Veteran filmmaker Harish Shah dies at 76 of throat cancer

Veteran filmmaker Harish Shah, best known for producing Rajesh Khanna-Tanuja starrer Mere Jeevan Saathi, passed away on Tuesday after a long battle with throat cancer. He was 76. According to his brother, Vinod Shah, the filmmaker breathed his last at 6 am at his residence in Mumbai. 

"He was battling throat cancer for 10 years and passed away in the morning today," Vinod Shah told PTI. The last rites of the producer were held at Vile Parle crematorium on Tuesday afternoon. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the funeral was attended only by close family members. 

After backing romance drama Meere Jeevan Saathi in 1972, Harish Shah produced movies like Kaala Sona, the 1975 Indian Westerner featuring Feroz Khan and Parveen Babi, and Ram Tere Kitne Naam, the 1985 drama starring Sanjeev Kumar and Rekha. In 1980, he turned director with Rishi and Neetu Kapoor-starrer Dhan Daulat. 

Harish Shah also directed Dharmendra and Shatrughan Sinha's 1988 action-drama Zalzala and 1995 film Ab Insaaf Hoga, featuring Rekha and Mithun Chakraborty. Sunny Deol and Tabu-led 2003 action thriller Jaal: The Trap was one of the last films he backed. 

Reactions

Producer/Director Harish Shah passes on. Pancham's close buddy, he teamed up with RD to give musical hits like Mere Jeevansathi, Dhandaulat, Kaala Sona etc. Though he couldn't attend the show due to illness, we had the fortune to meet him at his residence. Om Shanti, Harish ji! pic.twitter.com/2TpUt6TCCq

— Panchammagic Pune (@panchammagic)

 

@aapkadharam Uncle We Lost PapaPremNathji's Film DhanDaulat & Your Film ZalZala Maker #HarishShah
Om Shanti Om 🌹🙏 pic.twitter.com/c9IvXRl1Zc

— MONTYPREMNATH (@monty_nath)

 

एक हम क्या हैं, इस धुन के दीवाने सभी

Heard the news of demise of Harish Shah today, who always trusted Pancham for music in his film

Here is one of the very beautiful creation of #Pancham da from #DhanDaulat #Asha #KishoreKumar #Majrooh

A small note of tribute#RIP HarishShah pic.twitter.com/Qxmdg4xUH8

— Pavan Jha (@p1j)

 

and here is a beautiful memory of Harish Shah and Pancham shared by friend Gaurav Sharma

Harish Shah #RIP pic.twitter.com/XVBCRQpnrS

— Pavan Jha (@p1j)

 

RIP, Harish Shah

Jeena Kya Aji Pyaar Bina from Shah's Dhan Daulat (1980) is one of my fav Pancham songs

Shah also produced Ravikant Nagaich's scintillating Western, Kaala Sona (1975) pic.twitter.com/RPI284SjOf

— Love of Cinema (@loveofcinemasf8)

(with PTI inputs)