Veteran producer-director-actor Dheeraj Kumar passed away today (15th July) at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Bombay due to pneumonia. He was 78. He had been admitted to the hospital a couple of days back following breathing trouble and had been put on ventilator support in the ICU.
Dheeraj Kumar acted in a few Hindi and many Punjabi films and also acted in many television serials. He later started his own production house, Creative Eye, which went on to produce a number of successful TV serials, mostly mythological and spiritual ones, like Om Namah Shivay, Shree Ganesh and Jai Santoshi Maa. He also made serials like Ghar Ki Laxmi Betiyan, Adalat, Apradh, Kahan Gaye Woh Log, Ye Pyar Na Hoga Kam and Ishq Subhan Allah. Among the Hindi films he worked in are Swami, Heera Panna, Roti Kapada Aur Makaan and his debut film, Raaton Ka Raja, produced by your editor’s father, Ramraj Nahta, and paternal uncle, Amrit Nahata. Among his Punjabi hits are Daaj and Fauji Chacha.
Dheeraj Kumar was a finalist in the Filmfare United Producers talent contest. In a recent interview, Dheeraj had said, “Three people emerged from that contest. Rajesh Khanna went on to become a superstar. Subhash Ghai became a super-director. The third was Purushottam, me.”
Dheeraj Kochar was a humble person, ever-smiling and meeting everyone with the same trademark warmth.
Dheeraj Kumar’s body will be kept at his residence — at 302/402, Oberoi Complex, opposite Laxmi Industrial Estate, New Link Road, SAB TV Lane, Andheri West, Bombay-53 — for darshan tomorrow (16th) from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. The cremation will take place at 12 noon at Pawan Hans crematorium.