Mushtaq Khan

Mushtaq Khan was an Indian film and television actor and comedian whose career in Hindi cinema and television spanned more than three decades. He died on 24 September 2026 at the age of 56, after a battle with liver cancer that had led to a 15 day hospital stay.

Born in the small town of Baihar in Madhya Pradesh's Balaghat district, Khan built a long career as a character actor and comic performer, becoming one of the most familiar supporting faces in Bollywood. He appeared in Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (1993), Jodi No.1 (2001) and, most memorably, Welcome (2007), in which he played a disabled hockey player, a role that made him widely recognised well beyond his many other credits. His television work included long runs on serials such as Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi and Adaalat, as well as earlier appearances in Doordarshan era shows including Nukkad, Wagle Ki Duniya and Bharat Ek Khoj.

Khan mattered to Indian popular culture as one of the reliable, hardworking supporting actors who filled out the ensemble casts of mainstream Hindi films for a generation, bringing comic timing and warmth to smaller roles that often stayed in audiences' memories long after the films themselves. He continued working steadily into his fifties, appearing in the Netflix series The Railway Men and the MX Player film Hume Toh Loot Liya in 2023.

In late 2024, Khan became the subject of national news for reasons unrelated to acting when he said he had been kidnapped and held for ransom. He said he was lured to Delhi with a fake award show invitation and was then taken to a location near Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh, where he was allegedly tortured for about twelve hours before escaping and seeking help from local residents. He filed a police complaint after a similar case involving fellow comedian Sunil Pal came to light, and Uttar Pradesh police went on to arrest several people in connection with both cases.

His death was confirmed by his business partner, Shivam Yadav, who had also spoken publicly about the kidnapping case on Khan's behalf the previous year. News of his passing on 24 September 2026 prompted an outpouring of tributes from within the Hindi film and television industry, where he was remembered as a steady, warm presence across generations of Bollywood comedies. Details of funeral arrangements have not yet been made public.