India, Aug. 22 -- Veteran Punjabi actor Jaswinder Bhalla, who passed away in Mohali on Friday, is fondly remembered by friends as a man who carried an extraordinary gift, the ability to keep his inner child alive even at the age of 65.

From Kaddon village near Doraha to the lecture halls of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, and later to Punjabi cinema where he became a household name, Bhalla lived many roles. Yet, his friends say the role he played best was staying true to himself - a man who never let his inner child fade.

Poet Gurbhajan Singh Gill, his close friend for over five decades, said this quality defined Bhalla both on and off the screen. "He had the rare innocence of a child combined with the wisdom of a man his age....