Veteran Bollywood actor Mushtaq Khan dies at 56 after cancer battle

Death in Mumbai and final days

Veteran Bollywood actor Mushtaq Khan died on September 24 in Mumbai at the age of 56 after battling cancer. Multiple outlets reported he had been rushed to Mumbai's Nanavati Hospital on Thursday after his health deteriorated, was placed in the ICU, and passed away that evening. One outlet cited his business partner Shivam as saying the cause was liver cancer, while two other reports said he had lung cancer and had been admitted to the hospital for 15 days. Mid-day reported his last rites were scheduled for the next day.

A career built on comic and supporting roles

Khan made his acting debut in 1980 with "Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai" and built a four-decade career across Hindi films and television. He was widely recognized for character and comic turns in "Aashiqui" (1990), "Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin" (1991), "Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke" (1993), "Hera Pheri" (2000), "Mujhse Shaadi Karogi" (2005), "Welcome" (2007), "Wanted" (2009), "Oh My God" (2012), "Stree" (2018), "Gadar 2" (2023) and "Stree 2" (2024). His role in "Welcome" — including the line "Meri ek taang nakli hai, main hockey ka bahut bada khiladi tha" — became one of his most quoted performances. He is survived by his wife and children.

Industry tributes pour in

Tributes from across the Hindi film industry followed the news. Anupam Kher wrote on X that working with Khan had created "many beautiful memories" and offered condolences to Khan's son Mohsin. Randeep Hooda said he was "deeply saddened" and praised Khan's "screen presence, impeccable comic timing and the warmth he brought to every role." Sunny Deol called Khan "a nice human being and a fine actor." Sanjay Mishra, director Anees Bazmee, Rajpal Yadav, Rakul Preet Singh, Ravi Kishan and comedian Sunil Pal also posted memorials. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma thanked Khan on X for "making us laugh with your impeccable comic timing."

Unfinished film and an effort to preserve his voice

Director Shibesh Motilal said Khan died before he could dub his final film "Poniiy," a family drama about a young girl and a dog searching for the animal's missing owner, co-starring Kunal Singh, Rahul Roy, Raju Kher and Garima Agarwal. Motilal told ThePrint his team is working with engineers to retain Khan's original voice from the shoot rather than replace it, noting that most post-production was complete but dubbing had not yet occurred. Khan had recently completed treatment for lung cancer at the time of the shoot but still completed a 14-hour shooting day. The film is awaiting clearance from the Central Board of Film Certification.