Kamal Haasan
Kamal Haasan.PR Handout

Kamal Haasan has expressed his deepest condolence to the family and fans of Shashi Kapoor, who passed away on Monday, December 4. The Ulaganayagan took to Twitter to mourn the death of Bollywood actor.

"Thank you Sashi Kapoor sahab. For what you did for Indian Theatre and Cinema. Thank you the Kapoor family for carrying the service forward. Tearful Salute to a man who loved the arts. Condolences to many fans like me. His family included [sic]," Kamal Haasan tweeted.

Shashi Kapoor passed away at the age of 79 after a prolonged illness. He breathed his last at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai.

He belongs to the second generation of Bollywood's Kapoor family. Born in 1938, acting naturally attracted him as his father Prithviraj Kapoor was a pioneer of Indian theatre and Hindi film industry.

Shashi Kapoor started as a child artiste in the movies of his elder brother Raj Kapoor like Aag, Awaara and a few others before turning a hero in Dharmputra way back in 1961. In his career, he went on to act in 116 movies out of which he played lead roles in 61 flicks.

He was one of the most sought-after actors in 1960s and 1970s and was one of the first few Indian actors who acted in Hollywood films. His popular works were Deewar, Namak Halal, Trishul, Satyam Shivam Sundaram and Shaan to name a few.

The actor won numerous awards in his career. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the government in 2011 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2015.