New Delhi: Veteran Bollywood filmmaker GP Sippy passed away on Tuesday evening after a prolonged illness in a hospital in Mumbai.

The filmmaker was 94 years old and had been ill for the past nine months.

In his 40-year film career, G P Sippy produced some landmark films like Sholay, Seeta aur Geeta, Bhramachari, Shaan, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman and Sagar.

Though he started producing films in 1951 with Sazaa, his career got a boost when his son Ramesh Sippy made Sholay in 1975 which turned out to be the biggest hit in his and his son's career.

In early '60s G P Sippy tried his hand at directing but didn't succeed, but later went ahead to become one of the biggest producers in Hindi cinema. His last film was in 1997, a Saif Ali Khan starrer, Hamesha, after which he didn't produce any film due to ill health.

He also served as the Chairman of the Film and TV Producers Guild of India as many as four times.

Last year G P sippy was in the news when director Ram Gopal Varma claimed to have bought the rights of Sholay to make his version of the film, Ram Gopal Varma Kii Aag.