Son of Sardaar' and 'Jai Ho' actor Mukul Dev dies at 54

Actor Mukul Dev, best known for his roles in films such as Son of Sardaar, Yamla Pagla Deewana and Jai Ho, has passed away, his brother Rahul Dev said on Saturday. He was 54.

"My brother Mukul Dev passed away peacefully last night at New Delhi due to ailing health," Rahul Dev told PTI.

According to Mukul Dev's close friend Vindu Dara Singh, the actor died at a hospital in the national capital.

He was unwell for eight to ten days. He was not looking after his health and was depressed after the demise of his mother. We were waiting for Mukul to join us for the photo shoot of Son of Sardaar 2' but he had stopped answering our calls, Singh told PTI.

The actor will be cremated at 5 pm on Saturday.

Mukul Dev, a former model, is survived by his daughter, Sia Dev, from his marriage to ex-wife Shilpa Dev.

He made his acting debut with the 1996 movie "Dastak", co-starring Sushmita Sen and Sharad Kapoor. He was largely seen playing supporting roles in Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali and Telugu films.

Some of his notable movies included Ajay Devgn's "Son of Sardaar", Salman Khan-starrer "Jai Ho" and "Yamla Pagla Deewana", starring Dharmendra, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol, as well as "Kohram", "R... Rajkumar" and "War Chhod Na Yaar".

He was also the co-writer of filmmaker Hansal Mehta's critically-acclaimed 2017 movie "Omerta", starring Rajkummar Rao.

Mehta mourned Mukul Dev's death in a post on Instagram.

"Not done Mukul mere dost so many more stories, so much more laughter. See you on the other side my dear friend," he wrote alongside a photo of the actor.

Actor Manoj Bajpayee posted, "It's impossible to put into words what I'm feeling. Mukul was a brother in spirit, an artist whose warmth and passion were unmatched. Gone too soon, too young. Praying for strength and healing for his family and everyone grieving this loss. Miss you meri jaanuntil we meet again. Om Shanti."  "Rip Mukul bhai. You will always be missed. Stay strong @rahuldevofficial bhai," wrote actor Sonu Sood on social media.

Actor Arshad Warsi also condoled Mukul Dev's death, saying he was "heartbroken".

"I was really fond of him. He was a friend, colleague, a wonderful person with a beautiful soul may his soul rest in peace," he wrote on Instagram.

On the small screen, Mukul Dev appeared in popular daily soaps such as "Gharwali Uparwali", Kumkum, "Kutumb" and "Kasshish".