Amitabh Bachchan's 'Silsila' writer-director Sagar Sarhadi dies aged 88

Sarhadi turned director in 1982 with 'Bazaar', starring Supriya Pathak Kapur, Farooq Shaikh, Smita Patil and Naseeruddin Shah. He is credited with writing dialogues for superstar Shah Rukh Khan's debut 'Deewana' and Hrithik's 'Kaho Na Pyaar Hai'.

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MUMBAI: Noted writer-filmmaker Sagar Sarhadi, known for films like "Kabhi Kabhie", "Silsila", and "Bazaar", passed away late Sunday night following a brief illness. He was 88. Sarhadi breathed his last at his residence in the neighbourhood of Sion here, his nephew filmmaker Ramesh Talwar told PTI.

"He passed away shortly before midnight. He wasn't keeping well for sometime and had even stopped eating. He passed away peacefully," Talwar said. Sarhadi's last rites were held at Sion crematorium, he added.

Bollywood personalities like veteran screenwriter Javed Akhtar, directors Hansal Mehta, Anubhav Sinha, Nila Madhab Panda, and actor Jackie Shroff mourned the demise of Sarhadi. In his tweet, Akhtar expressed heartfelt condolences to Sarhadi's nephew Ramesh Talwar. "Sagar Sarhadi a veteran theater and film writer who wrote films like Kabhi kabhi, Noori and directed Baazaar has passed away," he added.

Retweeting Khalid Mohamed's tweet, Mehta wrote, "Rest in peace Sagar Sarhadi saahab." "RIP Sagar Sarhadi. What a legacy," wrote Sinha on the microblogging site. 

"Sad to know that Sagar Sarhadi ji is no more. Truly a big loss for the film industry. 'Noorie', 'Kabhi Kabhie', 'Silsila', 'Chandni', 'Deewana', 'Kaho Na Pyar Hai' writer of so many gems. He also wrote and directed the iconic ' Bazaar'. My heartfelt condolences," wrote Panda.

Shroff shared Sarhadi's picture on Instagram and captioned it: "Will Miss You... R.I.P". 

Born as Ganga Sagar Talwar in Baffa, near Abbottabad city, now Pakistan, the writer is said to have adapted the title 'Sarhadi' to carry the connection of the frontier province with him. Sarhadi's family migrated to Delhi during the Partition when he was 12. He completed his matriculation in Delhi before moving to Mumbai with his elder brother's family to complete his higher education.

Sarhadi studied at the Khalsa College then St Xaviers but had to leave his studies midway to stay afloat and joined an ad agency.
In an interview with S. M. Irfan on Rajya Sabha TV programme Guftagoo in 2018, Sarhadi said he always carried the pain of displacement with him. "I'm still pained by this (Partition). I still think about what are those powers that force you to leave your village and make you a refugee from a human being. I haven't forgotten this. I miss my village even today," he had said.

Sarhadi began his career writing Urdu short stories and became an Urdu playwright. Filmmaker Yash Chopra's 1976 film "Kabhi Kabhie", starring Amitabh Bachchan and Raakhee, opened the gates to his Bollywood career. The writer collaborated with Chopra for screenplays in acclaimed films like "Silsila" (1981) and Sridevi and Rishi Kapoor-starrer "Chandni", for which he wrote the dialogues.

In 1982, Sarhadi turned director with "Bazaar", starring Supriya Pathak Kapur, Farooq Shaikh, Smita Patil and Naseeruddin Shah. The film is considered a cult classic today with memorable music by Khayyam and songs such as 'Dikhayee diye yun', 'Phir Chiddi Raat' and 'Dekh Lo Aaj Humko Jee Bharke'.

Sarhadi is also credited with writing dialogues for superstar Shah Rukh Khan's debut 'Deewana' in 1992 and Hrithik Roshan's debut 'Kaho Na Pyaar Hai' (2000). Sarhadi is survived by his nephews and nieces.