Legendary painter MF Husain had, time and again expressed his love for Bollywood and also had a lot of admirers in the film industry.
Eminent Bollywood personalities expressed grief over his demise today. "Very sad to hear that the great M F Husain is no more, RIP," veteran actor Dev Anand said on micro-blogging site Twitter. "The news is shocking. It is yet to sink in. Just two days back I was discussing him with a friend. He was a great filmmaker who made films which he believed in and financed it himself. He was a special person and a genuine artist," director Anurag Kashyap said. Foraying into filmmaking with
Through the Eyes of a Painter in 1967, Hussain later made
Gaja Gamini with his then muse Madhuri Dixit, followed by
Meenaxi: A tale of Three Cities starring Tabu.
Actor Raghubir Yadav, who also starred in
Meenaxi, said, "It is sad that an artist of such a stature is no longer among us. Working with him was a learning experience. He was peaceful by nature and a open-minded person." "Deeply saddened by the news about Hussain saab. He was not only a great artist but an incredible human being. His passion and love for life was contagious and unparalleled. May his soul rest in peace," tweeted Kunal Kapoor, who made his acting debut with
Meenaxi.
Expressing grief, actor Shabana
Azmi said that Husain was a close friend and a wonderful human being. "He was a prolific painter. He is someone who is born once in 100 years. I last met him through a video-conference. He was deeply moved when we told him we will try to bring him back to India. He missed India." In the wake of legal challenges over his depiction of Hindu deities in the nude and death threats in India, the 95-year-old Husain had been living abroad in self-imposed exile since 2006.
"Hussain passes away. We hang our heads partly in grief and partly in shame for not being able to let him spend his last days in this country," tweeted Rahul Bose. "Very sad to hear of the passing of M F Hussain saab. A wonderful person and a great artist. May his soul rest in peace," actor Abhishek Bachchan said.
Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur tweeted, "M F Husain who seemed ageless, painting till his last days leaves us with one of India's greatest legacy of art." Madhur Bhandarkar said, "Sad to hear renowned legendary artist M F Husain passes away, RIP!!!". "RIP, M F Husain, son, lover and nemesis of India," actor Ranvir Shorey tweeted.
Abhishek Bachchan also very sad to hear about MF Hussain's demise. 'Very sad to hear of the passing of M F Hussain saab. A wonderful person and a great artist. May his soul rest in peace,' he wrote.
Madhur Bhandarkar too expressed grief. 'Sad to hear renowned legendary artist M.F.Hussain passes away, RIP !!!' he updated.
With PTI inputs