The poor man’s Rajesh Khanna actor Navin Nischol breathed his last on Saturday morning. Nischol, 65, was travelling to Pune when he felt restless at Sion and a few minutes later he was no more. He had made his debut with Saawan Bhadon in 1970. His last release was Break ke Baad.

Bollywood actors paid their respects on micro-blogging site Twitter.

Navin Nischol was a good man. Aloof but helpful. We shared some nice moments during 'Khosla ka Ghosla'. Sad he is no more. RIP, veteran star Anupam Kher posted.

Former beauty queen-turned-actress Diya Mirza, who shared screen space with Nischol once, wrote: Actor Navin Nischol played my father in 'Rehna Hain Tere Dil Mein'... Saddened by the news of his demise... RIP.

A gold medallist from FTII, Nischol became a popular actor with hits like Buddha Mila Gaya, Dhund, Victoria No. 203, Hanste Zakhm and Woh Main Nahin. More than his acting, Nischol became popular for his chocolate-boy looks and for songs, which included popular hits like Kaan mein jhumka (Sawan Bhadon), Raat kali jab khwab mein aayi (Buddha Mil Gaya), Simti si sharmaisi (Parwana) and Tum jo mil gaye ho (Hanste Zakhm).

Nischol made a successful debut with 'Sawan Bhadon' in 1970 and went on to feature in several films like 'Victoria No.203', 'Dhund', 'Chhalia', 'Parwana', 'Buddha Mil Gaya', and later as character actor in 'Major Saab', 'Khosla Ka Ghosla', among others.

He was well respected in the industry.

Very sad to hear of the passing of Mr. Navin Nischol. may his soul rest in peace. he will be missed (sic), posted Abhishek Bachchan.

National award winning filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar wrote: Sad to hear about the demise of Navin Nischol. Very good actor & a gr8 human being. The industry will miss him. May his soul rest in peace.

Actor Ashish Chowdhry said: Mum had the biggest crush ever on Navin Nischol. Dad and her had the cutest quarrels over it. We'll all miss him so much. Bless his handsome soul.

From 1980 onwards, however, Nischol started playing character roles with films such as Saboot, Teri Baahon Mein and Samundar. His career was on the downslide. He was also one of the first film actors along with Shekhar Suman to join television. He worked in quite a few television serials, including Anand Mahendroo's Dekh Bhai Dekh.