From Priyanka Chopra to Akshay Kumar, Bollywood stars mourn the loss of former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee

Actor Priyanka Chopra posted a throwback picture from the time when she received the prestigious Padma Shri award from the late Pranab Mukherjee, the former President of India, and wrote, “A visionary, leader and the former President of India Hon Shri Pranab Mukherjee Sir. Your contributions towards the growth of our nation will forever be remembered. 🙏🏽 Heartfelt condolences to the family'.'

India National Award-winning 'Queen' actress Kangana Ranaut mourned the loss of Mukherjee. She tweeted : “Such terrible news, he will be etched in our memories as one of the finest leaders and an absolute gentleman #PranabMukherjee”.

Actor Riteish Deshmukh shared a picture on Twitter in which he is seen receiving an award from the late leader for his Marathi venture ’Yellow ‘: “Deeply Saddened!! A big loss for India. Former President of India Hon Shri #PranabMukherjee Sir will be forever remembered for his work & contribution for the development of India. My deepest condolences to @ABHIJIT_LS ji, the entire family & his millions of followers.”

Remembering her first meeting with Mukherjee, 'Pink' actor Taapsee Pannu wrote, ''Had the honour of meeting him, watching #Pink in his presence , followed by a very warmly hosted dinner for the entire team. Can never forget the experience, his kind words n gesture that day. You will be missed sir Folded hands #PranabMukherjee''.

'Change award' recipient Shilpa Shetty tweeted, "Extremely saddened to hear of the passing of our former President Shri #PranabMukherjeeFolded was a moment of great pride for @TheRajKundra & me to have met & received our awards from you. Rest in peace, My heartfelt condolences to @ABHIJIT_LS & the entire family in this time ."

"Deeply saddened to hear about the demise of former President of India Shri #PranabMukherjee Sir. His contribution to our nation will always be remembered. Had the good fortune of sharing this special moment with him. My heartfelt condolences to his family and followers," Bollywood star Akshay Kumar wrote.

Remembering the moment when he received Padma Shri Award from the former President, filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar took to Twitter as he extended condolences to the family of Mukherjee. He noted, "Deeply saddened to hear about the demise of Bharat Ratna Shri. @CitiznMukherjee. I had the privilege of receiving my PadmaShri bestowed from #Pranabda.My deepest condolences to his Family Members & Admirers. #OmShanti ."

Parineeti Chopra among many others expressed grief over the loss of "an experienced leader" and termed his demise "a big loss for India". "The most special .. RIP sir ...#PranabMukherjee," tweeted Parineeti Chopra.

Mum-to-be actress Anushka Sharma took to Instagram and wrote, "Saddened to hear the news about our former Presendent, Shri Pranab Mujherjee. Our condolences and prayers with his family and loved ones."

Varun Dhawan shared a lively picture of the former Indian President on Instagram and expressed grief over the demise. He wrote, "RIP sir .2020 has been an extremely hard year for one and all. We have lost a great leader today. Condolences to family."