Actor Asif Basra, known for starring in movies such as Jab We Met, Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai and Kai Po Che! died on Thursday here, the police said. He was 53.

The actor was found hanging in a private complex here by the police and a team of forensic experts is on the spot, said SSP Kangra Vimukt Ranjan.

"He hanged himself around 12-12.30 today. We are investigating the matter. We have sent the body for post-mortem... Prima facie it is a case of suicide," he told reporters.

The police are investigating the case and further details are awaited, Ranjan added.

It is being reported that the actor had a property on lease for the past five-six years in McLeodganj, Upper Dharamshala, and used to visit the place regularly.

"What? This is too shocking!! Shot with him just before Lockdown!!! Oh My God!!!" tweeted actor Manoj Bajpayee.

"Asif Basra! Can't be true... This is just very, very sad," director Hansal Mehta said.

In his over two decade-long career, Basra played supporting parts in many critically-acclaimed features like Black Friday, Parzania and Outsourced.

Among his notable performances in Hindi cinema, Basra played a cunning stall owner in Imtiaz Ali's 2007 film Jab We Met, alongside the likes of Kareena Kapoor Khan and Shahid Kapoor.

He played the father of Emraan Hashmi's Shoaib Khan in Milan Luthria's Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010).

Basra most recently starred in Amazon Prime Video's smash-hit series Paatal Lok.