Vikram Gokhale is undergoing treatment in Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital and Research Center, Pune due to his prolonged illness. After rumours surfaced regarding his death late Wednesday night, his wife and daughter clarified on Thursday morning that the veteran actor hasn’t passed away and is still critical.

On Friday, the hospital authorities issued a statement regarding the actor’s health update. “Noted actor Mr. Vikram Gokhale is showing slow but steady improvement. He is opening his eyes, moving his limbs, and likely to be off ventilator support in 48 hours. His B.P. and heart rate are stable”, read the statement.

Over a career spanning more than 40 years, Gokhale has given acclaimed performances in various Marathi and Bollywood films. The most notable ones are in Agneepath, starring Amitabh Bachchan in 1990, where he played Commissioner M. S. Gaitonde, and in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam in 1999 in which he played Pundit Darbar, who doesn’t allow his daughter Nandini, played by Aishwarya Rai, to tie the knot Sameer, played by Salman Khan, and instead fixes her marriage with Vanraj, played by Ajay Devgn.

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In 2010, Gokhale received the National Award for Best Actor for his work in the Marathi film Anumati. With the Marathi film Aaghaat, he also made his directorial debut. The actor has also appeared in multiple recent Hindi films including Mission Mangal, Hichki, Aiyaari, Bang Bang!, De Dana Dan, and Bhool Bhulaiyaa. He was last seen in Nikamma, which was released in the theatres in June, alongside Shilpa Shetty and Abhimanyu Dassani.