Hema Malini Mourns The Demise Of Eminent Dance Historian Sunil Kothari; Calls Him A ‘Passionate Lover Of Art’

Senior actor and BJP MP Hema Malini on Monday expressed sorrow over the demise of eminent dance historian and critic Sunil Kothari. The Sholay actor, who is also an ace classical dancer, took to Twitter to condole the demise of the noted dance critic. She also shared how Kothari has encouraged her in the initial stage of her dance career.

"Sunil Kothari, eminent dance critic has passed away. He was one of those who encouraged me in the initial stage of my career," Hema Malini wrote on Twitter. "He was a passionate lover of art, a spl [special] person who took grt [great] interest in classical dance and encouraged young dancers. Will truly miss u Sunilji," her tweet further read.

Kothari passed away following a cardiac arrest on Sunday at the age of 87. In his entire career span, the late dance critic has written 12 books on different forms of Indian classical dance forms. He was bestowed with the prestigious Padma Shri award in 2001 for his contribution to the Indian classical dance.