Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has expressed sorrow over the demise of actor Mac Mohan.

Mac Mohan, who is known for his role as 'Sambha' in the bockbuster "Sholay", died on Monday evening at a Mumbai hospital after battling with lung cancer.

He was 71 years old.

Big B describes Mac Mohan as a "soft-hearted gentle soul".

On his blog, Mr. Bachchan wrote, "There is sadness in declaring that Mac Mohan passed away. He was a soft-hearted gentle soul. His frail body defeated the strength of his character and his kind nature. A person of great care and concern for all."

In addition to Sholay, Mac Mohan worked with Amitabh in around 16 film including "Zanjeer", "Don", "Shaan" and "Satte Pe Satta".

"I worked with him in several films, films that can be identified as being some of the most memorable in my repertoire. Some of the roles he did were evil in nature, quite the opposite of his own personal demeanour. His laughter was full throated and free - a symbol of the free spirit he always depicted.

"He will be missed and remembered for many reasons, but perhaps the most for his reference in the film 'Sholay' as Samba...," he added.

Mac Mohan is survived by his wife Mini, two daughters Vinati and Manjiri and a son Vikrant.

Mac Mohan begun his film career with Chetan Anand's Haqeeqat and went on to work in about 200 movies. (With Inputs from Agencies)