Remembering Asif Basra: A life in pictures

Indian actor Asif Basra, known for his consummate supporting roles, was found hanging a private guest house in Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh on November 12. The police and the forensic team have reached the spot to investigate and details are emerging. Basra was 53 and was reportedly suffering from depression, although the claim couldn't be independently verified. Here's what you should know about the actor who added life and verve to seemingly insignificant roles. He began his career in Indian films in 1998 and was last seen in a web series called 'Hostages'. Here's what you should know about this talent, who died young.

Asif Basra was born in Amravati, Maharashtra, on July 27, 1967 and was a self-made actor who loved theatre and then graduated into the world of Hindi and English-language films.

Basra has acted with a clutch of talented directors including Anurag Kashyap (Black Friday) and Rahul Dholakia (Parzania). So it shouldn't come as a surprise that director Hansal Mehta was the first few directors to express his shock and dismay at Basra's sudden death.

While he never played central roles in many Bollywood potboilers, Basra was known to add value to a film with his sturdy support. From playing a tailor in 'Lamhaa' to playing Emraan Hashmi's father in 'Once Upon A Time In Mumbai', Basra never disappointed.

Basra was also good at straddling International productions. In director John Jeffcoat's romantic comedy 'Outsourced', he excelled in his role of Puro N Virajnarianan.

In Rani Mukerji's 'Hitchki', Basra played the peon Shyamlal with conviction. In 'Jab We Met', he was that annoying storekeeper at the railway station that sold water to Kareena Kapoor's character Geet. Even if his roles weren't the most crucial, Basra still managed to make his brief roles signifcant.

Basra has also dabbled in theatre. In Feroz Abbas Khan's play Mahatma Vs Gandhi, Basra had a significant role.

Like many theatre actors who dabbled in Bollywood films, Basra was good at transitioning. He was last seen in the TV series Hostages on Hotstar as Ashghar Nabi.

Basra's news of hanging comes as a shock to the Bollywood industry which has been seeing a spate of alleged suicides and actors battling difficult times.

Basra has also acted in a Malayalam film called 'Big Brother', which indicates that his craft and skills knew no boundaries. He was game to act in any language, if the role excited him. Basra was also noticed in the hit series 'Pataal Lok'