Actor Salim Ghouse, known for his imperial baritone and piercing eyes, passed away after a cardiac arrest on Thursday. He was 70. Ghouse’s most remembered and riveting roles were on the small screen, notably in Shyam Benegal’s Bharat Ek Khoj where he acted as Ram (Ramayan), Krishna (Mahabharat) and Tipu Sultan.
He was equally impressive in the 1980s serial, Subah, which dealt with drug addiction. “…a powerhouse of talent and style. His performance in Subah on DD is forever etched on my mind,” posted actor Ranvir Shorey on social media.Ghouse was vastly under-utilised in Hindi films. He was always the actor you wanted to see more of. Those who watched him in ‘Manthan’, ‘Kalyug’, ‘Chakra’, ‘Saaransh’, Mohan Joshi Haazir Ho, Trikaal, ‘Drohi,’ ‘Koyla’, ‘Soldier’, ‘Indian’ and ‘Well Done Abba’ know that he deserved meatier roles. He was downright menacing as a villain in the Govinda-starrer, Maharaja. Ghouse also played a Left ideologue in ‘Aghaat’. He delivered one of the film’s most telling lines. “Warg sangharsh koi chai party nahi hai (Class struggle is no tea party).” He also choreographed a mask dance sequence in the Govind Nihalani film.
Born to a Kerala Christian mother and a Hyderabadi Muslim father, Ghouse graduated from Chennai’s Presidency College and then FTII Pune. He made a name for himself in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam cinema as well. His south Indian repertoire included Kamal Haasan’s villainous rival in ‘Vettri Vizhaa’, Vijay’s ‘Vettaikaaran’, the bad man in Mani Ratnam’s ‘Thiruda Thiruda’, and a memorable performance opposite Mohanlal in director Bharathan’s ‘Thazhvaram’.His theatre group, The Phoenix Players, adapted the short stories of Franz Kafka.
Film directors Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalani and actor Naseeruddin Shah visited his Yari Road residence to offer condolences. Salim leaves behind his wife Anita, a veteran actress, son Aaryama, a budding artiste, and daughter Athena. Anita Salim said, “I was his wife as well as the actor whom he directed. Salim was a person of many parts — martial artist, chef, even a jataka reader.”
Surjitt Sahani
