Writer-filmmaker Pritish Nandy dies, tributes pour in

Journalist Pritish Nandy, 73, passed away in Mumbai. Known for his impactful work in journalism, art, and film, he was a passionate animal rights activist

Mumbai: Eminent journalist and writer Pritish Nandy died at the age of 73 in Mumbai on Wednesday.Nandy was a poet, translator, film-maker, former parliamentarian, and was known to be a great spotter of artistic talent. In the 1980s, he discovered and shone the spotlight on some of the leading names in contemporary Indian art, including Paresh Maity, Baiju Parthan and Bose Krishnamachari, among others.

Nandy took over as the editor of The Illustrated Weekly of India at the age of 27 and made a mark as a young editor. Within a few years, he groomed a stable of stellar journalists who would often pick up subjects that set the national news agenda. Some of his notable work included stories about “godman” Chandraswami, the private life of the then Orissa chief minister JB Patnaik, American mercenary Frank Camper’s terror camp in Alabama, and a memorable interview with Kishore Kumar.

Sailesh Kottary, Nandy’s colleague at the Weekly between 1983 and 1991, said on Wednesday, “He was an intrepid journalist. We took on SC judges, chief ministers, intelligence agencies and he stood by the journalists who brought those stories.”

His contemporary Shobhaa De said, “Pritish had a combination of Bong arrogance and chutzpah. His brand was very interesting – he was a master of his own branding; he had a distinct way of spinning stories – some found his Bong intellectualism, endearing others mocked him; but he did not care.”

Photo journalist Pradip Chandra, who shot several covers for Nandy, said: “He had a sharp visual sense. I remember I had to shoot Amitabh Bachchan at 12am. I had accompanied the writer to his house in Prateeksha; upon reaching there, I realised that I was not carrying lights. Without the lights it would be difficult to shoot him, so I just stretched out on the bungalow’s lawns while the interview was on. From there, I could see Bachchan in the room speaking to the correspondent. It was dark but I got a few frames. The next day when the darkroom assistant printed a few copies of the pictures taken from the lawn and handed them to Nandy he was delighted because they were so unusual. One of those photographs was published on the cover and Nandy headlined the story, ‘A quiet comeback’.”

By the early 1990s as news television gained popularity, Nandy, who worked with the passion of an amateur and the finesse of a pro, moved first to television and then eventually to films and television. In between, he was sent to the Rajya Sabha by Bal Thackeray. He continued to write prolifically for newspapers, wrote over 40 books, produced popular films such as Pyar Ke Side Effects and Chameli, and remained, till the end, a passionate animal rights activist. He founded India’s first animal rights NGO People for Animals, now headed by Maneka Gandhi.

Nandy is survived by his three children and his brothers Ashis and Manish Nandy.