"The Indian film industry has lost a visionary filmmaker."
On August 25, 2026, Kuku Kohli, a prolific Bollywood director, passed away, due to a heart attack. He was 77 years old.
Kohli was as an assistant director on the sets of Betaab (1983), which was the debut film of Sunny Deol.
In 1991, he made his debut as a filmmaker with Phool Aur Kaante. This film marked the acting debut of Ajay Devgn.
Phool Aur Kaante was a phenomenal success and paved the path for a praiseworthy career for Kuku Kohli.
Kohli went on to make riveting action cinema in the 1990s.
In 1994, his film, Suhaag, which starred Ajay Devgn and Akshay Kumar, clashed with Andaaz Apna Apna.
Despite the latter featuring the more popular Aamir Khan and Salman Khan, Suhaag emerged victorious at the box office.
Following his death, Kohli’s friend, Ashoke Pandit said: “I don’t know how to react because I was very close to him.
“I can never imagine that he’ll get a heart attack and die.
“He was healthy. He was food conscious, and was physically very fit.
“This man was always smiling, laughing and full of positive energy.
“I’ve never seen him sad. Being sad was not written in his life.
“Apart from being a great technician who launched Ajay Devgn, he has a legacy.
“He worked with Raj Kapoor for the longest time; he was an assistant director.
“He was a great filmmaker, great thinker, great technician, and a great human being.
“I also had a working relationship with him as he was also the General Secretary of IFTDA and IMPPA.
“During the IFTDA days, we used to meet quite often. He never said no to anything.
“In any situation, he was always there to help.
“He was also very active with his old age home in Lonavala. A socially committed person.”
Users also paid tribute to him on X.
One of them said: “I really liked his masala movies that were full-on entertainers.
“He surprisingly stopped making movies in the new millennium, though would have liked to see him make more films.”
Another added: “The Indian film industry has lost a visionary filmmaker.
“Veteran director-producer Kuku Kohli has passed away at Kokilaben Hospital, Mumbai.
“He launched Ajay Devgn in the iconic Phool Aur Kaante and also gave Rohit Shetty his early experience as an assistant.”
In 1990, Kuku Kohli married the veteran actress Aruna Irani. They had two children.
His final film was Woh Tera Naam Tha, starring Arjan Bajwa, Kanchi Kaul, and Amrish Puri.
