Mehboob Khan

Mehboob Khan
Born	Mehboob Khan Ramzan Khan 1907 Gujarat
Died	28 May 1964(1964-05-28)
Occupation	Film director
Years active	1931 - 1962

Mehboob Khan (1907 – 28 May 1964) was a pioneer, producer-director of Hindi cinema, best known for directing Mother India (1957), which won the Filmfare Awards for Best Film and Best Director and was a nominee for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. He set up his production company, Mehboob Productions, and later a film studio, the Mehboob Studios in Bandra, Mumbai in 1954.

Early life

Khan was born Mehboob Khan Ramzan Khan in Bilimora, Gujarat in Gandevi Taluka of Navsari District, Gujarat.

Career

He ran away from home to work small jobs in the studios of Bombay. He started as an assistant in the silent era and an extra in the studios of the Imperial Film Company of Ardeshir Irani, before directing his first film, Judgement of Allah (1935), when he started he started directing films for the Sagar Film Company. Directorial features like Aurat followed, with the studios Sagar Movietone and National Studios. In 1945, Khan set up his own production house, Mehboob Productions.

Mehboob Studios courtyard set-up by Khan in 1954, Bandra (W), Mumbai

Throughout his career, Khan produced and directed many blockbuster films, the most notable being the romantic drama Andaz (1949), the swashbuckling Aan (1951), the dramatic Amar (1954) and the social epic Mother India (1957), the latter of which was nominated for an Academy Award in 1957 and was a remake of his own 1940 film Aurat. He has directed 21 other films dating from the late 1930s. His earlier works were in Urdu, but his later material, including Mother India, were in Hindi although many say he utilized Hindustani, a friendlier and softer spoken version of Hindi and Persian. Several of his films, especially his earlier films Humayun, the story of a Mughal emperor who ruled India, Anmol Ghadi and Taqdeer, in which he introduced Nargis, who would later marry Sunil Dutt, were written by Aghajani Kashmeri also Kashmiri and Agha Jani. Kashmeri was responsible for picking and training Nargis in Hindustani and Urdu dialogue delivery. His last film as a director was the 1962 film Son of India. He died soon at the age of 57, and was buried at Badakabarastan in Marine Lines, Mumbai. His death occurred the next day after the death of Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India.

Khan introduced and helped establish the careers of many actors and actresses who went onto become big stars in the 1950s and 1960s such as Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar, Raaj Kumar, Nargis, Nimmi and Nadira.

Khan was known for having been influenced by Hollywood films and his films often featured lavish sets in the style of the Hollywood era at that time. The oppression of the poor, class warfare and rural life are recurring themes in his work. He was the adopted father of Sajid Khan, who appeared in his last two films Mother India and Son of India.

Mehboob Khan was awarded the title of Hidayat Kar-e-Azam by the Indian government.

Legacy

As a part his birth centenary celebrations, the Indian postal department released a commemorative stamp of Mehmood Khan at a function held at the Mehboob Studios in September 2007.

Filmography

As a director

• Son of India (1962)
• A Handful of Grain (1959)
• Mother India (1957)
• Amar (1954)
• Aan (1952)
• Andaz (1949)
• Anokhi Ada (1948)
• Elan (1947)
• Anmol Ghadi (1946)
• Humayun (1945)
• Najma (1943)
• Taqdeer (1943)
• Huma Gun Anmogaldi (1942)
• Roti (1942)
• Bahen (1941)
• Alibaba (1940)
• Aurat (1940)
• Ek Hi Raasta (1939)
• Hum Tum Aur Woh (1938)
• Watan (1938)
• Jagirdar (1937)
• Deccan Queen (1936)
• Manmohan (1936)
• Judgement of Allah (1935)

As a producer

• Mother India (1957)
• Amar (1954)
• Aan (1952)
• Anokhi Ada (1948)
• Anmol Ghadi (1946)
• Zarina (1932)

As an actor

• Zarina (1932)
• Dilawar (1931)
• Meri Jaan (1931)

As a writer

• Watan (1938) (story)
• Judgement of Allah (1935) (story, screenplay)

Further reading

• Reuben, Bunny (1994). Mehboob, India's DeMille: the first biography. Indus. ISBN 8172231539. 
• Ahmed, Rauf (2008). Mehboob Khan: the romance of history (Legends of Indian cinema). Wisdom Tree. ISBN 8183281060. 

References

• Mehboob Khan profile

External links

• Mehboob Khan, Profile at Upperstall.com
• Mehboob Khan at the Internet Movie Database
• Mehboob Khan@SPICE
• Mother India - The Cinema of Mehboob Khan