IANS/Mumbai
Bollywood veteran Joy Mukherjee, who acted in films like Love in Simla, died at the Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai yesterday, his spokesman said. He was 73.Mukherjee, who was suffering from thalassemia, is survived by his wife Neelam Mukherjee and three children - two sons and a daughter.“He died at 9.30am. His wife was by his side,” Mukherjee’s spokesperson R R Pathak said.Mukherjee came from a film family background. His father Sashadhar Mukherjee, who was married to legendary actor Ashok Kumar’s sister Sati Devi, was the co-founder of Filmalaya Studios. He was the paternal uncle of actors Kajol and Tanisha Mukherjee.“His body was taken to his residence at Yari Road around 4.30pm. He will be cremated today at 10am in Versova,” said Deb Mukherjee, the late actor’s brother.The yesteryears star was admitted to hospital on Monday in a critical condition and was put on a ventilator.Mukherjee stepped into showbiz with the 1960 hit film Love in Simla. His popularity soared with projects like Shagird, Love inTokyo, Ziddi, Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon and Ek Musafir Ek Hasina.He became a heartthrob thanks to his good looks. He dressed like a fashion model and had a huge number of female fans. Often criticised as a bit wooden and one dimensional as a performer, he showed great comic timing.Joy ruled the roost till the advent of the Rajesh Khanna craze, which caused audiences to lose interest in him as a romantic hero. It was then that Joy turned producer and director.He produced and directed Humsaaya (1968), where he played a double role. Film historians remember the movie for its risky stunts and a series of blasts that blew up trucks. However, what people remember the most is the cat fight between Mala Sinha and Sharmila Tagore on the sets, which gave the film unexpected publicity.However, his magic waned after that. In the early 1970s, Joy worked in a series of films, including Ehsaan, Anjana, Puraskar, Aag aur Daag, Kahin Aar Kahin Paar, but failed to charm the audiences.Joy tried to revive his career with the 1972 movie Ek Baar Muskura Do, which was a moderate success. His last success came with directing Chailla Babu, a film starring Zeenat Aman and Rajesh Khanna. His last screen appearance was in the TV series Aye Dil-e-Nadan.