Raj Kaushal, who directed over 400 ads & 'Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi', passes away; B-town offers condolences to Mandira Bedi

Ad film-maker and Raj Kaushal, who also helmed three successful Bollywood film ventures including the musical 'Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi', passed away early on Wednesday morning following a heart attack. Kaushal, who was married to actress and TV presenter Mandira Bedi, was in his mid-50s.

Actor Rohit Roy, who has starred with Bedi in the '90s hit series 'Shanti' and is friends with the couple, was one of the first ones to confirm the news to news agency PTI saying, "He passed away today morning, at around 4.30 am at his home. He had a heart attack."

Kaushal's last rites were held at Shivaji Park crematorium in Dadar. Close friends from the industry including actors Ronit Roy, Sameer Soni, Ashish Chowdhry, and Dino Morea were among those present.

Kaushal, who started off as a copywriter, had assisted directors Mukul S Anand and Subhash Ghai in the early years of his career. In 1998, he went on to set up his own production house called Fuel, and had since directed over 400 commercials for leading brands including Hero Honda, Birla Plus, Nestle, Surf and Rin among others.

He donned the directorial hat for Bollywood ventures like 'Shaadi Ka Laddoo', 'Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi' and 'Anthony Kaun Hai' which was his last big screen outing. He also produced film-maker Onir's 2005 acclaimed drama 'My Brother… Nikhil', starring Sanjay Suri and Juhi Chawla.

Onir was one of the first to mourn Kaushal's loss on Twitter, saying, "Gone too soon. We lost film maker and producer @rajkaushal1 this morning. Very Sad. He was one of the producers of my first film #MyBrotherNikhil.

"One of those few who believed in our vision and supported us. Prayers for his soul," he tweeted.

Arshad Warsi, who starred in Kaushal's last directorial outing - the 2006 thriller, 'Anthony Kaun Hai?', remembered his "dear friend" and their long association.

"Today I lost a very dear friend, my condolences to his family. Known Raj Kaushal, for years, done a film with him, enjoyed every minute of his company. I have never seen a frown on his face, he was always smiling, always there if you needed him…will miss you brother… RIP," Warsi wrote.

Neha Dhupia shared a picture taken with Kaushal on Sunday. The picture, which was also his last post on Instagram, is from a get-together with friends from the industry, including Dhupia, actors Angad Bedi, Chowdhry, Sagarika Ghatge and former cricketer Zaheer Khan.

"Raj, we took this picture to create more and more memories... Can't believe you are not with us anymore... Mandira, my strong strong girl, I am at a loss of words. My heart belongs to Vir and Tara... I'm shaken up and in shock and disbelief as I write this, RIP Raj," Dhupia wrote alongside the picture.

Actors Boman Irani, and Divya Dutta - who worked with Kaushal in the 2004 comedy 'Shaadi Ka Laddoo', also paid tribute on social media. Rahul Dev remembered him as "one hell of a nice guy." The world of television also remembered the producer-director.