Feroz Khan- The Film-maker

It is assumed that Feroz Khan turned to film-making and direction only
to improve his career opportunities. But he had the talent that
reflected in his films and their concept.

His first directorial venture was Dharamatma. He produced, directed
and starred in this film. Dharmatma which was the first Indian film to
be shot in Afghanistan and was also his first blockbuster hit. This
movie was inspired by the Hollywood film The Godfather. This film's
protagonist Premnath was based on the character of Matka king Ratan
Khatri. It is said that Feroz Khan sat down with Ratan Khatri in order
to learn more about the man and understand the nuances of matka (form
of Indian gambling). The film cast included Feroz Khan, Rekha, Hema
Malini, Premnath, Danny Denzongpa, Farida Jalal, Ranjeet, Helen, Madan
Puri, Iftekhar and Dara Singh.

He directed and starred in many more films. The movie Qurbani (1980)
was the biggest hit of his career and also launched the singing career
of iconic Pakistani pop singer Nazia Hassan. The film starred Vinod
Khanna, Zeenat Aman, Amjad Khan, Shakti Kapoor, Aruna Irani, Amrish
Puri and Kader Khan.Feroz Khan can be credited for bringing Kader
Khan, Shakti Kapoor and Amrish Puri into the mainstream Class A
Bollywood movies by giving them exposure and critical role in the
movie. Kader Khan also wrote the dialogs for the movie.The film's
direction, urban setting, music and foreign locales, as well as
upmarket images, made it stand out when it was released.

In 1986, he directed and starred in Janbaaz which was a box office
hit. One of his best movies, with an all star cast, great songs and
excellent cinematography,the movie is primarily remembered for its
steamy scenes.

In 1988, he directed and starred in Dayavan which was a remake of a
South Indian film titled Nayagan.

After he directed and starred in Yalghaar (1992), he took a long break
from acting for 11 years and took to producing, directing and even
editing a few films.

He launched his son Fardeen Khan's career with the 1998 film Prem
Aggan which was however a box office failure.

In 2003, he produced and directed Janasheen which also starred his son
Fardeen and marked Firoz's acting comeback.

The demise of actor, director and producer Feroz Khan is a big loss to
the Indian cinema. He died on April 27th, 2009. His immense
contribution will be always remembered. He was the pride of the
bollywood.

Anticipating films of these Maestro's

Image by Celeste33 via Flickr

These consummate filmmakers weavee magic on-screen. They are the best without a doubt...the very best.

Check out... the names of bollywood directors whose films are most awaited.

Raju Hirani - Solid and thoughtful entertainer and will continue to raise the bar and raise our faith in the future of Bollywood. What a spectacular films were Munnabhai, the latter better than the former.

Anurag Basu - Only because he started from the much-derided Bhatt camp, he remains the most underrated director today in Bollywood Life in a Metro was just a trailor...huge hopes with Kites.

Vishal Bhardwaj - My bet as the Indian auteur most likely to bring home an Oscar with his brilliant adaptations of stories.

Imtiaz Ali - Low-key, gentle, feel-good cinema at its most genuine. Socha Na Tha was as good as Jab We Met and so expectations are high with Love Aaj Kal too

Farhan Akhtar - Even with crap like Don, he had a coherent cinematic vision and pitch-perfect story-telling

Aamir Khan - What can we say about this little taskmaster. His debut film Taare Zameen Par was simply awesome.

Shimit Amin - Anyone who straddles two diverse genres with such adroitness, can definitely do a third and more. Remember poles apart two films Ab tak Chappan and Chak De!

Ashutosh Gowariker - Even his failures are of better quality than most other films...read Swades.

Sriram Raghavan - A director who isn't afraid to defy conventions, and with the writing chops to set new ones. Ek Haseena Thi was a superb thriller.

Tapan Sinha - Legendary Filmmaker

Indian filmmaker TAPAN SINHA has died from broncho-pneumonia at age of 84. The acclaimed film director passed away at a hospital in Calcutta, India on Thursday (15Jan, 09) after a prolonged illness, according to his grandson.

Sinha's career spanned over 40 films and he garnered more than a dozen film prizes in India for his work, including India's highest honour for cinema - the Dada Saheb Phalke award just last year.

Though he was primarily based in the Bengali film industry, Sinha also made films in different languages like Hindi and Oriya.

Apart from winning laurels at home, the veteran filmmaker also won several awards in international film festivals like those in Berlin, Venice, London, Moscow, San Francisco and Locarno.

Sinha, who won 19 National Awards in various categories has notable films like "Ankush", "Ek Doctor Ki Maut", "Safed Haathi", "Kabuliwala", "Uphaar" and "Sagina Mahato" to his credit.

