Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 4 (ANI): Veteran film producer and former Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani was cremated in Mumbai on Thursday, with several members of the film fraternity gathering to pay their final respects.

Nihalani passed away on Thursday, June 4, at the age of 76.

Several prominent personalities from the Hindi film industry attended the cremation ceremony to bid farewell to the veteran producer. Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan arrived to pay his last respects.

Bollywood actor Govinda also arrived to pay tribute to the late film producer.

Filmmaker David Dhawan and his son Rohit Dhawan, Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan, and producer Boney Kapoor were also spotted.

Producer Bunty Walia, actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha, Poonam Sinha, Gaurav Kapoor and filmmaker Sunil Darshan were among those who arrived at the Santacruz crematorium.

Acharya Bhupendra Sastry, who performed the final rites, told ANI, 'Yahan par hum sab logon ne milkar vaidik vidhi ke anusar swargiye Pahlaj ji Nihalani ka antim sanskar kiya...unke liye hum sabhi ne sharandhanjali samparpit ki...(Here, all of us together performed the last rites of late Pahlaj ji Nihalani as per Vedic rituals...we all paid our tribute to him.)'

His family confirmed the news in a statement and announced that the last rites would be held at the Santacruz Hindu Crematorium.

'With profound grief, we inform you of the passing of our beloved Pahlaj Nihalani on 4th June 2026. The cremation ceremony will be held today, 04.06.2026, at 3 pm at Santacruz Hindu Crematorium. We are grateful for your thoughts and prayers as we bid a final farewell,' the family said in a statement.

A well-known name in the Hindi film industry, Nihalani was associated with several successful commercial films over the years. He produced popular movies such as 'Ilzaam', 'Shola Aur Shabnam', 'Aankhen' and 'Andaz'.

Nihalani began his journey as a film producer in the early 1980s. His first production venture, 'Haathkadi', was released in 1982, followed by 'Aandhi-Toofan' in 1985.

Apart from his contributions as a producer, Nihalani also served as the chairperson of the CBFC and remained an influential figure in the Indian film industry for decades. (ANI)