Naresh Kanodia passes away: All you need to know about the actor-turned-politician

Naresh Kanodia passed away on Tuesday, October 27, 2020, after battling COVID-19. The legendary star was known for his versatile roles in films and was also a celebrated musician. He was seen in many movies like Veli Ne Avya Phool, Veer Bavavalo, Meru Mudande, Kaydo, Dhantya Open and Zoolan Morali. Apart from his roles in Gujarati films, he was also seen in a few Hindi and Rajasthani films. Read ahead to know more about the life and career of Naresh Kanodia. 

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Naresh Kanodia's early life and childhood

Naresh Kanodia was born on August 20, 1943, in the village of Kanoda (Gujarat). Many reports indicate the actor belonged to a very poor family and his parents used to work in a mill. His brother Mahesh Kanodia is also a very famous musician and singer. His brother also went on to become a Member of Parliament from Patan in Gujarat. His favourite actor as a child was superstar Rajesh Khanna.

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Naresh Kanodia's film career

Naresh Kanodia's career kickstarted while working with his brother. He used to sing and dance along with his elder brother Mahesh in many events. After a while, the duo became very famous for singing and reports claim that they travelled to many foreign countries to perform. Many reports indicate that the pair travelled to Africa and  America to showcase their talent. 

Naresh made an entry into films with the movie Veli Ne Avya Phool (1970). The film was quite successful and had other talented actors like Arvind Joshi, Padmaran, Arvind Pandya and Mahendra Zaveri. Though his role in this film was relatively small, he started getting recognition from this film. 

His next big project was in 1980, with the film Akhand Chudalo. It was a romantic-drama and starred Rita Bhaduri, Naresh Kanodia and Chandrakant Pandya in the lead. Naresh was seen in over 350 Gujarati movies and always wowed his audiences. 

He was also seen in a Hindi film named Chhota Adami. The film came out in 1986 and was directed by Krishnakant. The film starred Raju Barot, Nalin Dave, Dinesh Hingo, Nasir Hussain, Aruna Irani, Firoz Irani, Manik Irani, Arvind Joshi, Naresh Kanodia, Suraj Kanodia in different roles. 

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Naresh Kanodia's political career

Much like his brother, Naresh also entered politics after a while. Naresh's brother represented the Patan constituency in Lok Sabha four times and was a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The actor is said to have joined politics in 2002. He was also elected as a BJP MLA from Karjan constituency between 2002 and 2007. Naresh's son Hitu Kanodia is also a BJP MLA from Idar constituency.

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Naresh Kanodia's death

As mentioned before, Naresh Kanodia passed away at the UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre at around 9.17 am. The actor was suffering from COVID-19 and was 77 years old. The legendary actor was admitted to the hospital on October 20 after he was in critical condition. 

Promo Pic Credit: A snip from the film Moti Verna Chawk Ma (Ultra Gujarat's YouTube)