Asrani's Early Acting Career
Asrani's passing led to numerous obituaries honoring his five-decade legacy in Hindi cinema.
It is widely believed that Asrani made his debut in Kishore Sahu's 1967 film 'Hare Kaanch Ki Choodiyan,' where he played the friend of actor Biswajeet.
However, film researcher Debasis Mukhopadhyay pointed out that Asrani's first acting role was in a short film directed by Ritwik Ghatak, as part of a FTII training film.
Asrani studied at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, from 1964 to 1966, where Ritwik Ghatak served as Vice Principal and Head of the Direction Department in 1965.
Ritwik Ghatak also taught at the institute during that time.
Author's summary: Asrani's first role was in a FTII training film.