H. S. Rawail | |
|---|---|
| Born | Harnam Singh Rawail (1921-08-21)21 August 1921 |
| Died | 17 September 2004(2004-09-17) (aged 83) Mumbai,Maharashtra, India |
| Occupation | Film director |
| Years active | 1940–1982 |
| Children | Rahul Rawail |
| Relatives | Rajat Rawail (grandson) |
Harnam Singh Rawail (21 August 1921 – 17 September 2004), often credited asH. S. Rawail, was an Indian filmmaker. He debuted as a director with the 1940Bollywood filmDorangia Daku and is best known for romantic films likeMere Mehboob (1963),Sunghursh (1968),Mehboob Ki Mehndi (1971) andLaila Majnu (1976). His sonRahul Rawail and grandsonRajat Rawail (through daughter Roshni Rawail) are also film directors; the former paid tribute to his father's filmSunghursh by titling one of his films asJeevan Ek Sanghursh (1990).
Rawail was born inLyallpur,Punjab,British India and moved to Mumbai to aspire to be a filmmaker. Later, he moved toKolkata where he wrote several film scripts and debuted as a director withDorangia Daku (1940). His three consecutive films;Shukriya (1944),Zid (1945) andJhoothi Kasmein (1948); were commercial failures. His next filmPatanga (1949) was successful and was the seventh highest grossingBollywood film of 1949.[1] The film is still remembered for the song "Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon" performed byShamshad Begum.[2]
Later, Rawail's nine consecutive films from 1949 till 1956 did not perform well on the box office. In March 1956, Rawail started with two new projects,Chaalbaaz withMeena Kumari andBaazigar withVyjayanthimala. Both the films were dropped eventually. However, in 1958 directorNanabhai Bhatt revived both projects starringNirupa Roy.[3] Rawail took a three-year sabbatical and returned in 1959 with a comedy filmShararat, starringRaaj Kumar,Kishore Kumar and Meena Kumari. The film was a commercial failure along with his next two films,Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (1961),[4] starringDev Anand andWaheeda Rehman andKanch Ki Gudiya (1963) starringManoj Kumar. However, Manoj Kumar did gain recognition from tae film after hving starred in various unsuccessful films before.[5]
Rawail's major success came with 1963 musical filmMere Mehboob starringRajendra Kumar andSadhana Shivdasani. Kumar had earlier worked as an assistant director to Rawail.[6] The film was praised for Rawail's direction and is remembered for the title song composed by music directorNaushad and performed by singersMohammed Rafi andLata Mangeshkar.[7] His next filmSunghursh (1968) was based on a novel written by the Bengali authorMahashweta Devi. The film was set in the 19th century and showcased the lives of bandits. It was praised for the "exceptional performances" by its actorsDilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala,Balraj Sahni,Sanjeev Kumar andJayant.[8] The actor-directorRakesh Roshan worked as an assistant director on the film.[9]
His next filmMehboob Ki Mehndi (1971), featuringRajesh Khanna andLeena Chandavarkar, performed well at the box office. The film was counted among the 17 consecutive hits of Khanna and was recognised for its music composed byLaxmikant–Pyarelal. Later his 1976 filmLaila Majnu, starringRishi Kapoor andRanjeeta Kaur in lead roles, became a success. Rawail's last film as directorDeedar-E-Yaar (1982) was a commercial failure after which he took a break from the film industry.[10]
His sonRahul Rawail is also a film director and is best known for the filmsLove Story (1981),Betaab (1983),Arjun (1985) andAnjaam (1994). He paid tribute to his father's "best work"Sunghursh (1968) by titling one of his film asJeevan Ek Sanghursh (1990).[8] Rawail's grandson Bharat Rawail is an up-and-coming director, who recently assistedYash Chopra for his last film,Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012).[11] Rawail died on 17 September 2004 at the age of 83 in Mumbai.[8]
| Year | Title | Director | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | Dorangia Daku | Yes | |
| 1944 | Shukriya | Yes | |
| 1945 | Zid | Yes | Cinematographer |
| 1948 | Jhoothi Kasmein | Yes | |
| 1949 | Patanga | Yes | |
| 1949 | Do Baatein | Yes | |
| 1951 | Sagai | Yes | |
| 1951 | Jawani Ki Aag | Yes | |
| 1952 | Saqi | Yes | |
| 1953 | Shagufta | Yes | |
| 1953 | Lehren | Yes | |
| 1954 | Mastana | Yes | |
| 1955 | Teerandaz | Yes | |
| 1956 | Pocket Maar | Yes | Writer |
| 1959 | Shararat | Yes | |
| 1961 | Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja | Yes | |
| 1961 | Kanch Ki Gudiya | Yes | |
| 1963 | Mere Mehboob | Yes | Producer Screenplay Writer |
| 1968 | Sunghursh | Yes | |
| 1971 | Mehboob Ki Mehndi | Yes | Producer |
| 1976 | Laila Majnu | Yes | Screenplay Writer |
| 1982 | Deedar-E-Yaar | Yes | |
| 1987 | Dacait | Presenter | |
| 1992 | Bekhudi | Presenter | |
| 1994 | Anjaam | Presenter |
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)| International | |
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| National | |
