TV actor Kavi Kumar Azad, best known for his role of Dr Hansraj Haathi in Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashma, passed away on Monday. His last rites took place on Tuesday afternoon. Kavi played the role of Dr Haathi on Taarak Mehta for almost eight years, having replaced actor Nirmal Soni, who played the role for a year since the show’s inception, in 2009. Apart from working on the small screen, Azad had also featured in a few films including Aamir Khan’s Mela and Funtoosh. He was an integral part of Taarak Mehta that has made it to the Guinness Book of World Records for ‘airing the highest number of episodes’ on television, both original and repeat. On June 28 this year, the cast and crew celebrated not the end of 2500 episodes but towards the show’s 5000th episode.