Bollywood actor Riteish Deshmukh on Sunday broke down in tears as he spoke about his late father and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh at a programme in Maharashtra’s Latur.
Riteish was speaking at the event to unveil the statue of his late father and veteran Congressman. A video of the actor’s speech where he is seen bursting into tears is being widely shared on social media.
“It has been 12 years since my father passed away,” Riteish said in a choking voice. He was immediately comforted by his elder brother and Amit Deshmukh, the Congress MLA from Latur.
“Tough twelve years have passed since Saheb [Vilasrao Deshmukh] left us. Occasionally, the pain surfaces. He always used to shine, and even now, he shines. This shine never fades. He stayed strong, so that we, his children, feel the need to stand tall. To stand tall not just for ourselves, but for the responsibilities that come with being his children. Today, although he is not physically present, his love for us is evident, and it burns brightly on this stage,” Riteish expressed with teary eyes.
Further in his address, Riteish thanked his uncle Dilip Deshmukh for always standing with his family.
“I have never told this to my uncle, but today I want to tell him in front of all that I love him very much,” the actor said, adding, “This stage shows an example of the ideal relationship between an uncle and his nephew”.
Speaking about his brother Amit, Riteish said that people of Latur and Maharashtra have a lot of expectations from him.
Vaishali Deshmukh, the wife of Vilasrao Deshmukh, along with their sons Amit, Riteish, and Dheeraj, family friend Ulhas Pawar, state Congress president Nana Patole, Congress Legislature Party leader Balasaheb Thorat, and Jayant Patil, the Maharashtra unit chief of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, attended the event.
Born on May 26, 1945, in Latur, Vilasrao Deshmukh was a two-time Chief Minister of Maharashtra and a former minister in the UPA government led by Dr. Manmohan Singh. He died on August 14, 2012.