Mumbai, Aug 27 (IANS) Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has mourned the demise of director Kuku Kohli, who passed away at the age of 77 on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the actor took to his X, formerly Twitter, and penned a note for the late director. He wrote, “Rest in peace Kuki ji , Aruna ji my heart goes out to u May God give u strength”.

The final rites of director Kuku Kohli were held at the Oshiwara crematorium on Wednesday. Many prominent figures from the film industry attended the funeral to pay their last respects to the departed soul. Celebs who attended the final rites of Kuku Kohli included Vicky Kaushal, his wife Katrina Kaif, his father Sham Kaushal, director Rohit Shetty, Raja Murad, Tinu Anand, Javed Akhtar, his wife Sabana Azmi, Rajpal Yadav, Ashoke Pandit and Gajendra Chauhan. The celebs appeared solemn, paid their respects, and left without interacting with the media.

The director’s wife Aruna Irani looked devastated as she arrived for her husband's funeral. She was being escorted by her family members. Other celebs mourned the loss of the director through social media.

Salman’s friend Ajay Devgn, who was launched by Kuku Kohli with 'Phool Aur Kaante', remembered him for having faith in him at the beginning of his career. The actor took to his social media account and shared a picture of the ace filmmaker along with a heartfelt note.

He wrote, “Some people change the course of your life forever. Kuku ji was one of those people for me. Forever grateful for the faith you had in me. You will be deeply missed, Kuku ji. Om Shanti.” Kuku Kohli played a significant role in shaping Ajay's career by giving him his first break with Phool Aur Kaante, which was released in 1991. The film marked Ajay's debut as a leading actor and went on to become a success. The film's opening sequence, featuring Devgn balancing between two moving motorcycles, went on to become closely associated with the actor's arrival in Hindi cinema.

--IANS

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