# Kuku Kohli, director who launched Ajay Devgn, dies at 77 2026-08-25T16:43:58+00:00 | Entertainment | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 3 independent outlets Filmmaker Kuku Kohli, who directed Ajay Devgn's debut film Phool Aur Kaante, died at Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai on August 25. He was 77. Friend and filmmaker Ashoke Pandit told Hindustan Times that Kohli suffered a massive heart attack and had no prior illness. NDTV reports he was admitted two days earlier after a heart attack, received a stent, but collapsed and was declared dead around 5 PM. His last rites will be held at 11 AM on August 26 at Oshiwara Crematorium. Kohli is survived by his wife, actress Aruna Irani, and two daughters, Pooja and Karishma, from his first marriage to Rita Kohli. He served as general secretary of the Indian Film and Television Directors' Association. His 1991 debut Phool Aur Kaante was a commercial success. He later directed Suhaag, Haqeeqat, Zulmi, Anari No. 1, Yeh Dil Aashiqanaa, and his final film Woh Tera Naam Tha in 2004. ## Indian Opinion Analysis All three outlets report Kohli's death as a straight obituary with no political or ideological slant. Hindustan Times and NDTV attribute the cause to a heart attack, while Bollywood Hungama uses the vaguer 'heart related ailments'. NDTV adds the most detail on the hospital timeline and funeral arrangements. The coverage is uniform factual reporting with no divergence in framing. ## Coverage Coverage: 3 sources, 3 neutral - hindustantimes.com (neutral report) Leads with friend's statement on heart attack, no critical or political angle - ndtv.com (neutral report) Provides detailed timeline of hospitalisation and death, no slant - bollywoodhungama.com (neutral report) Straightforward obituary, uses vague 'heart related ailments' 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 2026-08-25T18:02:25+00:00. Tags: Ajay Devgn, Bollywood, Kuku Kohli, Mumbai, Phool Aur Kaante Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/filmmaker-kuku-kohli-who-introduced-ajay-devgn-dies-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-who-introduced-ajay-devgn-dies-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/