Actress Rasika Joshi Passes Away

Film and theatre personality Rasika Joshi, who had been battling blood cancer for the past nine years passed away at a nursing home at Bandra in suburban Mumbai on Thursday, July 7, 2011. Joshi, who had played negative and comic characters with equal ease, was a NSD graduate and quite popular as a supporting actress. Besides Bollywood movies and television serials, Joshi had also acted in Marathi movies.

Her portrayal of a psychotic prison bully in Sriram Raghavan's Ek Hasina Thi was highly appreciated. Joshi had also acted in movies like Malamaal Weekly, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Gayab, Billu and Johnny Gaddaar to name a few.

Apart from acting, Rasika had also written a Marathi movie named Yanda Kartavya Aahe. She also played a negative character in the famous television serial Bandini which was aired on NDTV Imagine.

Director Ram Gopal Varma, who had cast Joshi in many of his films, is quoted to have said, "She was one of the top rated artistes I have worked with. Rasika could get into any given character very subtly. She played the role of Neeraj's mom in Not a Love Story and was vomiting blood on the sets too. She was so committed towards her work that she completed her last shot and was always professional." Sources claim that despite fighting a tough battle against cancer, Joshi was full of positive energy and optimism.