Bachchan pays tribute to Mehra

Amitabh Bachchan has paid tribute to former mentor Prakash Mehra following his death on Sunday.

Bachchan, who was given his first big break by Mehra in 1973 hit Zanjeer, worked with the director on a total of seven occasions culminating in 1989 flop Jaadugar.

The 66-year-old actor told the Bombay Times: "Prakash Mehra was an all-rounder in his craft. He was first a writer and coming from the north had great sense of the language and its temperament. He was a simple man who had come from very humble beginnings.

"His commercial successes never ever betrayed his respect for the people that he grew up with or with those that remained with him during his phenomenal journey. We have lost a great filmmaker and a wonderful human."

Mehra, 69, passed away at a Mumbai hospital after suffering from pneumonia and multiple organ failure.