Eminent writer, playwright, director and producer Sagar Sarhadi – who was part of several Bollywood superhits - passed away in Mumbai late on Sunday night. He was 88.
A resident of Sion in Mumbai, he was suffering from age-related ailments.
“He wasn't keeping well for some time and had even stopped eating. He passed away peacefully," his nephew and filmmaker Ramesh Talwar said.
“It is a big loss to the film industry,” said filmmaker Ashoke Pandit, the President of Indian Film & TV Directors' Association.
Sarhadi shot to fame with 'Kabhie Kabhie,' a 1976 Indian musical romantic drama film produced and directed by Yash Chopra and written by Pamela Chopra starring an ensemble cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Raakhee, Waheeda Rehman, Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh. Sarhadi wrote the screenplay of the family.
With Pamela Chopra, he co-wrote Silsila (1981) starring Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bhaduri and Rekha;
He went on to write for films including Noorie (1979); Chandni (1989) starring Rishi Kapoor, Sridevi and Vinod Khanna; Faasle starring Sunil Dutt, Rekha, Farooq Shaikh and Deepti Naval; Rang (1993) starring Kamal Sadanah and Divya Bharti and directed by Talat Jani; Anubhav starring Sanjeev Kumar and Tanuja and directed by Basu Bhattacharya; and Zindagi (1976).
“Yes…Sagar Sarhadi is no more,” his friend and film critic Rafique Baghdadi said.
“We will miss a wonderful down-to-earth human being,” tweeted peace activist Jatin Desai. Filmmaker, writer Javed Akhtar also condoled his death.