Noted playwright K P Saxena passes away

K P Saxena, who has been credited of penning dialogues for films like Lagaan, Swades, Hulchul and Jodha Akbar among a few other Bhojpuri films, died of a heart attack in Lucknow yesterday. The noted satirist was battling cancer for the last one and a half year. Saxena began his career with a short story in the late 1950s that was rejected by 19 publications. But recognition came his way in the 60s after he started writing columns and scripts for All India Radio. With the coming of television in 1975, the columnist turned into a playwright and won recognition as an actor soon after. His popularity on TV paved way for hasya kavi sammelans. His penchant for reading prose as well as poetry soon made him a darling of the crowd. According to his son Rohit, his father has undergone surgery twice-in July 2012 in March 2013-to get rid of the unnatural growth of destructive cells (cancer) right below his tongue.