Shaken by grief, Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh, Shreyas Talpade condole Nishikant Kamat's death

Filmmaker Nishikant Kamat's death yesterday in Hyderabad from chronic liver disease has left his friends and colleagues in the Marathi and Hindi film industries shocked. Many took to social media to condole his death with emotional messages.

Writer-director Upendra Sidhaye, who wrote for Kamat’s Mumbai Meri Jaan (2008) and Drishyam (2015), shared a picture of Kamat, clicked moments before he was admitted to hospital for cirrhosis of the liver two years go, on Facebook.

“Thank you for absolutely everything — for introducing me to actual screenwriting, to art of narration, to Mumbai, to my first script, to the practical world of filmmaking, to my first screen credit, to my first award, to perfect collaborative spirit, to the best production office, to tuna sandwich, to delicious food cooked by you, to the ‘Punekar’ taunts, to unlimited cups of tea, to your thunderous laughter, to humility, to the idea of ‘keep your head down and work quietly’, to big dreams and... to the undying fighting spirit,” Siddhaye wrote.

Actor Shreyas Talpade expressed his grief in a Twitter post: “Whether it was stage, TV or films, you excelled in everything. You were our inspiration. You were our hero. But you going away so soon is something I just can’t deal with. Hope you find peace wherever you are, my friend. Rest in peace.” 

Filmmaker Ravi Jadhav was also shaken. “I am taken aback at Nishikant’s sudden demise. It is compelling me to re-think a lot of things. Just like Rajiv Patil [filmmaker who died in 2013] the untimely demise of another excellent writer-director has shaken me,” he said in a Facebook post. He also mentioned that Kamat would always discuss new ideas which created positive vibes.

Actor Sumeet Raghvan, however, wrote an angry tweet on Kamat’s death and said he ‘ruined’ his own life. “I don't want to send any heartfelt condolences and RIP messages because you ruined your life; pointless," he said. "An extraordinary talent gone waste. A life gone waste. I am really livid, Nishi, really. This is not done.”

Actor-producer Riteish Deshmukh, who broke the news of Kamat’s death yesterday after some false reports earlier, shared a picture with Kamat and wrote simply, “I will miss you, my friend. Rest in peace.” In another tweet, he said, “You broke my heart, Nishi.”

His wife, actress Genelia Deshmukh, also tweeted her condolences. While Riteish played the lead in Kamat’s Lai Bhaari (2014), the actress had performed a cameo in the film.

Ajay Devgn, who starred in Kamat’s Drishyam (2015), a remake of the Malayalam film of the same name, said he was just not a director to him. “It was an association that I cherished. He was bright, ever-smiling. He has gone too soon,” the actor said on Twitter.