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Phool Aur Kaante director Kuku Kohli dies of heart attack at 77

The director, who launched Ajay Devgn with Phool Aur Kaante, is survived by Aruna Irani and two daughters.

Updated on: Aug 25, 2026, 22:23:27 IST
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Veteran director Kuku Kohli has died at the age of 77. As per the latest update from news agency ANI, he suffered a heart attack and breathed his last at Mumbai's Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital on Tuesday.

About Kuku Kohli

Kuku Kohli made his directorial debut with Phool Aur Kaante, which also launched Ajay Devgn.
Kuku Kohli made his directorial debut with Phool Aur Kaante, which also launched Ajay Devgn.

Kuku Kohli made his directorial debut with Phool Aur Kaante, which emerged as a commercial success and also marked Ajay Devgn's debut. The film also starred Madhoo, Amrish Puri, Aruna Irani and Jagdeep. Some of his other films include Haqeeqat, Zulmi, Anari No. 1 and Yeh Dil Aashiqanaa. His last directorial venture was Woh Tera Naam Tha, which hit the theatres in 2004.

About his relationship with Aruna Irani

He is survived by his wife, actor Aruna Irani, and two daughters, Pooja and Karishma, from his first marriage to Rita Kohli.

In 2022, Aruna said that their relationship kicked off with a lot of fights on the sets of their movie but blossomed into a romance soon. Speaking to The Times of India, Aruna said in an interview, “We met each other during one of the films that we worked on together. During that film, he used to make all the other actors wait till Dharmendra ji arrived on sets to start the shoot. And I used to get very angry at him as I was too working on some other films at that time. So we started with a love and hate relationship. I used to get very upset with him and he used to console me. Uss chakkar mein kaise lafda ho gaya samajh nahi aya (Don't know how we fell for each other due to that).”

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Santanu Das

Santanu Das is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over 5 years of experience, writing on films, pop culture and film festivals. He has a keen interest in writing about South Asian independent films and has covered several film festivals, including Sundance and CPH: Docx. He also brings a sharp perspective to the monthly column called The Fault in Our Stars, where he writes about a recent film/series and what stops the ‘good’ from becoming ‘great’. A gold medalist from Banaras Hindu University, Santanu completed his postgraduate studies in English from Jadavpur University. He is also a Rotten Tomatoes-certified film critic. When not watching films or speaking to celebrities, Santanu can be found reading a book. Some of his favourite films are Aparajito, Ponyo and The Double Life of Veronique. His favourite books include The Corrections, The God of Small Things and A Room of One's Own. Santanu continues to write passionately about films and celebrity culture. He brings a relatable, as well as critically informed, lens to entertainment and culture for a wide audience. Find him on LinkedIn: santanudasfilm Instagram: @santupecha

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