Ranjit Chowdhry(1955-2020)
- Actor
- Writer
It's difficult to think of Ranjit without a smile on our faces or a chuckle.Lovable, witty, energetic, effervescent.. his uncanny ability to diffuse any difficult situation with a dose of incredible humour. Ranjit was all this and more.In his short lifetime, Ranjit grew into an acting force to reckon with. Growing up under the tutelage of acting stalwarts parents, the legendary Pearl and Alyque Padamsee, the young Ranjit keenly observed his parents' tremendous contribution to Mumbai's Theatre world, and was hooked!This snowballed into an acting career from which there was no looking backWe are truly grateful that thanks to the legacy of Ranjit's work on screen, he will forever be immortalised.
Recently, at the 27th Screen Actors Guild Awards 2021, Ranjit was remembered as one of Hollywood's 100 great legends in a bevvy that included among others : Sir Sean Connery, Olivia de Havilland, Kirk Douglas, Cloris Leachman and Christopher Plummer.
This lovable fireball first made his presence felt in Basu Chatterjee's "Khatta Meetha". The screen lapped up his delectable presence and it was obvious that a young star was born and was here to stay.
Ranjit went on to act with the industry's greats : Amitabh Bachhan, Smita Patil, Rekha, Anupam Kher & Shabana Azmi in widely acknowledged films like Khubsoorat, Kaalia, Kaante, Baton Baton Mein and Chakra.The young unstoppable Ranjit further went on to create impressive inroads in the world of international films and television.He acted in some of Hollywood's biggest ensembles that included Nicolas Caige, Steve Corell, Russell Peters, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah (in the 2006 film Last Holiday) and of course who can forget Ranjit as Rocky in Deepa Mehta's 'Bollywood/Hollywood' for which he was nominated for Best Actor in a supporting role at the 23rd Genie Awards.
On international television, Ranjit's impactful presence can be seen in,
NYPD Blues, Prison Break, Cosby, The Office (in which he played Vikram the telemarketer briefly hired for the Michael Scott Paper Company). His first screenplay/starring role in 'Sam & Me' won Honourable Mention at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival.Life had great open roads awaiting the brilliant Ranjit. So while we mourn this untimely loss, we as a family will endeavour to find solace and strength in loving memories of our beloved Chottu. We will continue to find comfort in memories of not only his work but also in his delightful humour, cheeky handwritten notes that always had a humorous ring to them, and most memorable of all, that innocent child-like sweet twinkle in his eyes. He left behind his wife Malini and son Avishay (Avi) who is a sports journalist in America.
