'Sir Richard Attenborough lives on through Gandhi'

'He was a filmmaker who spread hope and optimism through his documentaries and feature films' 

'He was a great actor and an even greater director'

Several Indian film industry veterans pay tribute to Sir Richard Attenborough, who breathed his last on August 24.

Annu Kapoor: I earned my first paycheck in Mumbai on August 25, 1982, when I dubbed for a small role in Gandhi, in the presence of the great Sir Richard Attenborough, exactly 32 years ago.

We've now lost him. May his soul rest in peace.

Lilette Dubey: This is the end of an era.

He will always be remembered as one of those rare artists who strike a balance between theatre and films effortlessly.

Even before any Indian filmmaker could conceive the idea of a biopic on Gandhi, he took the leap and turned his film into a classic.

He will forever be remembered for that.

R Balki: He was God. He brought Gandhi alive.

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Kamal Hassan

He had the greatest respect for Mr Satyajit Ray.

In an interview, Sir Richard had mentioned that Ray had sent him a script to read. He also said that he would read anything Mr Ray sent him, even if it was a telephone directory.

Rakesyh Omprakash Mehra

A cinematic great is no more. From Brighton Rock to A Bridge Too Far to Gandhi, he has given us so much.

He lives on through his work.

Rensil D’Silva

There should be a biopic made on the creator of celluloid's ultimate biography.

Nagesh Kukunoor

What a loss!

Thirty two years since its release, Gandhi remains one of the greatest films ever made on India.

Hansal Mehta

What a life! And what a legacy! Sir Richard Aattenborough lives on.

Nishikant Kamat

He was a great actor and an even even greater director. Sir Richard's A Bridge Too Far was the greatest war film of its times.

His sense of filming real lives was incredible. He lived his dreams to the fullest. 

Sir Richard's eye for mega-shots and their execution was simply astounding.

He had a macro vision of shot-taking which very few filmmakers are blessed with. May his soul rest in peace.

Onir

It's sad that the world has lost another talented artiste.

Sir Richard's work, especially his film Gandhi, have immortalised him forever.

Shoojit Sircar

No other biopic on Mahatma Gandhi has elicited such a worldwide acceptance as Sir Richard's Gandhi. I have the highest respect for what he achieved.

Santosh Sivan

I think he was a filmmaker who spread hope and optimism through his documentaries and feature films.

Sir Richard was a true artiste. He loved nature and that was evident in his films.

His biopic on Gandhi is timeless.

Gurinder Chadha

I met him a few times, he was always the epitome of charm.

He was a formidable stalwart of our industry with an amazing career as an actor and filmmaker.

He struggled for many years to make his masterpiece Gandhi, no one wanted to back it but he never gave up.