Veteran actor-producer-director Chandrashekhar, who found a novel way to address caste inequities in the reformist musical hit ‘Cha Cha Cha’ (1964) and who worked tirelessly for the benefit of film workers and technicians, passed away on Wednesday morning. He was 97. “He passed away in his sleep in the presence of family... the way he wanted. He had no health issues, it was just his age. He lived a good life,” his son and producer Ashok Shekhar told PTI.

Some of his well-known leading roles came in V Shantaram’s ‘Surang’, ‘Baradari’ where he lip synched Talat Mahmood’s velvety track, Tasveer banata hoon tasveer nahi banti and ‘Kali Topi Lal Rumal’, which had the evergreen song, Laagi chhute na ab to sanam. Later, Chandrashekhar – also credited as Chandra Shekhar – took on supporting roles in over 250 films notably, ‘Kati Patang’, ‘Nikaah’, ‘Coolie’ and others. He made a popular Sumant, a minister in King Dashrath’s court, in the blockbuster TV serial, ‘Ramayan’. During a career that spanned over six decades, he also assisted V Shantaram, Bharat Vyas (‘Rangila Rajasthan’) and Gulzar (‘Koshish’, ‘Achanak’).

But ‘Cha Cha Cha’ was the crowning jewel of his professional life. The film got its name from a Cuban dance form which was popular in the ballrooms of the 1950s and 60s. Chandrashekhar Vaidya not only produced and directed the film, he also wrote its story, dialogue and screenplay. The reformist film was about a ‘Harijan’ boy from Jammu’s Banihal area who becomes a Western music dancer. “I come from an Arya Samaj family in Hyderabad. During my childhood, we used to eat together with all castes. But I was aware that others observe chhua-choot (untouchability). It was a major social evil which I felt should be addressed in a movie,” he told this reporter back in 2012.

He had also said that one dialogue from the film had been censored: “Hamare desh mein Harijanon ke saath achcha sulook kab hua!” (When have Harijans been treated well in our country!). The film, with Helen as the heroine, had some of the finest tracks composed by Iqbal Qureshi and one of the earliest songs that poet Neeraj wrote for a film, Subaha na aaye. The musical had plenty of jiving—foxtrot, waltz, cha cha cha and others —and watching the film, it’s evident Chandrashekhar was a pastmaster in the craft. Not many know that he had a diploma in western dancing from Surrey, England.

He also earned plaudits for his acting in producer Shakti Samant’s Bhojpuri film, ‘Ayeel Basant Bahar’. Chandrashekhar made a second film, ‘Street Singer’ (1966) which flopped.

Chandrasekhar, whose father was a doctor, dropped out of Hyderabad’s City College while he was a teenager and took a train to Bombay to make a career in films. The year was 1941 and he had Rs 40 in his pocket, he once revealed in an interview to Navbharat Times.

According to a career resume mailed by the actor to this reporter, he was born on July 7, 1923. He was also president of cine artistes’ association and worked hard to improve the rights of the technicians and extras. By all accounts, he was also a lover of Urdu poetry and enjoyed the company of poets.