Salman Khan mourns Kuku Kohli's death, sends strength to his wife Aruna Irani: ‘My heart goes out to you’

Veteran Bollywood filmmaker Kuku Kohli died following a massive heart attack on Tuesday, August 25. He was 77. Several members of the film fraternity, including Rajpal Yadav , Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal, attended his funeral on Wednesday to pay their final respects. Bollywood superstar Salman Khan also mourned the veteran filmmaker’s demise and extended his condolences to the bereaved family.

On Wednesday, Salman took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express his grief over Kuku Kohli’s death. He wrote, "Rest in peace Kuki ji , Aruna ji, my heart goes out to you. May God give u strength." Kuku is survived by his wife, actor Aruna Irani. He also has two children, Pooja and Karishma, from his first marriage to Rita Kohli.

The late filmmaker launched Ajay Devgn’s career with Phool Aur Kaante. Ajay paid tribute to the director on social media, recalling the faith Kohli placed in him during the early stages of his career. He wrote on X, "Some people change the course of your life forever. Kuku ji was one of those people for me. Forever grateful for the faith you had in me. You will be deeply missed, Kuku ji. Om Shanti".

Phool Aur Kaante, released in 1991, emerged as a major box-office success. Ajay went on to win the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut for the film. It also starred Madhoo, Aruna Irani, Jagdeep and Amrish Puri. The film established Ajay as an action star and helped shape his career over the next three decades.

Apart from Phool Aur Kaante, Kohli directed films including Kohraam, Suhaag, Anari No. 1, Haqeeqat and Yeh Dil Aashiqanaa, among others. His last directorial, Woh Tera Naam Tha, was released in 2004.

The late filmmaker had been admitted to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital on Monday, August 24, after he began feeling unwell. Balraj Irani, Aruna Irani’s brother, told India Today, “He (Kuku) was absolutely fine, and then this evening he suffered a massive heart attack. He was talking to us and just collapsed”. Despite doctors’ efforts to revive him, Kohli was declared dead at around 5 pm.

He was cremated around noon on Wednesday, August 26. His wife, veteran actor Aruna Irani, appeared emotional as she bid farewell to her husband alongside members of the Irani and Kohli families. Several people were seen assisting her as she made her way to the cremation.

Several Bollywood celebrities, including Rohit Shetty, Katrina Kaif, Vicky Kaushal, Sham Kaushal and Ashoke Pandit, attended the funeral to pay their final respects to the filmmaker.

Riya Sharma is a content producer at Hindustan Times who lives and breathes entertainment. If there’s gossip making noise in Bollywood or a reality show moment breaking the internet, chances are she’s already writing about it. She loves digging out the juiciest stories, spotting viral pegs and turning it into easy-to-read content. A journalism graduate from IP University, Riya began her career as a social media executive, where she learned the art of grabbing attention in a scroll-heavy world. But her love for showbiz soon pulled her into entertainment journalism, because for her, it’s always been entertainment, entertainment and more entertainment.