Actor Suniel Shetty’s father Veerapa Shetty laid to Rest

Actor Suniel Shetty’s father Veerapa Shetty laid to Rest

Mangaluru: Veerapa Shetty, 93-year-old, father of actor Suniel Shetty passed away at a private hospital late on Tuesday night at 1.30 am. His funeral was held earlier today (Thursday). He is survived by his wife and children Suniel and Sujata.

Veerappa Shetty seen with his granddaughter, Athiya Shetty

Report reveal that Veerappa Shetty was admitted at Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital after he suffered a serious paralytic stroke in 2013, Suniel had set up a separate ICU (Intensive Care Unit) all together at his residence. Around the time Veerapa fell sick, Suniel’s daughter Athiya Shetty was making her Bollywood debut. However, his father was Suniel’s only focus, so much so that he took a break from his film career and did not sign any films for years.

Back in 2014, Suniel had said, “I haven’t had a proper night’s sleep for three months now. It’s a very mixed kind of feeling for me. On one hand, my daughter Aathiya is getting ready for her film career. On the other hand my father is very unwell. So the excitement of Aathiya’s debut is sadly diminished. At the moment we’re all focusing on looking after my father.”

Veerapa Shetty began working from the tender age of nine. The man toiled day and night and made a business empire as an hotelier. Suniel got into films as a hobby. Meanwhile, he had been looking after his father’s business for decades.In an interview to media persons, Suniel Shetty had called his father his real hero. He was present in Worli to launch his showroom in a building, he said he shared a special attachment with. He reminisced, “This is where my father, Veerappa Shetty, used to work. He used to clean plates here since he worked as a waiting boy at a restaurant. My father is my real hero. He started working at the age of nine. He used to sleep on flattened mustard sacks and used a rolled-up gunny bag as a pillow.”

Director Rohith Shetty

The grieving family: Suniel Shetty (middle), his wife Mana and son Aahan.

By 1943, his father had bought the entire building, which is located next to the Four Seasons Hotel in Worli. “My father’s boss called him to manage a new business he was setting up here. Slowly, he was able to buy the property,” he had shared then. In fact, to say that Suniel is a more successful hotelier than an actor won’t be wrong. Many Bollywood stars paid their last respect today. Athiya Shetty, daughter of Suniel Shetty couldn’t attend the funeral since she is away in London shooting for ‘Mubarakan’ movie.

Inputs from YahooNews