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This week’s industry news is a big deal. The character actor, Ramakant Dayama, who acted in many big Indian films, but never gained a central role for himself, died on May 26. He was aged 69.
It was through his close friend and frequent co-star, Shubhangi Latkar, who posted a very emotional message on social media. It has been reported from the family that Dayama had been suffering from a long and serious disease for several months. He finally breathed his last in his house in Mumbai.
When the industry’s biggest stars shine the spotlight on themselves, the people who don’t are the characters who are holding the story together—Dayama is one of them. He wasn’t a familiar name whose face was plastered on the giant posters advertising in the big theaters. However, if you have seen mainstream Hindi films or the streaming world in the past two decades, you cannot miss him out anywhere. He did the small but pivotal roles that bring a fictional world to life. The fraternity of Mumbai’s working actors are in a very quiet and sombre mood due to his sudden disappearance.
A career of creating believable moments for people.
Dayama has a long list of reliable, consistent films of his. His knack was to be perfectly at ease as a father, corporate executive or any sort of common man.
He is perhaps most famous for his mainstream performance in the 2007 sports drama, Chak De! In India with Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) member Shah Rukh Khan. It was a functional, bureaucratic character, but he added just the right amount of dry realism for the story. Later, he discovered a brand new audience of fans on streaming platforms. He portrayed the character of Shantilal Mehta in the mega hit TV series Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story on SonyLIV. This was especially commended for the show’s nonaggressive sincerity in its face-off between all the show’s financial soap opera.
Ramakant Dayama's Notable Screen Work
* Chak De! India (2007) - Played an IHF sports official
* Paa (2009) - Supporting role in the Amitabh Bachchan starrer
* Scam 1992 (2020) - Played Shantilal Mehta, Harshad Mehta's father
* Farzi (2023) - Worked in the Raj & DK thriller series
* The Trial (2023) - His final major appearance on screenIn addition to those large projects, Dayama was always there. He has also been seen in the web series Farzi, Made in Heaven and the 2024 heist comedy series Crew. He also had a long connection with the Mumbai theatre circuit and Marathi entertainment sector, where many actors train in the basics of acting. He was also actively involved in the community behind the scenes, as an Executive committee member of Cine & TV Artistes’ Association (CINTAA) which provides for the welfare of working actors.
The emotional burden carried by the fraternity.
The loss of an actor such as Dayama is a personal one for the industry. He shared a clip of him dancing to an old Shammi Kapoor song, and his colleague Shubhangi Latkar posted a video of him dancing to a classic Shammi Kapoor song, revealing a different side of him that wasn’t seen on the big screen very often.
Latkar wrote on their plans to perform again together, which were still active. They were busy in planning a new Hindi play and a poetry presentation. Although he was small in stature, he was full of great strength, and was always generous in his advice to younger actors on set,” she said. Those creative ideas have been brought to a halt and his closest theatre friends are left silent.
The legacy of the acting also lives on in his family. Fame and fortune has been sitting on Yashaswini Dayama’s shoulders because she is widely popular as a young actress on the OTT platforms and has appeared in popular shows like Adulting, Delhi Crime and Bandish Bandits. Yashaswini Dayama is the daughter of the leading actor Dayama.
The loss of a veteran is felt throughout the industry.
There have been condolences coming in from all around Bollywood since he passed away. Over the years he has worked on various sets with various co-stars and production staffs, and they have all been sharing their memories of his quiet professionalism.
Shah Rukh Khan who appeared with Dayama in the hugely heated federation meeting scenes in Chak De! India was so sad about the loss and wrote the following article. These character actors are the staples for the seasoned superstars that serve as their sounding boards in lengthy shooting sessions. It’s a reminder that’s hard to miss of just how fast time goes for them, as well as all the other filmmakers who helped create those legendary movies.
While movies with huge budgets and big stories are ushering in a new age, the passing of actors such as Ramakant Dayama is marking a new phase. He was one of those actors who knew that it was a craft and not chasing stardom. The digital banner will surely go on to the next big trailer but Dayama has left a rich and respectable legacy for India’s most iconic modern narratives to linger in the background.
