Producer of Kissa Kursi Ka passes away

Amrit Nahata, former Member of Parliament and producer of controversial film Kissa Kursi Ka, died in New Delhi on April 26, after a brief illness. He was 74.

Mr Nahata, member of the sixth, seventh and eight Lok Sabha, was suffering from Angina pain for the past 15 days. He received initial treatment at Jodhpur, but was admitted to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital here on April 21.

He was shifted to the Escorts Hospital on April 25, where an angiography was performed on him the next day. But his heart ceased to function during the operation at about 1430 hours, family sources said.

Mr Nahata had initially shot into fame because of his support to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's programme of bank nationalisation and abolition of privy purse.

He made the feature film Kissa Kursi Ka on authoritarian tendencies of the then Prime Minister during the emergency and JP Movement. The film created a stir in the political circles and was the centre of a major controversy even after the emergency was over.

In addition to making a mark in Parliament, he was also a prolific writer and contributed regularly to the editorial pages of leading newspapers. He has also authored several books and monographs to explicate his vision of the New Man.

Mr Nahata is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.

UNI