Sinha is survived by a son and daughter.

Karan Johar's much awaited next film

Karan Johar had taken a backseat and is making a comeback into direction after a long hiatus with My Name is Khan. His third film as a director and fourth film as writer; Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna came way back in 2005.

However, he has been into production since long with his last hit being Dostana 2008.

Karan has chosen to reach out to a global non-NRI audiences with his next film My Name is Khan. This Indian drama is based on a true story. It has a screenplay by Shibani Bathija, and stars Khan and Kajol. The musical trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy composed the film's score.Cinematography is by Ravi K. Chandran.
The film is slated for a December 2009 release.

The boy to play the childhood section of Shah Rukh’s life in the film is not only because of his facial likeness to Shah Rukh, but also because of the Tanay’s instant connectivity with the Mumbai slums and thereafter the Western audience.Karan now intends to cast Tanay as junior SRK whenever required, much in the way that Master Mayur played the young Amitabh Bachchan in a series of films.

Karan’s exposition on the Muslim identity will be experienced through this film.Though the take-off point for My Name Is Khan is 9/11 not a single shot is taken in New York.

The film is set in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Two of the most expensove cities in the US for shooting. While Karan Johar’s production of Rensil de Silva’s Kareena-Saif film on terrorism will have Philadelphia masquerading as New York , Johar’s own directorial take on terrorism and the isolation of the working-class Muslim has gone to the two actual US cities were the plot is location .

Karan shot in LA earlier this year. He will leave for San Francisco in May for a 40-day schedule. Putting his shoulder surgery behind him Shah Rukh with best friend Karan Johar and favourite co-star Kajol to accompany him, would be gone to San Francisco for 40 days in May and June .The first and last Hindi film to be shot in SF was Imtiaz Ali’s Love Aaj Kal.

With Aamir Khan vacationing with his children out of the country, the two purported architects and mediator Karan Johar for the solution for the multiplex crisis are all out of the loop putting a large question mark before the deadlock that threatens to shut the film industry.

Karan Johar to make films of Public-concern

The entire music video from Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions featuring young A-listers from Hollywood asking the young in India to vote was put together in two days flat.



And that included Salim’s (of Salim-Suleiman) background music, said Karan proudly.

They began with Abhishek Bachchan and Karan Johar himself, trooped into the studio to have their say on camera.

Karan was delighted. I had to do nothing except pick up the phone and ask everyone to come and record their message for the young. I was surprised by how readily and quickly they took time off from their busy schedules for this public-interest broadcast.

And now Karan Johar has discovered a new passion. He wants to now produce informative profit-free short films for television that would subscribe ways to achieve an improvement in the quality of our life.

Karan Johar’s entire music video urging the youngsters of the country to vote was put together in two days and considering it stars every 32-minus A-lister from Kareena Kapoor to Abhishek Bachchan, that’s no mean achievement.

The credit for the music video must go to Imran Khan, says Karan Johar who has been shooting non-stop with Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol for My Name Is Khan. I had gone to meet Imran for a film when he brought up the idea of a video on voting. His enthusiasm rubbed off on me. I got together with Mukul

Deora, called up my writer-friend Niranjan Iyenger to write the script and asked my Dostana director and friend Tarun Mansukhani to direct it. And we were ready.

Karan will now be looking at other public-interest films where he can use his connections in Bollywood for purposes other than entertainment.

The vote-youth video made me realize the importance of reaching out to the public. Considering we’re going through a global economic recession and other major problems it is very important for the young to be mobilized into casting their votes to elect correct leaders. Similarly there’re other areas where I think my contacts could come in handy

Mani Ratnam health improves

Renowned film director Mani Ratnam was admitted to Apollo Hospital on Tuesday night after complaining of breathing problems and discomfort in chest, is recuperating and would be allowed to resume work after resting for a couple of days.



"Doctors said there was nothing to panic and the director is healthy," Ratnam's spokesman Nikhil Murugan said.

Mr. Ratnam (52) was admitted to a hospital last night after he complained of "breathing difficulty" and discomfort in the chest.

The director, who introduced Oscar-winning musician A R Rahman in "Roja", had survived a heart attack in 2004 when he was filming the multi-starrer, bi-lingual 'Yuva'.

Mr. Mani Ratnam is currently involved in a project, tentatively titled 'Ravan' that stars national award winner Vikram, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, among others.

Mr. Ratnam, who has made block busters in Tamil and Hindi cinema, is known to make movies on controversial issues like the Bombay riots in and terrorism-related subjects such as the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer 'Dil Se', 'Roja' and 'Kannathil Muthamittal'.

