Veteran journalist, adman, filmmaker Pritish Nandy died of a cardiac arrest at 73 in his Mumbai house on January 8. The last rites were performed last evening. Pritish Nandy’s dear friend Anupam Kher was among the firsts who shared the heartbreaking news on his social media feed.
Kareena Kapoor, who acted in Pritish Nandy’s production Chameli (2004), remembered him with an emotional post. Kareena shared a throwback picture with the producer from the sets of the film. She shared a folded hand emoji and a heart emoji along with it.
Director Hansal Mehta also remembered him with endearing words. He wrote, “Sad, sad news. My most personal work has lost one of its greatest patrons. You lived well Mr Nandy. Will miss you terribly. Deepest condolences to the entire family.”
“I remember when I first met him in 2005 I had shared the idea for Omerta. 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 Omerta 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. The past tense just isn’t for men like him,” recalled the director.
Sayani Gupta, who worked in Pritish Nandy’s Amazon Prime original Four More Shots Please!, called him “The youngest guy” on the set. Sharing fun-filled pictures from the set, Sayani wrote, “The youngest guy in the room, the most articulate and brilliant. Always smiling, always warm and with that glint in his eyes. He loved a good conversation. He loved Bong women. And I knew he loved me. He would always express his love & never shied away from appreciating the people around him. There are very few people who are this magnetic.”
“An absolute stalwart. A true visionary. A rock star feminist who has created some of the most iconic women characters for cinema,” Sayani added.
She signed off the post with these words, “I thought of him a lot when his very close friend Mr. Ratan Tata passed away recently. How he must be holding up. Cannot believe he left us so soon.The head of our family just left us. Hasn’t sunk in.I am grateful for his grace, wisdom & the moments spent under his light. A deep deep loss.”
The Sky Is Pink director Shonali Bose also remembered him. “Pritish da – I am utterly shocked and heartbroken that you left so suddenly. We were just to meet for the release of our Ziddi Girls. You were the BEST producer – so warm and supportive. I had to just pick up the phone on you and you gave me what I needed.”
“One of the most thrilling moments in my life was when you called after watching the Raatrani edit and you said – it’s “Ashadhoron”. (Outstanding). I will miss you dearly. You have left an IMMENSE legacy. I’m so grateful for my time with you and the work we did together – Modern Love Mumbai and Ziddi Girls. Gone too soon,” she wrote.
Pritish Nandy wore many hats. He wrote around 40 books of poetry in English and translated poems from Bengali, Urdu, and Punjabi into English.
Films like Sur, Kaante, Jhankaar Beats, Chameli, Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, and Pyaar Ke Side Effects were made by his company, Pritish Nandy Communications.
