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Nakuul Mehta pens a tribute for Ishqbaaz co-star Navnindra Behl as she passes away at 76: 'She didn't give up'
As Navnindra Behl passed away at the age of 76, actor Nakuul Mehta shared a series of pictures with her recalling their sweet memories together.
Veteran actress and Punjabi theatre artist Navnindra Behl breathed her last at the age of 76 on March 16. Her son and filmmaker Kanu Behl confirmed her passing with an emotional social media post. And now, Nakuul Mehta, who worked with Navnindra Bahl in Ishqbaaz, paid his tribute to the veteran artist in a heart-touching long note.
Nakuul Mehta took to his social media handle and shared a series of pictures with his Ishqbaaz co-star Navnindra Behl and recalled their sweet memories together from the sets. He began by writing, "The beauty of long running television shows is that they sometimes give you the opportunity to spend time with people who may have existed in worlds very different from yours until then..and then, almost magically, they end up shaping a significant part of who you were during those years. And long after the experience ends, some of what they stood for continues to find a home within you."
Further, he revisited his memories with the late soul and wrote, "We spent so many days sharing a set floor and many lunches over the three years we worked together on Ishqbaaaz. I’d often complain about the boring sabzis (read: lauki, karela) she’d bring, and she would continue to insist that we try her food. She didn’t give up. I never gave in. My earliest memory of her was filming my very first scene with her on Ishqbaaaz at around midnight in Turbhe. A solemn moment between the matriarch and her grandson. There was something about her presence that made you feel so present in every scene. She liked rehearsals. So did I. It was a match written in the stars. I say so because in television, rarely do you have the discipline and mostly the time… for multiple rehearsals."
He then revealed that he would often drop her back home if they wrapped up shoot at the same time. "I’d quite often drop her back home if we packed up at the same time, and those drives are some of my fondest memories of her. She’d be excited about writing back to every audience member who messaged her on Instagram (she embraced technology). She was thrilled about collaborating with Vishal Bhardwaj. She spoke so fondly of her husband and their love story, and mostly of her son, @kanubehl, and the wonderful filmmaker she believed he was," wrote Nakuul.
The actor concluded his emotional note by saying, "We kept in touch over the years much after the show ended, and @jank_ee and I had the good fortune of celebrating her on her 75th birthday in October 2024. I doubt I ever called her Maam! None of us did. It was always Dadi. We will miss you, Dadi."
For the unversed, Ishqbaaz aired from June 27, 2016, to March 15, 2019. It was among the most popular shows on Star Plus. The television daily soap also featured Surbhi Chandna, Kunal Jaisingh, Shrenu Parikh, Leenesh Mattoo, Mansi Srivastava, and others.
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