Aurangabad, March 26:
Dr Ashok Kulkarni (Solegaonkar) passed away due to a brief illness on Thursday in Pune. He was 70 years old. The theatre artists have expressed grief over his demise.
The trio of Kumar Deshmukh, Alok Chaudhary and Ashok Kulkarni rejuvenated the theatre industry in Aurangabad. The Natyarang Sanstha was also established in 1970-71 on the initiative of these three. Kulkarni was known as the first writer of Natyarang. Many plays like 'Aamcha Naav Baburao', 'Paisach Paisa', 'Smarak' were performed by Natyarang. He also starred in the children's film 'Soneri Dokyacha Masa'. At that time, Natyarang was well established in the theatre industry. The last rites were performed at Vaikuntha crematorium at Navi Peth, Pune on Friday.