iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
Veteran Indian journalist and filmmaker Pritish Nandy passed away due to cardiac arrest on Wednesday, Jan 8 at his residence in Mumbai. He was 73.
The news was confirmed by veteran actor Anupam Kher, who shared a note in memory of the late director on X and two monochromatic images of the late director from decades apart. Anupam wrote, “I am deeply saddened and shocked to learn about the demise of one of my dearest and closest friends, #PritishNandy! Amazing poet, writer, filmmaker, and brave and unique editor/journalist. He was my support system and a great source of strength in my initial days in Mumbai.”
“We shared lots of things in common. He was also one of the most fearless people I had come across. Always Larger than life. I learned so many things from him. Off-late we didn’t meet often. But there was a time when we were inseparable! I will never forget when he surprised me by putting me on the cover of a magazine and more importantly #TheIllustratedWeekly. He was the true definition of yaaron ka yaar! I will miss you and our times together my friend. Rest well. #HeartBroken,” he added.
People from all walks of life from actor Sanjay Dutt to writer Ashwin Sanghi to academic Amitabh Matttoo mourned the death of Nandy, a multi-faceted personality – a painter, a poet, and a producer. He also served as a member of the Rajya Sabha, representing Maharashtra. He was elected as part of the then-united Shiv Sena.
Nandy was born in Bhagalpur in Bihar to a Bengali family and identified himself as an agnostic. His brother was renowned academic Ashis Nandy. Nandy often wrote with empathy for the young Naxalites who were killed for the cause they believed in, including in a poem titled, ‘Calcutta if you must exile me.’ Later he shifted to Mumbai and was associated with a number of top media outlets like The Times of India, The Illustrated Weekly of India, Filmfare, and Femina.
He authored forty books of poetry in English and has translated poems by other writers from Bengali, Urdu, and Punjabi into English as well as a new version of the Isha Upanishad. Apart from these, he authored books of stories and non-fiction as well as three books of translations of classical love poetry from Sanskrit. He has held six exhibitions of his paintings and calligraphy.
Nandy also hosted a popular talk show, ‘The Pritish Nandy Show’, on Doordarshan in the 1990s, where he interviewed several celebrities. As a film producer, Nandy made a significant impact in the early 2000s with films like ‘Kaante’, ‘Jhankaar Beats’, ‘Chameli’, and ‘Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi’. He also produced web series ‘Four More Shots Please!’ and anthology series ‘Modern Love Mumbai’ under his banner, Pritish Nandy Communications.