Hindi cinema lost a legendary figure in the form of a veteran producer and former CBFC chairman Pahlaj Nihalani He passed away on June 4, aged 76, after a long battle with illness. In a career spanning over four decades, he left an indelible mark on Bollywood with hit productions like ‘Ilzaam’ (1986), ‘Shola Aur Shabnam’ (1992) and ‘Aankhen’ (1993). It also played a key role in shaping careers Govinda and Chunky Panday, both of whom paid heartfelt tributes to the man who gave them some of the most memorable opportunities.
Chunky Panday recalls how Pahlaj Nihalani started his career
Speaking to Variety India, Chunky said, “I met him for the first time in the bathroom of the Holiday Inn hotel in Juhu. I introduced myself and told him I was trying to get into films. And so, that night, my career began, ‘Meet me tomorrow.’ I’ll put you in a movie.” I owe my career to Pahlaji and Govinda because Govinda was busy then. He did Aankhen, and he did David, Govinda, Anees (Bazmee) and me. And he made Pahlaj the first producer. He decided that he wanted to make and release the film in six months.’He further added, “Everything else about the film kept changing, but the four of us – Govinda, me, David and Anees – remained constant. He wanted to release the film on a certain day, and he did. I would call him the creator because he was involved and paid attention to every little detail. He started his career as a distributor and so I learned a lot from the production. We would talk at least once a month. The last time I met him was a week ago in the hospital. I sat next to him and we joked and laughed. I said, ‘Look, my kids are at the movies today too. And you are the one who started it all.’
Govinda calls Pahlaj Nihalani his cornerstone
Meanwhile, Govinda shared, “We have worked together a lot, from ‘Shola Aur Shabnam’ to ‘Rangeela Raja’. He was a father figure and he would act like that. I can’t process the news of his death. My brother, Kirti, rightly says that he is like our foundation stone. We started with a big contribution with him. No one had a contribution with him before his career. That influence Chahe log kitna bhi mere khilaf ho jaye, Pahlaji ke muh se tarif hi nikalti thi. It is a big loss not only for me but also for the whole industry”.
