'Amar Akbar Anthony' writer Prayag Raj dies: Amitabh Bachchan, Shabana Azmi mourn demise

Celebrated screenwriter Prayag Raj, known for his work in Amitabh Bachchan blockbusters like Amar Akbar Anthony and Coolie, has died. The veteran writer breathed his last on Saturday evening at the age of 88 due to age-related issues. Prayag Raj's last rites were held on Sunday morning. Several personalities from the film fraternity paid their last respect to Prayag Raj. Bachchan paid his tribute on his personal blog. "Last evening we lost another pillar of our great film industry," he wrote.Shabana Azmi, who starred in Amar Akbar Anthony, noted on X, "Sorry to hear about the passing away of writer director actor Prayag Raj. RIP."Anil Kapoor, who featured in Hifazat, written by Raj, also expressed his grief over the writer's demise. Taking to X, he said, "I'm truly saddened by the loss of the late Prayag Raj. Working with him on 'Hifazat' was a privilege. May his soul rest in peace."Abhishek Bachchan also paid homage to the 'stalwart'. He thanked him for 'the innumerable celluloid memories'.Prayag Raj's son Aditya told PTI that the writer died at his Bandra residence. He said, "He passed away peacefully on Saturday at 4pm at his residence in Bandra. He had multiple ailments since eight to ten years like heart disease and age-related issues."Raj's last rites were performed at Shivaji Park crematorium in Dadar and was attended by his family and friends from the industry. The legendary writer had more than 100 films to his credit including Big B's Naseeb, Suhaag and Coolie and Mard.Prayag Raj also wrote the script for Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan's Geraftaar. He contributed to the screenplays of Rajesh Khanna-starred Roti, Dharmendra and Jeetendra's Dharam Veer among others. The last film he contributed to was S Ramanathan-helmed unreleased Zamanat.