Mumbai, 10 Aug

Veteran Marathi theater and film actor Vijay Kadam died here on Saturday, family sources said.

Kadam (66) was battling cancer for the last one and a half years. He started his career as a child actor in theater and earned fame in comedy roles in the 1980s.

Kadam, who considered yesteryear actors Sharad Talwalkar and Raja Gosavi as his idols, went on to do diverse roles on stage as well as in television serials and films in the next two decades.

"Rathchakra" , "Vichcha Majhi Puri Kara", "Tur Tur", "Sahi Re Sahi" were some of the hit plays where he made his mark.

He also featured in Marathi films including "Irsal Karti", "Vasudev Balwant Phadke" and "Halad Rusli Kunku Hasla". Kadam was also seen in a few Bollywood films such as "Ghar Ek Mandir" and "Aflatoon".

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, in a message on X, offered a tribute to Kadam for his natural style of acting, comic timing and the ability for extempore repartee while performing on stage.

"Marathi theater has suffered a great loss due to the death of this versatile actor who enriched Maharashtra's entertainment world," Shinde said.