Saxena (81), who was suffering from cancer in the tongue and had been operated upon recently, died this morning, official sources said here.
He was awarded Padma Shri in year 2000. He had written the dialogues of many popular Hindi films, including Lagaan, Swades, Hulchul and Jodhaa Akbar, which was also nominated for Filmfare Award for Best Dialogue.
Governor B L Joshi, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and other senior political leaders have condoled the death of Saxena.