Renowned Bollywood actor-writer-director Satish Kaushik, popularly known as ‘Calendar’, a character he essayed in the film “Mr. India”, passed away following a heart attack early Thursday morning. He was 66.

Satish Kaushik is survived by his wife and a daughter.

The mortal remains of the veteran actor will be brought to Mumbai today for his final rites, sources said. “Kaushik’s body will be sent to Mumbai in an air ambulance from Delhi today,” they added.

Renowned character actor Anupam Kher took to Twitter to announce the news of the demise of Satish Kaushik this morning.

“I know “death is the ultimate truth of this world!” But I never thought in my dreams that I would write this thing about my best friend #SatishKaushik while alive. Such a sudden full stop on a friendship of 45 years!! Life will NEVER be the same without you SATISH! Om Shanti!” Anupam Kher said in a tweet.

Satish Kaushik attended a Holi bash of Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar in Mumbai on March 7. His photos and videos at the party were doing the rounds on the Internet. He came to Delhi on Wednesday to attend a close friend’s Holi party when he reportedly fell sick.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi mourned the death of veteran actor and director Satish Kaushik. In a tweet, he said, “Pained by the untimely demise of noted film personality Shri Satish Kaushik Ji. He was a creative genius who won hearts thanks to his wonderful acting and direction. His works will continue to entertain audiences. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti.”

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also condoled the demise of the actor-director. He said his contribution to Indian cinema, artistic creations and performances will always be remembered.

“Deeply saddened by the sudden demise of actor, director and writer Satish Kaushik Ji. His contribution to Indian cinema, artistic creations and performances will always be remembered. My deepest condolences to his bereaved family and followers. Om Shanti Shanti,” Shah said in a tweet.

Many Bollywood personalities, including Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Neena Gupta, Raza Murad and Abhishek Bachchan, have paid tributes to the multifaceted artist after learning about the news of his demise.

Kaushik passed away at around 1 am in the national capital, after he suffered a massive heart attack.

Satish Chandra Kaushik, who was born on April 13, 1956, was an actor, director, producer, comedian and screenwriter. Born in Haryana, he was an alumnus of the National School of Drama (NSD) and the Films and Television Institute of India (FTII). He had started his film career in the early 1980s.

He penned dialogues for the 1983 classic, “Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron”, which acquired a cult following over the years.

He is known for his comic roles as ‘Calendar’ in “Mr India”, ‘Pappu Pager’ in “Deewana Mastana” among many others.

Kaushik also gave sterling performances in other films like “Ram Lakhan” and “Saajan Chale Sasural”. He directed Sridevi’s film, “Roop Ki Rani, Choron Ka Raja” and later “Prem”, both proved disasters at the box office, but he got his big break with “Hum Aapke Dil Me Rehte Hain” and also “Tere Sang”, among many others.