Actor-director Neeraj Vora passes away

Mumbai: Bollywood actor, writer and filmmaker Neeraj Vora died at a Mumbai hospital in the early hours of Thursday. He was 54. Confirming the news of his demise, filmmaker Ashok Pandit told indianexpress.com, “Neeraj Vora died today at 3 am in Criti Care hospital in Juhu. He had been in a coma and living at Firoz Nadiadwala’s place. When his condition deteriorated in the night, he was taken to the hospital, where he breathed his last.”

After he suffered a heart attack followed by a stroke in 2016, Neeraj Vora went into a coma. Producer Firoz Nadiadwala took him to his home and converted a room into a make-shift Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Neeraj Vora, who was set to direct the third installment of the hit Hera Pheri franchise, had begun the process of making the film, when he suffered the heart attack. His initial work as a writer includes superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s TV show Circus. Neeraj made his acting debut with Ketan Mehta’s Holi (1984), which also starred Aamir Khan.

He then went on to star in films like Rangeela, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, Akele Hum Akele Tum, Virasat, Mann, Satya, Mast, Pukar and Company. His last film as an actor was Anil Kapoor starrer Welcome Back, which released in 2015. Neeraj Vora was also known for writing the first part of the Hera Pheri series (2000) and Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal (2006). As a director, his most notable work was Phir Hera Pheri, the second installment of the Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty franchise.