Actors Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor returned to Mumbai from Alibaug as soon as they heard the news of their friend an filmmaker Ayan Mukerji`s father Deb Mukerji`s demise. On Thursday, Alia and Ranbir were seeing heading to Alibaug from Gateway of India to ring in Holi and the `Gangubai Kathiawadi` actresses ` birthday on March 15. However, they cut their trip short and came back to be by their friend Ayan`s side.
Alia-Ranbir return to Mumbai
Ayan is a close friend and more like family to Ranbir and Alia. The trio have worked together in the film Brahmastra. Apart from that Ranbir and Ayan have collaborated on films like Wake Up Sid and Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani. The filmmaker was also part of Alia and Ranbir`s new year holiday with their families.
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Deb Mukerji passes away
Confirming the news, his spokesperson revealed that he died in the morning due to age-related health issues. A prominent member of the renowned Samarth-Mukherjee family, Deb was the father of filmmaker Ayan Mukerji and the father-in-law of director Ashutosh Gowariker.
Deb Mukherjee`s funeral will be held at the Pawan Hans Crematorium in Juhu on March 14. The funeral is likely to be attended by members of his extended family, including Kajol and Ajay Devgn, Rani Mukerji, Tanuja, Tanissha, and Aditya Chopra. Friends of Ayan Mukerji, including Hrithik Roshan, Sidharth Malhotra, Deepika Padukone, and Ranveer Singh are also expected to attend the funeral.
Deb Mukherjee, born in Kanpur in 1941, hails from a renowned and accomplished film family. His mother, Satidevi, was the only sister of legendary figures Ashok Kumar, Anup Kumar, and Kishore Kumar.
His siblings included the actor Joy Mukherjee and filmmaker Shomu Mukherjee, who was married to Bollywood actress Tanuja. His nieces are famous actresses Kajol and Rani Mukerji. Deb Mukherjee was married twice. His daughter Sunita, from his first marriage, is married to filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker, while his son Ayan is from his second marriage.
For the unversed, Deb Mukherjee started his career in the 1960s with small roles in films such as “Tu Hi Meri Zindagi” and “Abhinetri.” As his career progressed, Deb transitioned to supporting roles in movies like “Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander” and “King Uncle.” His final appearance on screen was a cameo in Vishal Bhardwaj`s “Kaminey” in 2009.
(with inputs from IANS)
