In no living year have we seen so many go.And only two of these extraordinary talents died of Covid.

1. Irrfan Khan: We lost him to cancer on April 29.And what a loss it was. My last interaction with Irrfan was just before the release of his farewell film Angrezi Medium. When I asked him for an interview he said he can’t speak and could I mail him my questions? I wondered why the affable Irrfan was acting so uppity. Little did I know he would be gone in less than a month.

2. Rishi Kapoor: A Day after Irrfan , on April 30 we lost another giant entertainer Rishi Kapoor. Till the end he remained in denial about his grave condition. I still haven’t had the courage to delete his number. I still read his whatsapp chats . He would get angry and distrustful at the drop of a hat. He was never dishonest. If he didn’t like you, you would know. No covering up in sugar coating for this actor. Rishi was so versatile. So irreplaceable.

3. Wajid Khan: You are such a liar, Wajid. During your last conversation with me you said, ‘Good morning Sir good to hear from you. I am better than before. Sab Allah ka karam hai.’ I sent you Lataji’s song Do din ki zindagi kaisi hai zindagi . You replied, ‘Wakay hi do do din zindagi.” And then you were gone . Not fair.

4. Basu Chatterjee: Gone at 90 , Basuda’s name evokes an all-round smile. His cinema spread sunshine. And so what if he’s gone? He will live forever through his wonderful films. I saw Chit Chor and Jeena Yahan after his death. Yes, he lives.

5. Sushant Singh Rajput: June proved the cruelest month this year snatching one showbiz personality after another.I don’t think the film industry will ever get over Sushant Singh Rajput’s sudden death. He was not close to me. But we were connected. I’ve read his last message to me over and over again after his death. It says, “Sir I remember that I have what all I want already, so I don’t offer any negotiation with my peace or smiles in any ones presence or absence. And we know that it could only get better from here good morning sir :)”

6. Saroj Khan: The next to go was the dancing queen Saroj Khan. Didn’t know her well enough to mourn for her. She came across as mooh-phat to the point of embarrassment.But she was to choreography in Bollywood what Sonu Sood is to migrants. What would Bollywood dancing have done without her?

7. Jagdeep: Comic virtuoso . He is best remembered for his entertaining Soorma Bhopali act. But there was a lot more to Jagdeep.I hope his sons are working on furthering his name.

8. Nishikant Kamat: This one I took very personally. Though I had never met him we shared a certain bonding. Whenever he called he would speak in that soft respectful voice and tell me that I should not mind if he doesn’t respond to my messages immediately as he travelled a lot. Now look where life’s journey has taken him. So far away where I can’t message him.

9. SP Balasubrahmanyam: What a voice, stilled by Covid. SPB lives through his songs. As fellow-singer Hariharan said to me, “Because SPB was an actor—he has played prominent roles in dozens of Telugu and Tamil films—he could emote in a song exactly the way it needed to be seen on screen.In that sense Bala Sir was like Kishore Kumar, always acting in his songs, adding things to a song that the composer couldn’t think of . His voice conveyed the unalloyed purity of a copper vessel.” RIP

10. Soumitra Chatterjee: One of India’s greatest actors, and according to my guru and mentor Pritish Nandy , THE greatest actor in India.We lost an institution, no question about it.

11. Sameer Sharma: TV actor Sameer Sharma, last seen in the Star Plus show Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke, died by suicide at his residence in Mumbai on August 6. The 44-year-old actor was popular for his role in TV shows like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Left Right Left, Jyoti, Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon – Ek Baar Phir among others.

12. Chiranjeevi Sarja: Kannada actor Chiranjeevi Sarja passed away on June 7 in Bengaluru, following a heart attack. He was 39. He was the brother of actor Dhruva Sarja and nephew of actor Arjun Sarja. Chiranjeevi was launched by Arjun who bankrolled the former’s debut movie Vayuputra, the remake of Tamil film Sandakozhi, in 2009. And in a career spanning about ten years, he acted in more than 20 movies.

13. Mohit Baghel: Actor Mohit Baghel, best known for playing Amar Chaudhary in superstar Salman Khan’s Ready, died of cancer on May 24. He was 26. Mohit has also acted in films Ekkees Toppon Ki Salaami and Gali Gali Chor Hai.

14. Sejal Sharma: TV actor Sejal Sharma, best known for her role of Simmi Khosla in Star Plus’ Dil Toh Happy Hai Ji, reportedly, died by suicide on January 24. She also starred in Being Indian’s web series Azad Parinde.

15. Narendra Jha: TV and Bollywood actor Narendra Jha passed away on March 14 at the age of 55. Jha took his last breath at his farmhouse in Wada, where he was on a vacation with wife Pankaja Thakur after getting a massive heart attack. Jha is known for his works in films like Raees, Haider, Kaabil and many more.

16. Ashiesh Roy: The actor known for starring in Sasural Simar Ka, died on November 24 at his residence. He was 55. In May, Ashiesh Roy, who was undergoing dialysis, had asked for financial help on social media when he was admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital in Mumbai.

17. Divya Bhatnagar: Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai actor Divya Bhatnagar passed away on December 7 at a Mumbai hospital following COVID-19 complications. The 34-year-old actress, while shooting for Tera Yaar Hoon Main tested positive for coronavirus and was suffering from pneumonia as well.

18. Arya Banerjee: She made her Hindi film industry debut with LSD: Love, Sex Aur Dhoka and had starred in Milan Luthria’s ‘The Dirty Picture’ where she played the role of Shakeela. She was found dead in her apartment in South Kolkata. She was the daughter of renowned sitar player Pandit Nikhil Banerjee.

19. Asif Basra: Bollywood actor Asif Basra was found dead in a private complex in the northern hilly city of Dharamshala on November 12. The actor was found hanging in the complex when the police reached the spot. While the reason of him resorting to the extreme step is still not known, the Himachal Pradesh police is investigating the matter.

20. Faraaz Khan: Bollywood actor Faraaz Khan breathed his last on November 4. On October 14, it was revealed that Faraaz suffered three consecutive seizures owing to a herpes infection in his brain that had spread from his chest. The actor was admitted to a hospital in Bengaluru after he developed pneumonia as a consequence of the seizures.

RIP