New Delhi, Jun 4 (UNI) Bollywood celebrities on Thursday condoled the death of veteran filmmaker Basu Chatterjee, saying he was a master storyteller and his movies reflected the lives of middle class in India.

Chatterjee, known for his middle-of-the-road cinema directed classics like ‘Rajinigandha’, ‘Khatta Meetha’, ‘Chitchor’, ‘Chhoti Si Baat’ and ‘Shaukeen’.

The Bollywood fraternities took to the social media and condoled Chatterjee’s death, who passed away at his residence in Mumbai because of age-related issues. He was 93.

Amitabh Bachchan said,” Prayers and Condolences on the passing of Basu Chatterjee .. a quiet, soft spoken, gentle human .. his films reflected the lives of middle India .. did 'MANZIL' with him .. a sad loss ..

.. in these climes often remembered for 'rim jhim gire saawan'.”

Anupam Kher said,” We will miss you Basu Da! Your simplicity in your persona and in your cinema. Om Shanti. ”

Anil Kapoor said,”A director who was always ahead of his time.. Basu Chatterjee will be truly missed. He was an effortless genius and an amazing human being. May he rest in peace”.

Shabana Azmi said,” Deeply saddened to hear about Basu Chatterjee’s passing away.A prolific filmaker, he was the pioneer of what came to be regarded as middle of the road cinema. I was fortunate to have done 3 lovely films with him Swami Apne Paraye and Jeena Yahan. All lifelike characters .RIP”.

Shoojit Sircar said,” My 1st job as an assistant director was with Basu Chatterjee for a Bengali tv serial shot in CR park, New Delhi.. May his soul Rest In Peace.”

Riteish Deshmukh said,” No one did slice of life films better than you Basu Da, thank you for enriching our lives. RIP”.

Manoj Bajpayee said,” A master storyteller passed away today!! Learned the meaning of simple storytelling with fine nuances!! Thank you Basu Da for all the great stories!! Rest in peace sir!!”

Yami Gautam said,” Never got tired of watching sir Basu Chatterjee’ films over & over again , as a growing cinema lover in my teens & this love shall continue forever...a path-creator & an inspiration ! Rest in peace, Sir”.

Anshuman Jha said,” A master story teller who has left so many memories through his cinema. The simplicity & humour with which he captured middle-class India is what film legends are made of. One of ma's favourite,my favourites. Rest in peace now sir. Farewell #BasuChatterjee”.

His films dealt with light-hearted stories of middle-class families often in urban settings, focusing on marital and love relationships.

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