Filmmaker Hrishikesh Mukherjee dead

Mumbai: Legendary filmmaker Hrishikesh Mukherjee, who had been battling ill health for two months, died on Sunday at central Mumbai's Leelavati Hospital.

He had been admitted two months ago and was reportedly on dialysis, hospital sources said. Mukherjee suffered from kidney failure.

Hrishikesh Mukherjee, a Dada Saheb Phalke recipient, was born in Kolkata on September 30, 1922. More popular as Hrishida, he was one of the most popular and beloved filmmakers in Indian cinema.

His magic lay not in the glamour or largeness so often associated with cinema, but in its simplicity and warmth.

He leaves behind three daughters and a son. His granddaughters Tapur and Tupur Chatterjee are well-known models.

Hrishida began his career in Bombay in 1951 as an editor and assistant director to Bimal Roy, another great director.

His first directorial venture, Musafir (1957), was all about an old house where three unrelated stories dealing with birth, marriage and death occur in a series. While the film was a disaster, director Raj Kapoor was impressed with the film and he later recommended Hrishida as a director for Anari (1959), which had Kapoor himself and Nutan on the star cast.

Other notable films of Hrishida include Anuradha (1960), Asli-Naqli (1962), Anupama (1966), Aashirwad (1968), and Satyakam (1969).

Anand (1970), a classic film that gives a complex but compassionate look at the balance between hope, fear, life and death.

The film also saw Rajesh Khanna's greatest performance ever as a terminally ill man who wishes to live life to the full before he dies, is considered Hrishida's masterpiece.

Hrishida went on to direct some memorable hits, including Guddi (1971), Abhimaan (1973) and Chupke Chupke (1975).

Jhooth Bole Kauwa Kaate in 1999, which starred Anil Kapoor and Juhi Chawla as the lead pair was Hrishida's last movie.