Filmmaker Kuku Kohli, who launched Ajay Devgn with the 1991 hit Phool Aur Kaante, died in Mumbai on Tuesday after suffering a massive heart attack. He was 77.
Phool Aur Kaante director Kuku Kohli dies at 77
Kohli, a familiar name in Hindi cinema for several decades, had been admitted to Mumbai's Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital after feeling unwell a few days earlier.
His brother-in-law, Balraj Irani, confirmed the news to India Today, saying the filmmaker had undergone treatment for a blockage and had a stent fitted on Monday.
He said Kohli appeared to be recovering before his condition suddenly deteriorated on Tuesday evening.
Balraj Irani said, "He was absolutely fine and then today evening he suffered a massive heart attack. He was talking to us and just collapsed."
Kohli is best remembered for directing Phool Aur Kaante, the 1991 action drama that marked Ajay Devgn's screen debut and gave the actor one of the most memorable introductions of the era.
The film's opening sequence, featuring Devgn balancing between two moving motorcycles, went on to become closely associated with the actor's arrival in Hindi cinema. Over the years, Kohli directed several films and worked with a number of prominent names in the industry.
However, Phool Aur Kaante remained his best-known work, both for its commercial success and for introducing Devgn, who would go on to become one of Bollywood's leading actors.
Kohli is survived by his wife, actor Aruna Irani, and two daughters from his previous marriage.
His funeral is scheduled to be held on Thursday at the Oshiwara crematorium in Mumbai, where family members and members of the film industry are expected to gather to pay their final respects.
