Sashadhar Mukherjee | |
|---|---|
 Mukherjee in November 1945 | |
| Born | (1909-09-29)29 September 1909 |
| Died | 3 November 1990(1990-11-03) (aged 81) |
| Occupation | Filmmaker |
| Spouse | Sati Devi |
| Children | 6 (includingJoy Mukherjee,Deb Mukherjee, andShomu Mukherjee) |
| Relatives | Ashok Kumar Anoop Kumar Kishore Kumar(Brothers-in-law) |
| Family | Mukherjee-Samarth family |
Sashadhar Mukherjee (29 September 1909 – 3 November 1990) was an Indian filmmaker inHindi cinema. He started his career withBombay Talkies in the 1930s, and later establishedFilmistan Studio with Rai Bahadur Chunilal (father of music directorMadan Mohan),Ashok Kumar andGyan Mukherjee in 1943. In the 1950s, he went on to start his independent studio, Filmalaya. He is noted for films likeDil Deke Dekho (1959),Love in Simla (1960),Ek Musafir Ek Hasina (1962) andLeader (1964). He is part of the distinguishedMukherjee clan ofBollywood.
He won theFilmfare Award for Best Film in 1956 forJagriti. In 1967, he was awarded thePadma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour by theGovernment of India.[1]
Mukherjee was born on 29 September 1909 inJhansi into an educated, middle-class Bengali Hindu family, the second of four brothers. His father, Haripada Mukherjee, who belonged to minor gentry, had received an English education and was in government service. The family, at that time, had nothing to do with the entertainment business or any other trade; however, not only Sashadhar but also two of his three brothers were to make a name for themselves in the film industry. Mukherjee's younger brothers were film directorSubodh Mukherjee and film producer Prabodh Mukherjee. His elder brother was Ravindramohan Mukherjee, who had little contact with the film industry, but whose granddaughter is the successful actressRani Mukerji.
Mukherjee was married when he was a teenager to Sati Devi Mukherjee, a teenager of his own Bengali Hindu community and similar family background, in a match arranged by their parents in the usual Indian way. Sati Devi's father was also in government service, and that family was also settled in the Hindi-speaking provinces; comsequently, both families spoke Hindi with native-level fluency. This proved important because due to Mukherjee's influence, all three of Sati Devi's brothers were to become actors and big names in the Hindi film industry. Her brothers were the venerable actorAshok Kumar,Anoop Kumar andKishore Kumar, who was an actor, but more famously a playback singer. Sashadhar Mukherjee was instrumental in helping his own brothers and his wife's brothers to establish themselves in the film industry and this is his important and enduring contribution to Indian films.
Sashadhar and Sati Devi had six children, five sons and one daughter, namely Rono Mukherjee,Joy Mukherjee,Deb Mukherjee,Shomu Mukherjee, Shibani Mukherjee and Shubir Mukherjee. All of their sons were active in the film industry, including the superstar Joy, and some of their grandchildren are likewise involved. Deb's son is film directorAyan Mukherjee, who directedYeh Jawani Hai Deewani (2013).[2] Shomu married the actressTanuja (daughter ofShobhana Samarth and sister ofNutan) and became the father of two daughters,Kajol andTanisha, and these grand-daughters of Sashadhar have also become actresses.
He was a producer forBombay Talkies, and after the death ofHimanshu Rai in 1940, was involved in a tussle for control of Bombay Talkies withDevika Rani, actress and widow of Himanshu.[3][4]
In 1943, Sashadhar Mukherjee formed a partnership with Rai Bahadur Chunilal, Ashok Kumar andGyan Mukherjee, and they started the studioFilmistan inGoregaon.[5] The first film they planned at Filmistan wasChal Chal Re Naujawan with Naseem Bano and Ashok Kumar who had by then become a star. Sadat Hassan Manto, Ismat Chughtai, Pt. Pradeep and so many other intelligent, talented, and creative people were associated with Filmistan. Filmistan gave breaks and made stars out ofShammi Kapoor,Dev Anand and many more. Mukherjee made unforgettable and classic films there likeAnarkali,Nagin,Tumsa Nahin Dekha,Munim ji, andPaying Guest. He groomedNasir Hussain as a Director.
In the 1950s, Sashadhar formed his own production house calledFilmalaya Studios inAndheri, near Amboli. He also ran an acting school and was instrumental in giving actresses likeAsha Parekh andSadhana a break in films. Sanjeev Kumar was also a product of Filmalaya Acting school.Nasir Hussain was a director involved with his productions as wereR. K. Nayyar and Gyan Mukherjee; music directorO. P. Nayyar was also associated with his solo productions. He launched his son Joy with the filmLove in Simla (1960); he also produced films likeEk Musafir Ek Hasina to further his son's career. WhenDilip Kumar wanted to make a film on corrupt politicians he came to Mukherjee and madeLeader. Sambandh was his last production, though it was produced by his cousinRam Mukherjee.[6][circular reference] Sashadhar Mukherjee died on 3 November 1990.
Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honor (1967)| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | Kangan | ||
| 1940 | Bandhan | N.R. Acharya | Banner:Bombay Talkies |
| 1941 | Jhoola | Gyan Mukherjee | |
| 1954 | Jagriti | Satyen Bose | Filmfare Award for Best Film in 1956 |
| 1955 | Munimji | Subodh Mukherjee | Filmistan |
| 1957 | Tumsa Nahin Dekha | Nasir Hussain | Filmistan |
| Paying Guest | Subodh Mukherjee | Filmistan | |
| 1959 | Dil Deke Dekho | Nasir Hussain | Filmalaya |
| 1960 | Love in Simla | R. K. Nayyar | Filmalaya |
| 1962 | Ek Musafir Ek Hasina | Raj Khosla | |
| 1964 | Leader | Ram Mukherjee | |
| Aao Pyar Karen | R. K. Nayyar | ||
| 1965 | Tu Hi Meri Zindagi | Rono Mukherjee |
As founder of Filmalaya Studio,[7] the 1990 filmPathar Ke Insan, was dedicated to the memory of Sashadhar Mukherjee.[8]