Pradeep Sarkar Demise: From Abhishek Bachchan To Ajay Devgn, Celebrities Mourn The Loss Of The Veteran Director (View Tweets)

The death of Pradeep Sarkar shocked the entire film industry, which was still mourning the loss of actor-director Satish Kaushik. On March 24, after 68-year-old filmmaker Pradeep Sarkar departed for his heavenly abode, the entire nation awoke to tragic news. The well-known director is renowned for producing blockbusters like Parineeta, Laga Chunari Mein Daag, Mardani, and numerous others.

The death of Pradeep Sarkar occurred on March 24 at 3:30 am. According to accounts, the director was receiving dialysis, and his potassium levels had sharply decreased. Several celebrities from the industry sent their condolences and blessings to the family as soon as the news of his passing spread online.

In Laga Chunari Main Daag, Pradeep Sarkar collaborated with Abhishek Bachchan, Konkana Sen Sharma, Kunal Kapoor, and Rani Mukerji. Abhishek Bachchan expressed his condolences for the director's passing on Twitter. “Terrible news to wake up to. Rest in peace, Dada. Thank you for the love and for making me a small part of your life. Will miss you. #PradeepSarkar (sic)” he wrote alongside the director’s picture.

Vivek Agnihotri, the director of The Kashmir Files, posted the late filmmaker's funeral message on Twitter and lamented the loss of another "gem." “Lost another gem of a person. Pradeep Da was a truly creative person which is reflected in his art as well his behaviour. You will live in our hearts with your art (sic),” he tweeted.

Additionally, Patralekhaa shared a number of images from the film location with Pradeep on Instagram. "Goodbye Dada…You will be missed ..Thank you for all the precious memories...I have learned so much from you. Love and respect always…(sic)"

On Twitter, filmmaker Ashoke Pandit also expressed his condolences and paid a moving homage to the deceased. “Sad to know that well-known brilliant filmmaker of our country Pradeep Sarkar ji passes away. A great loss to the film industry. Heartfelt condolences to his family and near ones (sic).”

Deepika Padukone and Neil Nitin Mukesh, who collaborated with the director on Lafangey Parindey, tweeted: "DADA! Why? I'll miss you dada. Will always remember you as that child-hearted, full-of-life man who taught me so much. Your creation Lafangey Parindey will always remain close to my heart. My prayers with the family."

Tahir Raj Bhasoin, who co-wrote the film Mardaani with the director, released a statement following the sad news. He recounted his memories of working with the maestro on his first film. "Woke up to the extremely sad news of passing away of Pradeep Dada. I will always remember him with eternal gratitude as the man who trusted me with Mardaani. He was a maestro whose experience and guidance gave me the confidence to act to my fullest potential in my debut film. He mentored and then gave me space to create a part and in this trust lay his genius."

Ajay Devgn tweeted, “The news of Pradeep Sarkar’s demise, ‘Dada’ to some of us is still hard to digest. My deepest condolences (flower bouquet). My prayers are with the departed and his family. RIP Dada." Hansal Mehta too took to his Twitter handle and wrote, "Pradeep Sarkar. Dada. RIP." Sharing Hansal's tweet, actor Manoj Bajpayee wrote, "Ohh! That’s so shocking! Rest in peace Dada!! (folded hands emoji)."

Adding, Bhasin said, "I remember being extremely nervous on day one of shoot. It was a production heavy day, we were holding up traffic and there were a 100 junior artists on set. An intimidating environment for a first timer. After my first take I waited with baited breath as he watched the monitor. After what seemed like an eternity, he yelled out for the entire set to hear, “that was great!". Just that validation from your first director still rings in my ears when I walk on to a set to this day. He was a visionary par excllence, ahead of his time. He lives on in the films he created. May he rest in peace."

Abhishek Bachchan wrote, "Terrible news to wake up to. Rest in peace Dada. Thank you for the love and for making me a small part of your life. Will miss you."

Vidhu Vinod Chopra, a producer and filmmaker, runs Vinod Chopra Productions, where Pradeep Sarkar started his career. He started his directing career as an ad-film maker after spending 17 years as a Creative Director - Art in conventional advertising. Pradeep was one of the most popular and prolific music video producers outside of commercials.

His first foray into the world of feature films resulted in the highly acclaimed Parineeta, which helped him win the prestigious National Film Award for Best Debut Film of a Director.