Biography
Neeraj Vohra was born on January 22, 1963, in Bhuj, Gujarat, but grew up in Santacruz, a suburb of Mumbai. His father, Pandit Vinayak Rai Nanalal Vohra, was a classical musician known for promoting the Tar-Shehnai as a solo classical instrument. Neeraj is an Indian film director, producer, actor, writer, and composer. Growing up in a family of classical musicians, Vohra was not allowed to watch Bollywood movies or listen to film music. However, his mother, Premila Ben, had a deep love for films and would secretly take him to the cinema. He attended the prestigious Pupils' Own School in Khar, Mumbai, where notable personalities like Falguni Pathak, Kinjal Bakshi, and Tina Munim were his peers.
Many students from his school attended classical music classes taught by his father, who insisted on traditional Indian music. Meanwhile, Vohra secretly taught them how to play Bollywood songs on the harmonium, which made him popular among his classmates.
Several prominent figures in Gujarati theatre, familiar with his father's work, influenced Vohra, sparking his interest in Gujarati theatre from the age of six. When his father learned of this passion at age thirteen, he encouraged Vohra to pursue it.
Vohra contributed to many successful Bollywood films, including Khiladi 420 (2000), Hera Pheri (2000), Phir Hera Pheri (2006), Hello Brother (1998), Khatta Meetha (2010), Familywala (2009), Shortkut: The Con Is On (2009), Hungama (2003), and Garam Masala (2005).
After a prolonged illness, Vohra passed away at age 54 on December 14, 2017. He had been in a coma for 13 months following a massive heart attack and brain stroke. He died at 4 a.m. at Criti Care Hospital in Andheri, Mumbai. Since October 2016, he had been living at film producer Firoz Nadiadwala's residence, where they were working on Hera Pheri 3. Nadiadwala had converted a room in his home into a makeshift Intensive Care Unit to care for Vohra during his coma.
