The undisputed king of Bollywood?s baddies, Amrish Puri, died yesterday at the age of 72 after a long illness, a hospital spokesman said in India?s film capital. Famous for his role as underworld don Mogambo in the 1989 movie ?Mr India?, Puri slipped into a coma after a blood clot in his brain.

The man everyone loved to hate was one of the first Bollywood stars to successfully cross into Hollywood ? he played bad guy Mola Ram in Steven Speilberg?s ?Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom?. Puri shaved his head for the role and it created such an impression that he kept his head shaved thereafter. He became one of the most popular villians in Hindi cinema, usually playing the evil gang leader or unyielding father of the heroine, occasionally with a slick comic touch.

Born on June 22, 1932, Puri did not make his film debut until he was almost 40 with the 1971 film ?Reshma aur Shera? (Reshma and Shera), a Romeo and Juliet-style love story set in the desert of India?s Rajasthan. He made more than 200 other movies, but was rejected early in his career whenever he tried auditioning to play a hero. Along with his two siblings - elder brother Madan Puri and younger brother Om Puri - Amrish Puri left a mark in Hindi cinema.