“She was not keeping well for some time. She had Alzheimer’s and was suffering from other old age-related health issues as well. She died at the hospital this morning,” said Sarin.

Vasudev was married to the late diplomat Sunil Roy Chowdhury and is survived by her daughter, graphic designer Yamini Roy Chowdhury, who is married to politician Varun Gandhi. The last rites will be conducted at the Lodhi Road crematorium at 3 pm.

From her beginnings in pre-independent India to her influential role in the film industry, Vasudev made significant contributions as a critic, author, editor, painter, documentary maker, and advocate for Asian cinema. Based in Delhi, she founded “Cinemaya: The Asian Film Quarterly” and established the Netpac (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) over three decades ago to support Asian films globally.

Social media platforms have been filled with tributes to Vasudev. Veteran actor Shabana Azmi said she is “saddened” to hear about Vasudev’s passing. “She was the pioneer for making Asian films a genre to be talked about as a separate identity of its own. There are many laurels to her credit but I will always remember her for her warmth and radiant smile. Her observations were always insightful and I enjoyed being with her a lot. My condolences to her family. RIP dear dearest Aruna,” Azmi wrote on Instagram.

Film critic and author Namrata Joshi expressed gratitude, saying, “Thank you for the movies, Aruna Vasudev.” “Growing up 80s-90s Delhi, world cinema—specially from Asia & the Arab world—first came home to us because of the ceaseless untiring efforts of Aruna and Latika Padgaonkar through their Cinefan film festival and Cinemaya magazine,” Joshi wrote on X.

“Rest in Peace, Aruna Ma’am… Thank you for curating one of the best film festivals of Delhi. A lot of us were introduced to some of the finest world cinema because of you. #arunavasudev,” posted filmmaker Sania Hashmi.

Vasudev also founded Cinefan, the Cinemaya Festival of Asian Cinema, in 1999, one of the first festivals dedicated solely to Asian cinema. She served on the jury panels of several prestigious international film festivals, including Cannes and Locarno. In recognition of her impact, the Tripoli Film Festival in Lebanon established the ‘Aruna Vasudev Award’ for the best film creation.

Her work included directing or producing around 20 documentaries and editing numerous books. Notably, she translated Jean-Claude Carriere’s “In Search of the Mahabharata: Notes of Travels in India with Peter Brook” from French to English. A documentary about her life, “Aruna Vasudev: Mother of Asian Cinema,” directed by Supriya Suri, was released in 2021, highlighting her journey as a film critic and activist.

Vasudev was also a board member of Alliance Française de Delhi and had a long association with France, where she studied at the Institut des hautes etudes cinematographiques and earned a PhD in cinema from the University of Paris, Sorbonne. Her contributions were honoured by the French government with the Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2019 and the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2002.

Neville Tuli, founder of the Tuli Research Centre for India Studies, mourned the loss of his friend, whom he described as the “epitome of a confident individuality rooted in a deep knowledge and appreciation for creativity, cinema, scholarship and genuine compassion”.

“She carried her knowledge and leadership lightly, for it was a living energy, where her theory and practice had seamlessly fused into a daily ritual of frenetic creative thoughts, activities, and ways to communicate and support the building of a cinematic culture and awareness among one and all.

“Her thoughts were rooted in that rare desire to nurture the young & independent minded film enthusiasts who wanted to make cinema their life. Naturally, she did not suffer fools or mediocrity gladly,” said Tuli.