Anupam Kher remembers veteran producer Pahlaj Nihalani: 'Your affection, laughter and love will always be with me'

Legendary actor Anupam Kher paid an emotional tribute to veteran film producer Pahlaj Nihalani following his demise remembering him as a kind generous and genuine person who played a significant role in his career and stood by him during difficult timesTaking to Instagram Kher shared a heartfelt note along with a video message expressing his grief over Nihalanis passingView this post on InstagramA post shared by Anupam Kher anupampkherIn his caption Kher wrote The news of Pahlaj Nihalani jis passing has left a strange emptiness in my heart I worked with him in several films and every experience with him was a pleasant one During the shooting of Shola Aur Shabnam we not only made a good film but also created countless memories Pahlaj ji was an excellent producer but more importantly he was an excellent human beingHe was cheerful generous at heart and had genuine affection for people Sitting with him talking to him and laughing with him always felt natural and warm There are very few people in the film industry who are remembered more for their behaviour than their work Pahlaj ji was one of them Today as I remember him his smiling face keeps appearing before my eyes Pahlaj ji you will be deeply missed Your warmth laughter and affection will always stay with me May God grant peace to your soul My deepest condolences to his family he addedIn the video Kher recalled speaking to Nihalani just a week ago after receiving a message from himI just got to know about Pahlaj Nihalani ji and I feel very sad He played a very big role in my career I have done many films with him In fact just a week ago I received a message from him asking How are you Anupam ji After many months I got a message from him Whenever he saw something good he would send a message Kher saidThe actor revealed that he immediately called Nihalani after receiving the message and learned that he was hospitalisedI had an intuition and called him I asked Pahlaj ji where are you I want to meet you He said I am in the hospital right now but I will be discharged tomorrow and go home I told him I wanted to come and meet him I dont know why but when I heard his voice he sounded weak and a little sad Kher saidAccording to Kher Nihalani asked him to visit once he felt betterHe said Let me recover a little and then you can come I told him I would visit the following week And today I got to know that he is no longer with us he addedRemembering Nihalanis support during challenging phases of his life Kher said He was a very kind man a very genuine person He once helped me in my difficult times He was generous and very realThe actor also reflected on the fleeting nature of fame in the entertainment industryUnfortunately people are in the limelight for some time and this world has a habit of forgetting those who are no longer in the spotlight Thats the unfortunate part of this profession You either get old or you get forgotten But people whose lives Pahlaj ji touched will never forget him including me kher saidKher said he would always remember Nihalanis goodness and generosity and fondly recalled the friendship they developed during the making of Shola Aur Shabnam and several other filmsHe would often joke with me and say Anupam ji you make people laugh even in real life I wish I had gone to the hospital that day to make him laugh and to make him feel that there are people who care for him and love him Kher said emotionallyExtending condolences to Nihalanis family fans and friends Kher concluded I am sad Pahlaj ji thank you for being the person that you were On one side a young child is loudly talking about life and on the other you are no longer here But thats life Love youVeteran film producer and former Central Board of Film Certification CBFC chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani was cremated in Mumbai on Thursday with several members of the film fraternity gathering to pay their final respectsNihalani passed away on Thursday June 4 at the age of 76Several prominent personalities from the Hindi film industry attended the cremation ceremony to bid farewell to the veteran producer Actor Saif Ali Khan Govinda filmmaker David Dhawan and his son Rohit Dhawan producer Boney Kapoor producer Bunty Walia actorpolitician Shatrughan Sinha Poonam Sinha Gaurav Kapoor and filmmaker Sunil Darshan were among those who arrived at the Santacruz crematoriumA wellknown name in the Hindi film industry Nihalani was associated with several successful commercial films over the years He produced popular movies such as Ilzaam Shola Aur Shabnam Aankhen and Andaz Nihalani began his journey as a film producer in the early 1980s His first production venture Haathkadi was released in 1982 followed by AandhiToofan in 1985Apart from his contributions as a producer Nihalani also served as the chairperson of the CBFC and remained an influential figure in the Indian film industry for decadesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or 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