Shivpuri (Madhya Pradesh): Well-known Bollywood filmmaker and producer Rakesh Saraiya passed away at an old age home here in Shivpuri district on Wednesday. Rakesh, 52, was battling cancer for the past few years. The famous director and producer was a resident of Kolaras Nagar in the Shivpuri district.
Rakesh achieved recognition in the Bollywood film industry with his film 'Yatana', released in the 80s. Bollywood actors Shekhar Suman and Supriya Pathak were in the lead role in the movie. Lesser known actors from the Shivpuri district were also the star cast in the movie. But due to financial constraints, the film failed to make it to the big screen.
Read: SC grants Kali filmmaker Leena Manimekalai protection from coercive action
Other than his first Bollywood debut Yatana, he also directed films like 'Savdhaan' and 'Jackpot Do Crore' while he steered through his career in Mumbai. Besides filmmaking, Rakesh used to write scripts for documentary films. While staying at Shivpuri's old age home, Rakesh was working on the script for his upcoming movie 'Ajnabi Safar'.
Rakesh did not have children and was separated from his wife just a few years after his marriage. It is believed that the film 'Anjabi Safar' was a mirror image of his life when he was staying at the Mangalam old age home in the same city.
Recalling his warm presence, the caretaker of Mangalam's old age home, Rakhi Sen said, "Rakesh Saraiya was staying at the old age home for the past nine months. Bollywood actors and directors used to come over to this place to meet him. Nowadays, he was busy writing a script for his upcoming movie 'Ajnabi Safar'. He was a jovial personality."
