along with Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) and Ryan Howard (BJ Novak).
In 2002, he starred in 'Bollywood/Hollywood' and he was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role at the 23rd Genie Awards and was also seen in the 2006 film 'Last Holiday', starring Queen Latifah. In addition to 'The Office', Chowdhry appeared in 'Cosby', 'Prison Break', 'Girls', and 'Law & Order: SVU'.
No sooner did the news find its way on Instagram and Twitter, people began to post their condolences. "Deeply saddened to learn about this massive loss. He was such a wonderful part of my childhood memories, May his soul rest in peace," one wrote and another said, "This is very sad news coming up. What acting that was in Khatta Meetha and Baato Baato Mein... You will be missed. RIP My deep condolences to the entire family."
"Damn the dude that played Vikram in The Office passed away RIP," one fan wrote on Twitter and another said, "I had honour to work with Ranjit Chowdhary (RIP) as his wife on “On Golden Years.” I have often thought about him & ran into him in NYC several times. Child Actor, Baton Baton Mein (1979) and Khubsoorat (1980). Such a funny person. My senior."