Mumbai. Roshan Taneja, 87, who taught acting skills to many Bollywood stars, died on Friday night. Nasiruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Jaya Bachchan, Ompuri, Anil Kapoor, Shatrughan Sinha, Asharani, Rakesh Bedi and others learned acting skills from him.

He was ill for a long time. He was cremated on Saturday. He is survived by his wife Mithika, two sons Rohit Taneja and Rahul Taneja.

Taneja has been called the best teacher of method acting. In New York, he also trained under Oscar-winning directors Sanford Mesner and Sidney Pollock.

He was the head of the acting department at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. It started in 1961.

He established the department in charge in 1963. It was here that he taught Mithun Chakraborty, Shabana Azmi, Nasiruddin Shah, Jaya Bachchan, Ompuri, Anil Kapoor, Shatrughan Sinha, Ashrani the subtleties of acting.

He resigned and came to Mumbai in 1975. It was here that Roshan Taneja started the School of Acting, where he trained many artists.

Waves of mourning in Bollywood

After receiving the news of Taneja’s death, many celebrities on social media paid homage to him. Shabana Azmi writes, “It is a matter of luck for me that I got the opportunity to take acting training from her.” Anil Kapoor wrote, “I will always be grateful and indebted to him for his education and guidance.”

Anupam Kher writes, “Roshan Taneja was one of the best acting teachers in our country.”