Veteran filmmaker Harish Shah dies at 76 of throat cancer

Veteran filmmaker Harish Shah, best known for producing Rajesh Khanna-Tanuja starrer Mere Jeevan Saathi, died on Tuesday after a long battle with throat cancer. He was 76.

Veteran filmmaker Harish Shah, best known for producing Rajesh Khanna-Tanuja starrer Mere Jeevan Saathi, died on Tuesday after a long battle with throat cancer. He was 76.

According to Harish Shah's brother, Vinod Shah, the filmmaker breathed his last at 6 am at his residence in Mumbai. "He was battling throat cancer for 10 years and passed away in the morning today," Vinod Shah told PTI. Last rites of the producer were held at Pawan Hans crematorium on Tuesday afternoon. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the funeral was attended only by close family members.

After backing romance drama Meere Jeevan Saathi in 1972, Harish Shah produced movies like Kaala Sona, the 1975 Curry Western featuring Feroz Khan and Parveen Babi, and Ram Tere Kitne Naam, the 1985 drama starring Sanjeev Kumar and Rekha.

In 1980, he turned director with Rishi and Neetu Kapoor-starrer Dhan Daulat. Harish Shah also directed Dharmendra and Shatrughan Sinha's 1988 action-drama Zalzala and 1995 film Ab Insaaf Hoga, featuring Rekha and Mithun Chakraborty. Sunny Deol and Tabu-led 2003 action thriller Jaal: The Trap was one of the last films he backed.