Being remembered even in a cameo  — that is the impact Arun Bikramjit Bali had with his performances. The senior actor, 79, who often played the doting grandfather on screen, passed away Friday morning. He was hospitalised earlier this year, after being diagnosed for Myasthenia Gravis — a rare muscular disease that causes a communication failure between the nerves and the muscles.

Friends since 1989, director Dr Chandrapraksh Dwivedi remembers meeting Bali for the first time when he made his directorial debut with the historical TV series, Chanakya, where the senior actor played the role of King Porus. “I was sitting by the window in my office when I saw Bali saab coming up to meet me. I told my assistant, ‘Here comes my Porus’. He had a majestic persona.” After beginning his innings in acting with director Lekh Tandon’s Doosra Kewal (1989), Bali went on to do shows, including Dekh Bhai Dekh (1993), The Great Maratha (1994), Shaktimaan (1997), Swabhimaan (1995) and POW (Bandi Yudh Ke).