Juhi Chawla, who starred in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s last film, places a wreath on the filmmaker’s body. (PTI)

Mumbai, Aug. 29: Jaya Bachchan couldn’t hold back her tears as she spoke fondly about her “Hrishi kaku”.

Bollywood today bid an emotional farewell to filmmaker Hrishikesh Mukherjee, who died on Sunday after prolonged illness. He was 83.

Among the first to arrive at the Bandra Hindu Association, where Mukherjee’s body had been brought early this morning, Jaya recollected the times she had spent with him.

“He was like a father figure to me. I held his hand whenever I needed support. I had gone to visit him thrice at Lilavati Hospital. I cannot believe he is gone,” said the actress, whom the veteran filmmaker affectionately called “my Guddi” after her launchpad in Hindi filmdom.

Actresses Deepti Naval and Juhi Chawla, actors Om Puri, Biswajit, A.K. Hangal and Raza Murad, lyricist-director Gulzar and filmmakers Subhash Ghai, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Nagesh Kukunoor, Rajkumar Hirani and Anant Mahadevan also paid their last respects.

“I used to call him ‘masterji’. I have learnt so much from him. He was a senior but treated me like a friend,” said Gulzar, who accompanied the body to the Shivaji Park crematorium.

Naval recalled how the director had told her she was the finest actress he had seen. “It was he who had introduced me to films. He told me that it was rare to find an actress like me — he was generous with praise. But I don’t understand why we have to wait till someone goes away to give him his due? Did any journalist bother to go up to Hrishida when he was alive and ask him about his style of filmmaking?” asked the actress, her eyes welling up.

Hrishikesh Mukherjee

Biswajit saluted the director’s great sensibility. “He was free with advice and guidance. I knew him since 1961. When I had gone to meet him at the hospital a couple of months back, he took his needle-ridden hands out from the blanket and said, ‘Bishu, I am very happy that you have come. Sit here with me for some time,’ and he blessed me.”

The actor recalled how Mukherjee would love to chat when advised rest. “He would always say, ‘sit, don’t go’.”

Hangal, who made his debut with Mukherjee’s Guddi, said he had “the best time working with him”.

However, Amitabh Bachchan, some of whose best performances came in Mukherjee’s films like Anand, Abhiman and Mili, could not pay his last respects as he was away in London. Nor could Dharmendra, the action star who discovered his comic streak in the veteran director’s Chupke Chupke. He was in Jodhpur.

“Everybody is so busy nowadays. But Hrishida had told me more than once that Amitabh and Jaya call him regularly. Whenever Dharmendra was in town, he would call on Hrishida. Nobody has forgotten him, he is a legend,” said Biswajit.