Veteran actor Asrani had been filming Haiwaan, Priyadarshan's next movie, just days before he passed away unexpectedly. The actor-director team collaborated on more than a dozen films, and the director has disclosed that Asrani's last appearance was in Priyadarshan's picture. Priyadarshan discussed Asrani's last days on site in a recent interview.
Regarding Asrani, Priyadarshan
Regarding Asrani's passing, Priyadarshan stated in an interview with News 18 that "Asrani sir used to bring a lot of positivity on set." He was a wonderful dude. For me, it's a personal loss. You don't often come across somebody whose passing has such a profound impact on you.

Asrani was filming Haiwaan, a movie directed by Priyadarshan and starring Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar. "I'm fortunate that I shot his last take," the director remarked, recalling his last days on the set. It was roughly five-six days ago. I was therefore rather taken aback when I learnt of the news yesterday. In Haiwaan, I had one more scene with him. He just has one conversation in it. When we start filming it, we'll be able to handle it. Every other sequence with him has been filmed. His back hurt a lot. We used to provide him with a chair.

Only when the cameras began to roll would we take it off. He had informed me that he had travelled to Indore and returned. He was unable to move his legs due to the poor driving conditions. Nevertheless, he came and completed the task.
The acting career of Asrani
Asrani started out as a lead in Punjabi films after graduating from the FTII in 1966, but in the 1970s, he finally earned a name for himself in Hindi films directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. His role as the quirky jailer in Sholay is what made him most famous as a comic in the 1970s and 1980s. He has starred in numerous Priyadarshan-directed films since 2000, such as Hera Pheri, Malamaal Weekly, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, and Dhamaal.