# Filmmaker Kuku Kohli dies at 77 after heart attack 2026-08-25T19:17:49+00:00 | Entertainment | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 3 independent outlets Veteran filmmaker Kuku Kohli, who launched Ajay Devgn's career with the 1991 film Phool Aur Kaante, died of a massive heart attack on Tuesday at Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai. He was 77. His wife is actress Aruna Irani. The Times of India reports that he suffered a mild heart attack on Monday night, underwent angioplasty, and then had a massive cardiac arrest on Tuesday around 5:15 pm while on the phone with Irani. Kohli directed hits such as Suhaag and Haqeeqat, and worked as an assistant to Raj Kapoor. He was also general secretary of the Indian Film and Television Directors Association. The funeral will be held on Wednesday, August 26, at Oshiwara Crematorium in Andheri West. ## Indian Opinion Analysis All three sources report the same facts: Kuku Kohli died of a heart attack, his wife Aruna Irani survives him, and his career is defined by launching Ajay Devgn. The Times of India provides the most detail, including the sequence of medical events and the timing of the cardiac arrest. News.abplive.com and Indiatvnews.com give shorter obituaries. The coverage is uniform and straight reporting, with no political or ideological slant. The funeral on Wednesday at Oshiwara Crematorium will be the next event to watch. ## Coverage Coverage: 3 sources, 3 neutral - news.abplive.com (neutral report) Straight obituary with career recap, no editorialising. - indiatvnews.com (neutral report) Brief factual report of death, no additional framing. - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Detailed timeline of medical events and personal detail, still neutral. This brief was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources. Last updated 2026-08-25T20:10:31+00:00. Tags: Ajay Devgn, Aruna Irani, Ashoke Pandit, Kuku Kohli, Mumbai, Phool Aur Kaante Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/filmmaker-kuku-kohli-dies-of-heart-attack-at-77/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/filmmaker-kuku-kohli-dies-of-heart-attack-at-77/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/