Veteran Filmmaker, Journalist Pritish Nandy Dies At 73: Report

Veteran journalist, poet and filmmaker Pritish Nandy died in Mumbai on Wednesday, sources close to him told news agency PTI.

The 73-year-old veteran journalist died after a cardiac arrest at his home in Mumbai. His last rites were performed in the evening, officials said.

Veteran actor and Pritish Nandy's friend Anupam Kher paid tributes to him In a social media post

"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!" Anupam Kher wrote on social media platform X.

"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," Mr Kher added.

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! He was my support system and a great source of strength in my initial days in Mumbai. We… pic.twitter.com/QYshTlFNd2

— Anupam Kher (@AnupamPKher) January 8, 2025

Journalist Sheela Bhatt also took to X to pay a tribute to Pritish Nandy. "PritishNandy, poet, editor, film producer and more is no more. He died today in Mumbai due to heart attack. He was a game changer. He injected tremendous energy into staid magazine journalism of early 80s. When he edited Illustrated Weekly of India we were awestruck. Daring subjects, bold letters, catchy titles and big size photographs attracted young readers, said Sheela Bhatt .

Pritish lived life at his own terms. Before dying he gave exact instructions to his daughters what all they should do. Pritish remains unrivalled . Remembering, Pritish , your interview with legendary singer Kishor Kumar and many other stories. Deepest condolences to his family and friends. RIP, Pritish," she added.

@PritishNandy, poet, editor, film producer and more is no more.
He died today in Mumbai due to heart attack.
He was a game changer.
He injected tremendous energy into staid magazine journalism of early 80s. When he edited Illustrated Weekly of India we were awestruck.
Daring… pic.twitter.com/AgJsFgNuvz

— Sheela Bhatt शीला भट्ट (@sheela2010) January 8, 2025

Pritish Nandy was a former Rajya Sabha member of the Shiv Sena and also an animal rights advocate.

Iconic films like 'Sur', 'Kaante', 'Jhankaar Beats', 'Chameli', 'Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi', and 'Pyaar Ke Side Effects' were made by his company, Pritish Nandy Communications.Pritish Nandy wrote around 40 books of poetry in English and translated poems from Bengali, Urdu, and Punjabi into English.