Genius - Neeraj Pandey

Born and brought up in Kolkata, Neeraj Pandey moved to New Delhi, where he graduated in English. He was employed in Legacy Entertainment, a company started by the Dalmia group to make television programs where he learnt his basics.

Despite a widely praised debut with A Wednesday, director Neeraj Pandey says he is no hurry to keep all the days of his week busy.



Meagre beginnings


In 2000, he moved to Mumbai, where he made documentaries and ad films. Along with his colleague Sheetal Bhatia, he formed Quarter Inch Productions, to make television programmes, ad films and documentaries. The July 11 blasts led to the script of A Wednesday. A lot of information came from the real incidents that followed.

That first script


Not many know that 34-year-old Pandey’s first attempt at feature film-making was the Basic Instinct-inspired Khaffa, with Jimmy Sheirgill, Kim Sharma and Hrishitaa Bhatt.

Recalling the time he went about casting Anupam Kher and Naseeruddin Shah as the two principal characters, he says, “They were my first choices. So naturally, I sent the script to them. They reverted saying they liked it. So I can’t say who else I would have approached if they had declined for some reason.”

He elaborates, “Then I bounced the idea to Anjum Rizvi, whom I’ve known before. He liked the subject and the casting. When UTV heard about them film, it took over. We finished shooting in 28 days. Right from casting to completing the film, it took me about eight months.”

On his own


Reportedly, UTV which bought the film’s rights from Rizvi and him, delayed the release because of its own production Mumbai Meri Jaan, also based on the July 11 Mumbai local train serial blasts. Tell him this and he shrugs, “ That’s something only the people at UTV will be able to tell you. But from what I know, they were working out a marketing and promotion plan and released it accordingly.”




Future Plans

Pandey asserts that he will make his films for his own production banner or as co-productions from now on.
He is trying to cash in on the film’s success, and to further work on the subject of terrorism, he is planning a prequel to the Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher starrer.

The script is said to be ready, but an official announcement has reportedly been put on hold due to a legal wrangle with the producer of ‘A Wednesday’, UTV.

UTV sold the Tamil rights of the original film to Kamal Hassan without Neeraj’s consent. Now the extent of UTV’s copyright jurisdiction over the rights and material of ‘A Wednesday’ needs to be determined.

Till then the project is on hold, but plans are gearing up fast.

Shakti Samant - Legend is No More

With the demise of legendary hindi film director Shakti Samant - a glorious chapter of Indian cinema has been brought to an end. Shakti Samant was one of the icons who single handedly wrote new idioms for making of cinema whose core motif was romance.

Shaktiji started his career with the cinema from the black and white era with HOWRAH BRIDGE and at the fag end of the innings also came out with a movie like DON MUTHUSWAMY which was anti-thesis to the image that he had created for himself.

One of the singular features of nearly all the films that Shakti Samant made was the integral presence the grand patriarch of Hindi cinema Dada Muni aka Ashok Kumar. It had become more so pronounced in the early seventies when Shakti Samant was on a roll with his romantic films.



Likeable films of Shakti Samant are classics like ARADHANA, KATI PATANG, AMAR PREM, ANURAAG, AMANUSH, etc., which bear an ample testimony to the same. Dada Muni and Shakti Samant seemed to grow together in film after film, and the image of grand patriarch sort of got solidification with Dada Muni�s association with Shakti Samant.

It is also ironic that the first romantic hero of the country Rajesh Khanna was the creation of Shakti Samanta through his series of films. For Sharmila Tagore as well, it was Shakti Samant who was her most successful director.It was a relationship that started with KASHMIR KI KALI, AN EVENING IN PARIS, following into AMAR PREM, ARADHANA, etc. He would be rare few directors who won three Filmfare awards for ARADHANA, AMR PREM and AMANUSH.

Shakti Samant therefore would be one of the giants of the Hindi cinema as he gave to the industry few of the all time greats that the industry has including Dada Muni, Shammi Kapoor, Sharmila Tagore, Rajesh Khanna, Uttam Kumar and in the realm of music the iconic success that R D Burman enjoyed along with Kishore Kumar could not have been possible had Shakti Samant not made films like ARADHANA, AMAR PREM, KATI PATANG etc.

He was also the first man who began the era of making bilingual films i.e. both in Hindi and Bengali and opened a new genre of film making, which was not followed up subsequently. He was one man who single handedly was instrumental in bringing the traditions and practices of Bengali culture on a country wide platform and his characters most of the time used to sport traditional Indian dresses, a sort of fashion statement about the Indian sartorial preferences.

In his passing away Hindi bollywood cinema has lost one of the biggest legends that it ever produced.

