Agencies | Mumbai:
Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has expressed grief over the demise of filmmaker Kuku Kohli, who passed away at the age of 77 on Tuesday.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday, Salman paid tribute to the veteran director and offered condolences to his wife, actor Aruna Irani.
“Rest in peace, Kuki ji. Aruna ji, my heart goes out to u. May God give u strength,” Salman wrote.
Kohli’s final rites were held at the Oshiwara Crematorium in Mumbai on Wednesday, where several prominent personalities from the Hindi film industry gathered to pay their last respects.
Among those who attended the funeral were Vicky Kaushal, Katrina Kaif, Sham Kaushal, filmmaker Rohit Shetty, Raja Murad, Tinu Anand, Javed Akhtar, Shabana Azmi, Rajpal Yadav, Ashoke Pandit and Gajendra Chauhan. The attendees appeared visibly sombre as they paid their respects before leaving the venue.
Kohli’s wife, veteran actor Aruna Irani, arrived at the crematorium accompanied by family members. She appeared deeply affected by the loss of her husband.
Actor Ajay Devgn, who made his debut as a leading man with Kohli’s Phool Aur Kaante in 1991, also remembered the filmmaker and credited him with playing a defining role in the early stages of his career.
Sharing a photograph of Kohli on social media, Devgn wrote: “Some people change the course of your life forever. Kuku ji was one of those people for me. Forever grateful for the faith you had in me. You will be deeply missed, Kuku ji. Om Shanti.”
Phool Aur Kaante marked Devgn’s arrival as a leading actor in Hindi cinema and went on to become a commercial success. The film’s iconic opening sequence, in which Devgn is seen balancing between two moving motorcycles, became one of the most memorable introductions of a Bollywood star.
Kohli’s association with Devgn continued through several films, making the filmmaker an important figure in the actor’s early career.
Kuku Kohli was known for films including Phool Aur Kaante, Suhaag, Haqeeqat and Anari No. 1. His work during the 1990s and early 2000s established him as a filmmaker associated with mainstream Hindi cinema and commercially successful entertainers.
His death has prompted an outpouring of tributes from members of the film fraternity, many of whom remembered his contribution to the careers of actors and his place in Bollywood’s popular cinema.
The filmmaker’s passing marks the end of a career spanning several decades, while his films and association with some of Hindi cinema’s leading stars continue to remain part of his enduring legacy.
