Writer, filmmaker Pritish Nandy passes away at 73, tributes pour in

He died after a cardiac arrest at his home in south Mumbai and his last rites were performed in the evening, according to media reports

Veteran poet, filmmaker, writer and journalist Pritish Nandy passed away on Wednesday, at the age of 73 at his South Mumbai residence.  According to media reports, he died after a cardiac arrest and his last rites were performed in the evening.

 

Announcing his demise, actor Anupam Kher said in a post on Instagram, "Deeply deeply saddened and shocked to know about the demise of one of my dearest and closest friends #PritishNandy! Amazing poet, writer, filmmaker and a brave and unique editor/journalist!" Kher wrote.   

"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 learnt so many things from him. Off-late we didn't meet much. But there was a time when we were inseparable! I will never forget when he surprised me by putting me on the cover of Filmfare and more importantly The Illustrated Weekly (magazines edited by Nandy)," Kher added.  "Deeply saddened to hear about the loss of Mr. Pritish Nandy. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and loved ones. May his memory be a blessing and may you find strength in this difficult time. Rest in peace, sir," wrote actor Neil Nitin Mukesh.  "Shocked and saddened to hear of @PritishNandy Sir's demise! He was a maverick and wore his many hats with elan! He put so many talented people on the map in the movie business! Thank you, and farewell, Sir! RIP," said another actor Ranvir Shorey in his condolence message. 

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta took to X to express condolences. "I remember when I first met him in 2005 I had shared the idea for Omertà. 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 Omertà 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 wrote.

 Suhel Seth paid tribute to Nandy on social media. "Deeply deeply saddened at the passing on of my dear friend @PritishNandy : we used to often engage in harmless (and humorous) banter on Twitter. Travel well Pritish...," wrote Seth on X. 

Pritish Nandy was not only a distinguished film producer but also an acclaimed writer who received several prestigious awards throughout his lifetime including Padma Shri (1977), KarmaVeer Puraskaar (2008), International Humanitarian Award (2012), among others. Nandy was also a former Rajya Sabha member of the Shiv Sena and an animal rights advocate. He wrote around 40 books of poetry in English and translated poems from Bengali, Urdu, and Punjabi into English.