With love from Simla to Tokyo: Bollywood hero Joy Mukherjee dies

Joy Mukherjee

It is hard to define Joy Mukherjee. You could call him a chocolate-boy hero with an infectious smile. Or you could look at that strapping frame to realise why many in the sixties felt he was the closest Bollywood had to Rock Hudson machismo.

Co-stars would define him as the ultimate prankster who never left space for a dull moment on the sets. 

Joy Mukherjee was an enigma in ways more than one. His meteoric rise thanks to sixties jubilee hits such as Love In Tokyo, Ziddi, Shagird and Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon was as abrupt as his bowing out of the limelight after around a decade of glory. 

For the record Joy breathed his last in Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital on Friday after a prolonged illness at the age of 73. The man, who made broad-shouldered athleticism a fashionable image for the Bollywood hero long before the Khans and the Kumars discovered the gym, spent his last days on the ventilator. 

'His wife Neelam Mukherjee was by his side when he passed away at 9.30 am on Friday. We are yet to decide the time and venue of the cremation,' said the actor's spokesperson R.R. Pathak. 

Joy is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter. 

Hailing from a film family, Joy made his debut at the age of 21 in the 1960 hit Love In Simla opposite Sadhana. His father Sashadhar Mukherjee, a noted filmmaker who co-founded Filmalaya Studios, produced the film. A series of hits followed. 

The legacy of the Mukherjees continues through a new generation of stars in the clan. 

Kajol and Tanisha are daughters of Joy's brother Shomu Mukherji while Joy was an uncle of Rani Mukerji and director Ayan Mukerji. 

For his fans, Joy Mukherjee will continue living in some of most unforgettable love songs ever recorded in Bollywood, including Woh Hain Aara Khafa Khafa' (Shagrid), 'O Mere Shahe Khuba' (Love In Tokyo) and the title song of Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon.

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