FILMMAKER O P DUTTA PASSES AWAY

Veteran Bollywood writer-filmmaker OP Dutta died in Mumbai following about pneumonia at the Kokilaben Hospital in suburban Andheri. The end came last night around 9.30 pm. According to Dr Ram Narain, COO, Kokilaben Hospital, Dutta was admitted to the hospital on February 7 and he succumbed to complications of pneumonia yesterday.                  
                      The filmmaker, who was in his late 80s, began his career as a director with Pyaar Ki Jeet in 1948, followed by Surajmukhi (1950), Ek Nazar (1951), Malkin (1953), Aangan (1959) and others. Later he turned writer for his son JP Dutta with films like Ghulami (1985), Hathyar (1989), Border (1997), Refugee (2000), LOC Kargil (2003) and his last film as a writer was Umrao Jaan (2006).