Indian cinema has always been welcomed with immense love and appreciation by the Middle East. They have pursued Indian cinema for its art and the artists with all their hearts. What they really enjoy in Indian films, including Bollywood films, are strong story lines with a strong emotional connection. People have been associating Indian cinema, films, and artists with their personal lives. With so many admirable, influential, and unforgettable artists passing away in the last few years, Middle Eastern filmgoers have no choice but to remember them. Here is a humble attempt to remember our treasures that are still resonating in our hearts.

Shashikala Saigal

A veteran actor, who entertained the audience through more than 100 supporting characters in various Bollywood films, including Anupama, Gumrah, and Khubsoorat. At the age of 88, the soul departed us on April 4, 2021.

Dilip Kumar

The legendary actor is considered one of the best actors in the world of Bollywood. Since the start of his film industry career in 1944, he gave numerous blockbusters, including, ‘Mughal-E-Azam’, ‘Karma’ and ‘Kranti’. He received the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his movie ‘Madhumati’. Due to prolonged illness, he took his last breath on July 7, 2021.

Rajiv Kapoor

He began his Bollywood career in 1983 with the movie ‘Ek Jaan Hai Hum’, and then continued to entertain his audience through many more films, including ‘Lover Boy’, ‘Zalzala’ and ‘Zimmedar’. He is mostly remembered for his remarkable performance in ‘Ram Teri Ganga Maili’. With progression in his career, he entered as a director and producer in the film industry for various movies including ‘Prem Granth’ and ‘Aa Ab Laut Chalen’. Just when he was about to make his comeback in ‘Toolsidas’, he passed away of a heart attack on February 9, 2021.

Lata Mangeshkar

She is considered the epitome of playback singing in the industry. She has lent her voice to more than 5,000 songs in Hindi and other regional languages. Her impact on the Indian music industry is unparalleled. Being called as the Nightingale of India, she is acknowledged as one of the most influential vocalists across the globe. On a sad note, she left us on February 6, 2022, from multiple organ dysfunction syndromes.

Bappi Lahiri

He, as a singer, composer, and record producer, has given abundantly terrific soundtracks to the industry and his fans. Not only in Hindi, but he also gave big hits in Bengali, Telugu and Kannada movies. The beats of his music cannot ever be forgotten. He passed away on February 15, 2022, at the age of 69.

KK

One of the most loved singers in the industry, entertained audiences in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Bengali, and many more languages. He began to sing commercially in jingles and then got a chance to debut in a film with an A.R. Rahman composition. With countless hits, he has made a special space for himself in the hearts of people around the world. In an unfortunate turn of events after a live event in Kolkata, he was pronounced dead on May 31, 2022.

Kamal Hasan

The legendary actor and director has acted in more than 220 films covering the Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, and Bengali film industries. He is the only Indian actor to have the most films submitted for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In February 2018, he entered politics by launching his own political party.

Though feeling a little mellow towards the end, we feel extremely grateful to have witnessed art coming from the finest talents above. Taking their memories forever in our hearts, we will always remember them in love and joy.