Neena Gupta and Kawaljit Singh in Saans. (Image courtesy: YouTube)
Highlights
- Brij Katyal died battling cancer on Thursday
- Brij Katyal wrote two shows for Neena Gupta - Saans and Pal Chhin
- Neena Gupta said he was a "beautiful human being"
Writer Brij Katyal, known for TV shows such as Pal Chhin and Saans and films like Jab Jab Phool Khile, died in a hospice on Thursday, reported news agency PTI adding that the writer was battling cancer for some time now. Actress Neena Gupta, who directed Pal Chhin and Saans (she also played the protagonist in the show), visited her colleague a few days ago. She shared a picture of Mr Katyal from the hospice and said that he was a "beautiful human being." She also added: "Inspite of seeing so many movies and listening to wise words that don't give everything away to anyone before you die we do the same mistakes and then suffer."
Here's Neena Gupta's post:
Saans, which also featured Kanwaljit Singh, Shagufta Ali, Neelima Azeem and Kavita Kapoor, was one of the most successful television series in the Nineties. It is arguably one of the strongest television projects on Neena Gupta's resume.
Meanwhile, Anusha Srinivasan Iyer, an associate of Brij Katyal told news agency PTI: "He was suffering from rectal cancer and was admitted to Shanti Avedana Ashram, where he died in the afternoon. He was around 85-86 years old. I had learnt the art of writing from him. It's a great loss."
Brij Katyal has written screenplay for films such as Saat Samundar Paar, Yeh Raat Phir Na Aaygi, Parivar and Anokha. He also directed two films Premika and Pasand Apni Apni.