Rakesh Pandey, Veteran actor Yehi Hai Zindagi, Devdas, Bharat Ek Khoj passed away at the age of 77 due to a cardiac arrest. Rakesh took his last breath on March 21. His last rites took place on Saturday at Shastri Nagar crematorium, as per the portal. He survived by his wife, daughter Jasmeet, and granddaughter.
As per the reports by Navbharat times actor was admitted to Arogyanidhi Hospital in Juhu, Mumbai, where he was undergoing treatment in the ICU.
Talking about his work, Pandey, hailing from Punjab, was an alumnus of Pune's Indian Film and Television Institute. He began his career in the film industry with Basu Chatterjee’s 1969 classic Sara Akash and received the President’s Award. He went on to star in several films in both the Hindi and Bhojpuri film industry. He gained recognition for his roles in Mera Rakshak, Yehi Hai Zindagi, Woh Main Nahin, Do Raha, and Eeshwar.
Rakesh Pandey is also known for Bhojpuri films like Balam Pardesiya and Bhaiya Dooj, later acted in Bollywood films including Devdas (2002), Dil Chahta Hai (2001), Lakshya (2004), and Black (2005). He also appeared in popular television shows such as Chotti Bahu, Dehleez, Bharat Ek Khoj, and Shaktimaan. After a hiatus of over two decades, Pandey returned to acting in 2017 with Kapil Sharma's Firangi, followed by projects like Hurdang (2022) and the web series The Lawyers Show.