Trigger Warning: This article contains a mention of death.

Veteran Marathi actor Vijay Kadam left for his heavenly abode on Saturday morning. He was 68. The senior actor had been reportedly battling cancer for a long time. Kadam’s friend, actor Jaywant Wadkar, confirmed his demise.

According to ANI, Jaywant said, “He had been courageously fighting cancer. Initially, he recovered, but his health eventually deteriorated.” Kadam’s friend added that he had an acidity attack around 25 days ago.

Talking about his filmography in Indian cinema, Wadkar stated that Vijay Kadam was “extremely talented”. He said further that he explored various projects ranging from Marathi cinema to Hindi films in his decades-long career.

Wadkar, who considered Vijay Kadam as his family, praised the late actor by saying, “It is impossible to find an actor like him again.” While mourning the loss of his friend, Wadkar said that his death has left a void in the industry.

As per the agency, Kadam’s cremation took place at the Andheri-Oshiwara crematorium on Saturday afternoon. The late actor is survived by his wife and son.

Vijay Kadam began his cancer treatment last year and underwent chemotherapy along with a couple of surgeries, News18 reported. He is best remembered for his contribution to Marathi cinema and theater.

His notable works in the Marathi film industry include Irsal Kaarti, De Danadan, Chashme Bahaddar, and many more. He also worked in Marathi movies like Police Line, Halad Rusli Kunku Hasala, and De Dhadak Bedhadak.

He rose to fame after starring in Purshottam Berde’s Marathi stage play, Tur Tur (1983-84). The play also featured late actor Laxmikanth Berde of Hum Aapke Hain Koun fame. Vijay started his acting career in theater in the 1980s era. Apart from Tur Tur, he also worked in Viccha Majhi Puri Kara and Pappa Sanga Kunache.

Vijay Kadam appeared in Arshad Warsi‘s debut film, Tere Mere Sapne. Kadam played the role of traffic policeman in it. The 1996 movie also starred Chandrachur Singh and Priya Gill. The late actor last appeared in the Marathi TV series Ti Prat Aaliye. The show was released in 2021.

Mohanlal, who was aiming to hit the big screens again this year with the film Barroz, is likely to wait a bit more. According to a report by Sridhar Pillai, the much-awaited fantasy movie has once again been postponed.

As per the report, theaters have said that the film has been postponed from its previous release date of September 12, 2024, to October, with an exact date still pending. However, an official update on the same is yet to be made by the makers.

The film, which also marks the actor’s debut as a director, has been delayed and postponed several times. The movie, which initially began its production back in March of 2021, was later halted due to the second wave of Covid-19. However, Mohanlal revived the project in November of the same year.

By then, they had also decided to change the film’s screenplay and cast for logistical reasons and resumed the movie in December. This included the scraping of portions, including Prithviraj Sukumaran, which had been shot earlier.

Later, the film completed its production and post-production by September 2022 and was announced to release in March 2023. Even then, no updates were made until the makers officially announced they would release the film on March 28, 2024. But, once again, the film missed the date and was later announced to be released on September 12 this year.

Now, with the film yet again being speculated to be postponed to October to avoid a theater clash, we would have to wait and see what the makers have planned. The movie Barroz is based on the novel Barroz: Guardian of D’Gama’s Treasure by filmmaker Jijo Punnoose.

Though the latter was initially involved in the film’s writing, he later exited the project as a writer after the makers decided to change the screenplay. The movie features Mohanlal as the treasure guardian, Barroz, with an ensemble cast of actors like Maya, Cesar Lorente Raton, Kallirroi Tziafeta, Tuhin Menon, and Guru Somasundaram in key roles.

The film’s songs are crafted by Lydian Nadhaswaram, with Mark Killian composing the background scores. Interestingly, the movie also has Mohanlal’s daughter, Vismaya Mohanlal, as an assistant director.