Ram Mukherjee, director of Hum Hindustani and Rani Mukerji's father, passes away

Mumbai: Filmmaker Ram Mukherjee, father of actor Rani Mukerji, passed away early morning on 22 october. He was 84.

The filmmaker had been unwell for a long time.

Rani Mukerji with her father Ram Mukherjee. Image from Twitter/@GR8_Stars

According to sources close to the family, his blood pressure decreased drastically, following which he was taken to a hospital. He was pronounced dead at around 5 am.

Speaking to Indian Express, his wife Krishna said, "His blood pressure dropped suddenly and he was admitted to Breach Candy hospital where doctors declared him dead at 5 am. He was doing fine earlier and this was sudden."

Ram had directed films like Hum Hindustani (1960), a multi-starrer where Sunil Dutt, Asha Parekh, Helen, Joy Mukherjee and Prem Chopra shared screen space, and Sanjeev Kumar made his debut. In 1964, he directed Leader, which starred Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala.

He also directed and produced Rani's debut Bengali film, Biyer Phool, in 1996, and produced Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat, her Bollywood debut, in 1997. He was the founder of Filmalaya Studios, which is located in Mumbai.

The filmmaker will be cremated today.

With inputs from PTI