Actor
Bikramjeet Kanwarpal, who was known for his performance in
Anil Kapoor's series '24' and web-series
'Special OPS'
, died of COVID-19 complications on May 1. The 52-year-old actor was a retired Army officer. "But did you know that Bikramjeet was a part of the
Kargil
war? He was such a brave man and the interesting thing about him was that he loved the movie industry and used to keep saying since our childhood days that he wants to join showbiz. Hence, I used to call him Bizbiz," says his childhood friend, celebrity divorce lawyer
Vandana Shah
in an exclusive chat with
ETimes
.
Reminiscing more about Bikramjeet's early days, Ms Shah said, "Bikramjeet's father was an Army officer posted in Himachal and my Dad was in the
Airforce
. So we had that fauji-fauji connection. In
Shimla
, where I grew up, my Dad would often go to his house for dinner and drinks and I would go with him. Later, Bikramjeet's brother went away to the US and his Dad was very keen that at least one of his sons should join the Army."
Added Shah, "Bikramjeet told me after the Kargil war that he wants to join films. I was surprised that he was still keen to join
Bollywood
after so many years. He told me: 'I have seen death from very close quarters while on duty. Life is too short. One must always follow his dreams'."
The news of Bikramjeet Kanwarpal's death was first put on social media by filmmaker
Vikram Bhatt, who worked with Bikramjeet Kanwarpal on many films, including 'Creature 3D' and 'Horror Story'. "Major Bikramjeet Kanwarpal passes away. Taken from us by the cruel pandemic. I have done a lot of films with him and this doesn't get closer home. The days are turning into one long obituary and yet each life that we lose cannot be just a number. We cannot allow it to become a number. Each a special friend. May his soul rest in peace," wrote Vikram.
Vandana concluded, "I will miss him, always. He was a brilliant mind and a gem of a human being."