Film personalities remember ‘creative genius’ and ‘brilliant’ Pritish Nandy

New Delhi, Jan 9 (PTI) Filmmakers Sudhir Mishra, Hansal Mehta, actors Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sayani Gupta, and Sanjay Dutt paid rich tributes to veteran journalist, poet and filmmaker Pritish Nandy, who died in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Nandy died after a cardiac arrest at his home in south Mumbai. He was 73.

As a film producer, Nandy backed films such as “Hazaaron Khwahishen Aisi”, “Kaante”, “Jhankaar Beats”, “Chameli”, “Shabd”, and “Pyaar Ke Side Effects”.

Mishra expressed gratitude towards Nandy for producing his acclaimed 2005 film “Hazaaron Khwahishen Aisi”.

“Pritish Nandy changed my life. Only he could make ‘Hazaaron Khwahishen Aisi’. He taught me so much. I am so sorry Pritish Da. I couldn’t come up with an idea for the sequel,” he wrote on X.

Mehta said his most personal work, the 2017 movie “Omerta”, had lost “one of its greatest patrons”. He revealed that it was Nandy who encouraged him to make Rajkummar Rao-starrer which was based on the life of British-Pakistani terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh.

“I remember when I first met him in 2005 I had shared the idea for ‘Omerta’. Let’s make it he said. When nobody had belief in me or my ideas Mr Pritish Nandy gave me the strength to dare, to dream and to tell stories that mattered to me – no matter what.

“He did not end up producing ‘Omerta’ eventually but I owe the film and a lot of my journey beginning from Shahid to him. We had the most delightful conversations, he was always candid with me and I always left his room very energized. So hard to believe that he is gone,” he posted on X.

Kareena, who received critical acclaim for her performance as a sex worker in “Chameli”, shared a picture from the set of the 2004 movie with an infinity symbol and a folded hands emoji as a caption.

Dutt said Nandy was “a true creative genius and a kind soul” who would be missed. The actor worked in “Kaante” and “Shabd”.

“Fierce. Fearless. Fine. Godspeed Pritish Uncle,” director Meghna Gulzar wrote on Instagram.

Anil Kapoor posted on X, “Shocked and heartbroken by the loss of my dear friend Pritish Nandy. A fearless editor, a brave soul, and a man of his word, he embodied integrity like no other.”

Nandy was the “youngest guy in the room, the most articulate and brilliant”, said Sayani Gupta, one of the lead actors of Prime Video series “Four More Shots Please!”, which is backed by Nandy’s banner Pritish Nandy Communications.

“Always smiling, always warm and with that glint in his eyes. He loved a good conversation. He loved Bong women. And I knew he loved me. He would always express his love & never shied away from appreciating the people around him. There are very few people who are this magnetic.

“An absolute stalwart. A true visionary. A rock star feminist who has created some of the most iconic women characters for cinema. I thought of him a lot when his very close friend Mr. Ratan Tata passed away recently. How he must be holding up. Cannot believe he left us so soon. The head of our family just left us. Hasn’t sunk in. I am grateful for his grace, wisdom & the moments spent under his light. A deep deep loss,” Gupta wrote in an Instagram post.

Bhumi Pednekar, who will next be seen in Netflix series “The Royals” produced by Nandy, described Nandy as a visionary that disrupted the ways in his time.

“Deeply saddened by the passing of Pritish Nandy sir. His vision shaped stories that touched millions, and I’m grateful to have been a part of a project he believed in,” Pednekar said in an Instagram post.

Actor-filmmaker Anupam Kher shared news of Nandy’s death on social media on Wednesday night.

Nandy was a Padma Shri recipient and a former Rajya Sabha member of the Shiv Sena. He was also an author with around 40 books of poetry in English to his credit.