The year has begun on a rather sombre note for tellywallas as one of their brethren, Vishal Thakkar, has been missing since January 1.

Our readers would remember the actor from Munnabhai MBBS and also from his recent controversy.

The actor was accused of ‘rape’ by his alleged girlfriend who had even lodged a police complaint against him. 

However, the warring couple sorted out their issues and the complaint was also withdrawn. But unfortunately, the damage was done as Vishal went into depression over the accusations. 

He was also frustrated about seeing his name being dragged into search engines alongside the word ‘rape’. Moreover, Vishal was not getting work assignments due to this controversy.  

The actor apparently left home on December 31, 2015 to watch a movie with his girlfriend, and never returned home. 

His mother, Durga Thakkar, told a website, “Yes, Vishal is missing since the 1^st. He has been in depression ever since he was tagged as a rapist. I registered a police case on the 6^th but the police are unable to track Vishal as his phone is switched off."

We hope the actor is safe and returns home soon.