Veteran journalist, filmmaker, poet Pritish Nandy dies at 73

Mangalore Today News Network

Mumbai, January 9, 2025: Veteran journalist, poet, film producer and former Rajya Sabha MP Pritish Nandy died in Mumbai on Wednesday, just days shy of his 74th birthday on January 15.

Nandy, a Padma Shri awardee, died after a cardiac arrest at his home in south Mumbai and his last rites were performed in the evening, sources said.

Born in Bihar’s Bhagalpur in 1951, Nandy pioneered The Illustrated Weekly of India, revitalising its form and content, and hosted the hugely popular The Pritish Nandy Show on Doordarshan, with his 1985 interview of singer Kishore Kumar known for being one of the rare few that opened up the artist.

Remembering Nandy, media executive Raj Nayak said: “‘There are no favours among friends.’ That’s what Pritish Nandy told me when I reached out to him for help a couple of years ago. It wasn’t just a statement — it reflected the essence of who he was: a true friend, straightforward, and dependable. Pritish was more than a fearless journalist; he was a visionary who shaped an era with his bold ideas and unflinching voice.”

He added, “For those of us who eagerly awaited The Illustrated Weekly of India during his time as editor, it wasn’t just a magazine — it was a lifeline to thought-provoking stories, fresh perspectives, and fearless commentary.”

Nandy spent nearly a decade at The Times of India in the 1980s and later founded a production company, Pritish Nandy Communications (PNC), which made films like Sur, Kaante, Jhankaar Beats, Chameli, Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi and Pyaar Ke Side Effects. PNC also produced the web series Four More Shots Please! and Modern Love Mumbai.

Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra posted on X, “Pritish Nandy changed my life. Only he could (produce) Hazaaron Khwahishen Aisi. He taught me so much. I am so sorry Pritish Da. I couldn’t come up with an idea for the sequel.”

Filmmaker Sharad Raj said, “After my marriage, when I came to Mumbai, I started working with him in 1992-93. Mr Nandy… used to do an interview series called Captains of Industry. He had his office at Maker’s Chambers at Nariman Point. He would fix up appointments with the whos who of the city… He was fearless and upfront. He never let down his team. Never hesitated to call a spade a spade.”

Actor Anupam Kher tweeted, “Deeply, deeply saddened and shocked to know about the demise of one of my dearest and closest friends Pritish Nandy… 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 will never forget when he surprised me by putting me on the cover of Filmfare and more importantly The Illustrated Weekly. He was the true definition of yaaron ka yaar!”

Nandy was also known for his poetry, winning the Padma Shri for his contribution to literature in 1977. Nandy wrote around 40 books of poetry in English and translated poems from Bengali, Urdu and Punjabi into English.

Nandy received the EM Forster Literary Award, the UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Award, the International Association Award from the Humane Society of the United States, the Friends of Liberation War Honour from Bangladesh, and hundreds of award nominations for the films PNC has produced, from all over the world, said the company’s website.

Though he spent much of his latter life in Mumbai, he dedicated one of his most popular poems, Calcutta If You Must Exile Me, to the city he used to live in.

Writer Ashwin Sanghi tweeted, “Deeply saddened to hear about the demise of Pritish Nandy. When I had just published my first book (The Rozabal Line) in 2008, he called to say how he loved the story (we didn’t know each other then). He helped me launch that first book officially. Through the years, he would always send me feedback on each title I published.”

Advertising filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar said, “(Pritish and I) were like peas in a pod. He was frank and fearless, and as a journalist, one of a kind. In today’s time if he was still active he’d be in jail… He wasn’t one to mince words or be politically correct to get ahead, or for his own benefit.”