Acclaimed veteran actor and theatre artiste Vishwa Mohan Badola passed away on Monday due to age-related ailments. He was 84. In a career spanning decades, the late actor started off as a journalist before switching to theatre and then making his entry into the film industry. A day after VM Badola's death, his son, television star Varun Badola, took to his Instagram page to pen a heartfelt emotional note. Varun wrote, "A lot of people crib about the fact that their kids do not listen to them. Many forget that kids are always watching them. My father never sat me down to teach me anything. He made learning a way of life for me. He set an example so exemplary that I had no choice but... follow. If you think that I am a good actor, blame him. If I write, he has to take the onus. If I sing... well if I had just about 1/10th of his singing talent, I would have become a singer."

Varun also stated that Vishwa Mohan Badola had encouraged him to go and create an identity of his own. He continued, "I left Delhi and came to Mumbai because his name was too big in that city to counter. I protested that people judge me, they unduly favour me because I am your son. He promptly told me to go and find my own identity some place else if I thought his name was a hindrance. He told me to always operate out of my comfort zone. He made me a MAN."

Calling his father as a 'legend', Varun concluded his post saying, "Not many know that he was a journalist by profession. A master on South East Asian affairs. Travelled the world twice over. He did more than 400 hundred plays for AIR. He was an actor par excellence. When he sang, time stopped. Make no mistake, THIS MAN WAS A LEGEND. But for me, he was my father. A father who was always watching and always listening. So ladies and gentlemen The Man, The Legend, The Phenomenon has called it a day. But his legacy will stay on forever in various forms. Mr. Vishwa Mohan Badola 1936 - 2020." Vishwa Mohan Badola is best known among fans for his roles in films namely Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Swades, Jodhaa Akbar, Jolly LLB 2, The Tashkent Files, What's Your Raashee? and Jalpari: The Desert Mermaid to name a few. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Varun Badola (@badolavarun)