Veteran actor Vishwa Mohan Badola passed away in Mumbai at age 84, due to age-related ailments. He was the father of actor Varun Badola and father-in-law of Rajeshwari Sachdev.
He started his career as a journalist and then moved to acting in theatre and films. Varun Badola posted a moving note on social media, "A lot of people crib about the fact that their kids do not listen to them. Many forget that kids are always watching them. My father never sat me down to teach me anything. He made learning a way of life for me. He set an example so exemplary that I had no choice but to follow. If you think that I am a good actor, blame him. If I write, he has to take the onus. If I sing well, if I had just about 1/10th of his singing talent, I would have become a singer. I left Delhi and came to Mumbai because his name was too big in that city to counter. I protested that people judge me, they unduly favour me because I am your son. He promptly told me to go and find my own identity some place else if I thought his name was a hindrance. He told me to always operate out of my comfort zone... He did more than 400 hundred plays for AIR. He was an actor par excellence. When he sang, time stopped. Make no mistake, this man was a legend. But for me, he was my father. A father who was always watching and always listening. So ladies and gentlemen The Man, The Legend, The Phenomenon has called it a day. But his legacy will stay on forever in various forms."