Nepali Actor Sunil Thapa Passes Away

Veteran actor Sunil Thapa passed away at the age of 68 due to a heart attack in Kathmandu on Saturday. A towering figure in Nepali cinema, Thapa had a career spanning over four decades and acted in more than 300 Nepali films, apart from notable roles in Bollywood and Bhojpuri cinema. Born in Dang, Nepal, he gained widespread recognition for his iconic performance as Rate Kaila in the cult classic Chino (1991).

Sunil Thapa earned international recognition for portraying coach Narjit Singh in the Bollywood film Mary Kom (2014), starring Priyanka Chopra. Before entering films, he began his career as a model in Mumbai in the mid-1970s. He also appeared recently in The Family Man Season 3 as David Khuzhao, a respected Naga leader. Thapa received the Motion Pictures Award Nepal twice and served as the Chairman of the Everest Film Academy.