Ravi Chopra-The refined director

Ravi Chopra was born on September 27, 1946. He is an Indian movie producer and director. Ravi is the son of movie producer-director, B.R.Chopra and nephew of producer-director, Yash Chopra', and cousin of actor Uday Chopra, and writer-director, Aditya Chopra.



'The Burning Train' failed to take off. Ravi continued working with his father and faced his greatest challenge during the making of 'Mahabharat', the epic television serial which has gone down in the history of Indian television. He came back to films and made Baghban(2003) which proved to be one of the biggest hits which encouraged Ravi to make "Baabul', another family drama about a young widow and the fight of her father-in-law to deliver her from the plight she is placed in by tradition and customs.

Ravi's production of the movie, Bhootnath, released in 2008 was a big hit.





Filmography as director and producer

Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai (2009) - director,producer
Videsh (2009) - producer
Bhootnath (2008) - producer
Baabul (2006) - director
Baghban (2003) - director
Ramayan (mini-series) (2002) - director,producer
Kal Ki Awaz (1992) - director
Pratigyabadh (1991) - director
Mahabharat (1988) - director
Dahleez (1986) - director
Aaj Ki Awaaz (1984) - director
Mazdoor (1983) - director
Nikaah (1982) - producer
Insaf Ka Tarazu (1980) - producer
The Burning Train (1980) - director
Tumhari Kasam (1978) - director
Zameer (1975) - director

Ravi Chopra is one of the refined directors of Indian cinema. We hope that his upcoming ventures too make a mark in the bollywood industry. Ravi has always tried to make family films and television programmes and will continue to do so.

The Legend-Prakash Mehra

Prakash Mehra born 13 July,1939 in Bijnaur, Uttar Pradesh, India is a legendary Bollywood film producer and director. Mehra started in the late 1950s as a production controller. In 1968, Prakash directed Shashi Kapoor who played a double role in Haseena Maan Jayegi(1968).



In 1971, he made Mela starring the Feroz Khan and Sanjay Khan together and the movie was a hit. In 1973, Prakash Mehra produced and directed Zanjeer. This mega blockbuster with Big B started a relationship that spanned 7 more films.

Prakash Mehra also directed and produced Zindagi Ek Jua with actor Anil Kapoor in 1991, which was not a commercial success. In 1996, he introduced veteran actor Raaj Kumar's son Puru Raajkumar in Bal Brahmachari which was also unsuccessful. This was the last film he directed. Prakash also produced the movie Dalaal in 1993 with Mithun Chakraborthy, in the mid-90s, which was a box-office hit.



Mehra received a lifetime achievement award from the India Motion Picture Directors Association (IMPDA) in 2006. He also received Lifetime Achievement as Producer from IMPAA (Indian Motion Picture Producers Association) on September 19, 2008.

Filmography

Haseena Maan Jayegi (1968)
Aakhri Daku (1970)
Mela (1971)
Samadhi (1972)
Zanjeer (1973)
Haath Ki Safai (1974)
Hera Pheri (1976)
Muqaddar Ka Sikander(1978)
Laawaris (1981)
Namak Halaal (1982)
Sharaabi (1984)
Jaadugar (1989)
Zindagi Ek Jua (1992)
Dalaal (Producer only) (1993)
Bal Brahmachari (1996)


Prakash Mehra was one of the first Bombay directors to try venture into Hollywood. In the late 80's Prakash tried a joint venture to make the movie The God Connection with Frank Yandolino. The movie was to include Hollywood actors such as Charles Bronson among others, but the project though funded heavily initially, never materialized.

Ghajini fame - A.R. Muragadoss

A. R. Murugadoss is an acclaimed Tamil director in Kollywood, the Chennai–based Tamil film industry.



Murugadoss has done five films and has directed top stars like Ajith Kumar, Vijaykanth, Surya, Chiranjeevi and Aamir Khan. His five films have been classified hits and Ghajini in Tamil especially received rave reviews for his style of directing.



After watching the Tamil movie Ghajini, Aamir khan was interested to remake the movie in Hindi and invited him to direct the film. The Hindi version is also named Ghajini and was released on 25 December 2008 and had a big opening and broke many records, and it's an all time blockbuster. It's the first Bollywood movie to cross the 200 crore barrier in the collection category.


Filmography

Director

Dheena (2001)
Ramana (2002)
Ghajini (2005)
Stalin (2006)
Ghajini (2008)

Writer

Ghajini (2005)
Stalin (2006)
Ghajini (2008)

Awards and Nominations

Nominated, Star Screen Award for Best Director- Ghajini
Nominated, Filmfare Best Director Award - Ghajini
Winner, Stardust Hottest New Filmmaker - Ghajini
Received, Best Director Award - Ramana