Grieving Anupam Kher remembers ‘zinda dil insaan' Mukul Dev, says his death is unbelievable: 'Humesha hasta rehta tha'

Hindustan Times

25-05-2025

Actor Anupam Kher, who returned from London on Saturday night, remembered his "friend" late Mukul Dev. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Anupam shared a video and spoke about how he came to know about Mukul after arriving in Mumbai. He spoke about Mukul and shared the video at 2 am on Sunday. Anupam called Mukul's death "unbelievable, sad and upsetting". (Also Read | Rahul Dev performs brother Mukul Dev's last rites in Delhi; Vindu Dara Singh holds back tears)
In the video, Anupam spoke about his bond with Mukul, with whom he worked in several films. Anupam said in the video, "Mera dost Mukul Dev nahi hai, it's unbelievable. It's so sad...Bohut zinda dil insaan hai, tha. Kaese insaan 'tha' hojata hai, samajh hi nahi aata (My friend Mukul Dev isn't there. He was a lively person. How a person goes from is to was, I don't understand)."
Anupam remembered working with Mukul and how he was always positive in his attitude. "Humne bohut waqt saath guzara Chaar Din Ki Chandni film mein, aur bhi 2-3 filmon mein. Uske bawajood bhi because hum dost bane toh hum 2-3 mahine mein ekbaar phone pe baat karlete the. Aur woh humesha acchi khushi ki baat karta tha, positive tha (We spent a lot of time together during Chaar Din Ki Chandni, and 2-3 other films. Despite that, since we became good friends, we used to talk once every 2-3 months. He used to talk nicely, he was positive)," added Anupam.
The actor said that though he and Mukul weren't "best friends", they liked each other. He said, "Humesha apne kaam se kaam rakhta tha aur khush rehta tha (He would always mind his own business and stay happy). I'll not say that he was my best friend or something like that. But we used to like each other very much for the people that we were for each other. So, kya shraddhanjali arpit karun? Rahul Dev, unke bhai, unke pariwaar waalon ko, uski family ko kya bole? It's very sad. He was a wonderful human being. Humesha hasta rehta tha (What tribute do I give? What to tell his family, his brother Rahul Dev. He would always laugh)."
Anupam recalled his conversation with Mukul. He said, "Mujhe bolta tha, 'Saab, aur kya sikhaoge? Main acting toh seekh hi loonga, zindagi k baare mein sikhao kuch'. Pata nahi woh kya samjhta tha ki mujhe zindagi k baare mein bohut kuch pata hai (He would tell me, 'Sir, what more will you teach me? I'll learn acting, teach me about life'." I don't know why he thought I knew a lot about life). Mukul Dev, my friend, it was too early for you to go."
The actor ended his video with a tribute to Mukul. "The world will miss you. Jab hume unexpectedly kisi ka pata chalta hai toh pura mahol, pura world uspe react karta hai (When we come to know about someone unexpectedly, then the entire world reacts to it) because you don't expect certain people to go so soon. Very upsetting and very sad. Zindagi toh chalti rehti hai lekin dukh toh dil k kisi kone mein chala hi jaata hai (Life will go on but the pain will stay in a corner of the heart). Om Shanti, Mukul mere dost," added Anupam.
Sharing the video, Anupam captioned it, 'Mukul Dev! Mere dost (My friend) (breaking heart emojis)' Anupam and Mukul worked together in several films such as De Taali (2008), Yamla Pagla Deewana (2011), Chaar Din Ki Chandni (2012), and Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 (2013).
Mukul, known for his versatile roles in Hindi, Punjabi, and South Indian films and television, died on Friday night at the age of 54. His last rites took place on Saturday at Dayanand Mukti Dham, Nizamuddin West. Mukul's friends and family members attended the last rites to pay their final respects.
Mukul featured in several television shows such as Gharwali Uparwali, Kasshish, Ssshhhh Phir Koi Hai, Kumkum - Ek Pyara Sa Bandhan, and others. He also worked in popular films such as Son of Sardaar, R Rajkumar, and Jai Ho. His last film is Son of Sardaar 2, which has not been released yet.