New Delhi: Actor-director Satish Kaushik fell ill at his farmhouse in Delhi’s Bijwasan last night and was rushed to a hospital in Gurugram. Police sources said that preliminary tests showed that he had died of a heart attack and he died before reaching the hospital.
Delhi South West Police sources said that the investigation into the death of the 66-year-old actor did not reveal anything suspicious. Further tests will yield more information about the cause and time of death, the sources added.

Mr Kaushik came to Delhi yesterday to celebrate Holi with his friends. Earlier in the day, she attended a Holi party at Javed Akhtar-Shabana Azmi’s Mumbai home and posted happy pictures on social media.

Police are continuing to gather information about his whereabouts during the day. All they know is that he was at the farmhouse in Bijwasan when he was ill. He was rushed to Fortis Hospital in Gurugram, but he could not make it.

His manager Santosh Roy was among those who rushed Mr Kaushik to the hospital. Speaking to news agency ANI, he said, “He fell asleep at 10.30 pm. At 12.10 am, he complained of breathlessness.”

As the patient was from Delhi, the hospital informed the Delhi Police. The police then sent the body to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for postmortem. A postmortem was conducted this morning and Kaushik’s body was handed over to his relatives.

Police contacted Mr Kaushik’s companions, who took him to hospital for further questioning.

The actor-director’s death hours after celebrating Holi with his friends and colleagues has shocked the Indian film industry and tributes are pouring in.

Born in Haryana and brought up in Karolbagh, Mr Kaushik is an alumnus of the National School of Drama. Known for his comedic timing, Ashok’s memorable roles include the 1983 classic Jaane Bi To Yaaaran, for which he also penned the dialogues. Another memorable role played by Mr. Kaushik, a chef named ‘Calendar’, was in the Anil Kapoor-Sridevi starrer Mr. India.