Arth producer Kuljit Pal passes away, Mahesh Bhatt remembers his ‘brave heart’: ‘He stuck by me through thick and thin’

Arth producer Kuljit Pal died on Saturday after suffering a heart attack. Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt remembered him as a 'brave producer' crediting his resurrection to him.

After Arth producer breathed his last on June 24, Mahesh Bhatt remembered him as a 'brave producer'. (Photo: File)

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Veteran film producer Kuljit Pal, known for producing Arth, passed away on June 24, following a heart attack. Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who directed the film, remembered his producer in a recent interview. He shared how Kuljit was a brave producer, who had the guts to stand by a director who was written off by the industry. Mahesh also shared that he wouldn’t have been able to create a classic like Arth without his support.

“Kuljit Pal, whom I affectionately called Kuli, was a giver, a giant of a man with an extraordinary sense of humor. He would laugh at himself and the situations around him. If it weren’t for his impact on my life, I wouldn’t have been able to create my enduring classic Arth. Making Arth required a brave heart, and Kuljit was a brave man,” he told ETimes.

The filmmaker said that it takes “guts and audacity” to stand by a director who has faced four flops, “Kuljit stuck by me through thick and thin, allowing me to make the film of my choice, cast the people of my choice, and, above all, preserve the unorthodox climax that gives the film its essence.”

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Talking about how the late producer supported him through his film journey, Mahesh Bhatt said, “So, in this moment, I express my gratitude to Kuljit and say thank you. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have experienced a resurrection and enjoyed a long and enduring career. Thank you, Kuljit. I also hope his daughter Anamika can face life without his glorious presence because he was her sunlight.”

While Mahesh Bhatt had all good things to talk about Kuljit Pal, many would remember the two had locked horns in 2013 over Arth’s remake rights. In a public notice Pal has accused Bhatt of wrong-doing, “It appears that Mahesh Bhatt has committed an offence, misleading Pakistani producers by assigning them the rights of Arth that legally belong solely to us. You all are advised not to deal with Sri Mahesh Bhatt for Arth.”

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To this Mahesh Bhatt had replied, “The Public Notice issued by the Producer is apparently speculative. The words “it appears that Mahesh Bhatt sold the rights” says it all that the Producer is not sure about the facts and has not bothered to know the same before issuing the notice.” He had also explained that Pakistani superstar Shaan had reached out to him for a ‘no-objection’ for Arth to be remade in Urdu based on the script of the original film.

“I have given my no objection since I believe that this will be one of the first initiatives to strengthen the Indo-Pak relations. There is no commercial angle in this hence the word “sold” is completely misplaced. At this stage, I don’t wish to comment on ownership of rights in the screenplay since the same is unwarranted in the given facts and circumstances,” Mahesh had said in a statement then.

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