Jatin Kanakia (1952 or 1953–1999) was an Indian actor. Best known for

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

roles, his career ranged from working in

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...

plays,

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

television show A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...

s and Hindi

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

movies. His skill and success earned him the informal title of "Prince of Comedy."

Career

Kanakia's first major television role was in the comedy series, '' Shrimaan Shrimati'', where he played the lead role of Keshav Kulkarni, a married, middle-class house-holder who develops a crush on his movie star neighbour, played by

Archana Puran Singh Archana Puran Singh (born 26 September 1962) is an Indian actress and television personality. She is known for her comedy roles in several Bollywood movies and as a judge in the comedy shows ''The Kapil Sharma Show'' and '' Comedy Circus''. She ...

, and a rivalry with her husband, played by

Rakesh Bedi Rakesh Bedi (born 1 December 1954) is an Indian film, stage and television actor. He is known for his iconic comic roles in films such as ''Mera Damaad'' and ''Chashme Buddoor (1981 film), Chashme Buddoor'' (1981). He has also appeared in tele ...

, who in turn is drawn to Kulkarni's housewife

Reema Lagoo Reema Lagoo (born Nayan Bhadbhade; 21 June 1958 – 18 May 2017) was an Indian theatre and screen actress known for her work in Hindi and Marathi cinema. She began her acting career in the Marathi theatre, after which she became a household na ...

. Broadcast on the national television network,

Doordarshan Doordarshan (), abbreviated as DD, is India's State-owned enterprise, state-owned public broadcasting, public television broadcaster. Established by the Government of India on 15 September 1959, it is owned by the Ministry of Information and B ...

, the series became one of India's most popular television shows. Kanakia also starred in shorter comedy series produced on Doordarshan and played cameos in other comedy series. He worked in many shows produced by the Adhikari Brothers production company, as well as by other producers. Kanakia's success on television led to minor roles in big-budget Hindi films such as ''

Hum Saath Saath Hain '' Hum Saath-Saath Hain'' (), also abbreviated as ''HSSH'', is a 1999 Indian Hindi-language family drama film written and directed by Sooraj Barjatya under the production and distribution of Rajshri Productions. The film stars an ensemble cast ...

''.

Death

Kanakia's career was cut short on 26 July 1999 when he died from

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

at the age of 46.

Awards

Kanakia was honoured posthumously at the inaugural

Indian Telly Awards The Indian Telly Awards is an annual award for excellence both on-screen and behind-the-scenes of Hindi-language television. Conceptualised and created by Anil Wanvari, the founder, CEO of media and services group, indiantelevision.com, they a ...

in 2001 for his contribution to Indian television.

Filmography

Television

* ''

Mirch Masala ''Mirch Masala'' (Translation: Hot Spice) is a 1987 Hindi psychological thriller film directed by Ketan Mehta. It stars Naseeruddin Shah and Smita Patil in the lead roles. On the centenary of Indian cinema in April 2013, ''Forbes'' included Sm ...

'' * '' Kamaal Hai Kamaal'' (

)

Films

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kanakia, Jatin 1950s births 1999 deaths 20th-century Indian comedians 20th-century Indian male actors Indian male comedians Indian male stage actors Indian male television actors Male actors in Hindi cinema Year of birth uncertain