Shah Rukh Khan’s Swades Co-Star Kishori Ballal Passes Away; SRK, Ashutosh Gowariker Mourn The Loss

Kannada actress Kishori Ballal passed away in Bengaluru on Tuesday, the February 18. In Bollywood, the actress was best known for playing Shah Rukh Khan's co-star in the 2004 film Swades. Kishori played the role of Kaveri Amma, guardian of Shah Rukh's character Mohan Bhargava.

Kishori was suffering from age-related illness. She breathed her last in a hospital in Bengaluru.

Swades director Ashutosh Gowariker shared behind the scenes pictures of Kishori from Swades sets, and mourned the loss with a tweet. He wrote, "HEARTBROKEN! Terribly sad about the passing away of #KishoriBallal ji!! Kishori ji... you will be remembered for your generously kind, warm and affable persona! And your unforgettable performance as #Kaveriamma in #Swades !! You will surely be missed!!" (sic).

Shah Rukh Khan condoled her death tweeting, "May her soul rest in peace. Kishori 'Amma' will be sorely missed. Especially how she used to reprimand me for smoking. May Allah look after her," (sic).

Kishori had worked with a number of great directors and actors in the Kannada industry during her career, which spanned 15 years. Some of her notable films were Aiyyaa, Kahi, Hani Hani, Suryakanthi, Carry On Maratha, and so on. She had also starred in another Hindi language film, Lafangey Parindey, co-starring Deepika Padukone and Neil Nitin Mukesh.