Bollywood actor Farooq Shaikh dies at 65

Indian actor Farooq Shaikh, the plump unlikely hero of scores of Bollywood films, has died. He was 65.

Press Trust of India reported that Shaikh suffered a heart attack Friday in Dubai, where he was visiting with his family.

Shaikh’s career began on a high note with the 1973 new wave film Garm Hawa, about the 1947 partition of the subcontinent at the end of British rule. His performance earned him a key role in director Satyajit Ray’s The Chess Players, about the decadence of India’s feudal classes.

Shaikh’s cherubic looks struck a chord with ordinary people who tended to identify with his man on the street image.

Bollywood reacted to the news of Shaikh’s death, with several celebrities, including Amitabh Bachchan, tweeting their condolences.