Om Shanti Om actor Nitesh Pandey died of a cardiac arrest on Wednesday. The actor died at the age of 51 and is the third actor to die in a span of three days.
The 51-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest at 2 am in Igatpuri, Mumbai, where he was shooting for his next project. The reports of the actor’s death were confirmed by Pandey’s brother-in-law, Siddharth Nagar.
“Yes you have heard it right. My brother-in-law is no more, my sister Arpita Pandey is in a state of shock. Nitesh’s father has left for Igatpuri to get his mortal remains. They should be here by the afternoon. We have gone absolutely numb, I have not been able to even talk to Aprita after the tragedy,” Nagar said while speaking to ETimes.
“I am headed to Igatpuri as well, I am in the train right now. I was coming back from Delhi when I heard about this. Nitesh was much younger than me. He was a very lively person and I don’t think he had a history of any heart ailment," he added.
Pandey’s death marks the third in three days. Television actors Aditya Singh Rajput and Vaibhavi Upadhyay also died in this 3-day period. Rajput died after an accident in his bathroom, and Upadhyay died in a road accident.
Nitesh Pandey had remained a consistent presence on television screens in Indian households, most recently as Dheeraj Kapoor in Rupali Ganguly starrer Anupamaa. The actor’s portfolio also includes serials like Ek Prem Kahani, Manzilein Apani Apani, Saaya, Astitva, Justajoo and Durgesh Nandini. Pandey also commanded a strong presence in films like Om Shanti Om and Badhaai Ho and was a fan favourite in Khosla Ka Ghosla.
Pandey began his career in 1990, finding his breakthrough in 1995 in Tejas, where he played the role of a detective. He was married to actress Arpita Pandey whom he met on the sets of the TV show Justajoo. Nitesh was also previously married to actress Ashwini Kalsekar.