Mehboob Khan | |
|---|---|
 Mehboob Khan in the early 1940s | |
| Born | Mehboob Khan (1907-09-09)9 September 1907 |
| Died | 28 May 1964(1964-05-28) (aged 56) Bombay, Maharashtra, India |
| Resting place | Badakabarastan,Marine Lines, Mumbai |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, producer |
| Years active | 1931–1962 |
| Spouse(s) | Fatima (separated) Sardar Akhtar |
| Children | 4; One adopted |
| Honors | Padma Shri (1963)[1] |
Mehboob Khan Ramzan Khan (9 September 1907[2] – 28 May 1964) was a prominent Indian film director and producer. He is best known for directing the social epicMother India (1957), which won theFilmfare Awards forBest Film andBest Director, twoNational Film Awards, and was a nominee for theAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.[3] He set up his production company – Mehboob Productions, and later a film studio –Mehboob Studios inBandra, Mumbai in 1954.[4][5][6] He also created thedacoit film genre withAurat (1940) andMother India,[7] and is also known for other blockbusters including the romantic dramaAndaz (1949), the swashbuckling musicalAan (1951), and the melodramaAmar (1954).
Khan was bornMehboob Khan Ramzan Khan inBilimora in Gandevi Taluka ofSurat State (nowGujarat) on 9 September 1907.[2]
He was brought toBombay from his home town inGujarat by Noor Muhammad Ali Muhammed Shipra Baddhiyawala (producer and horse supplier in Indian cinema) to work as a horseshoe repairer in a stable (owned by Noor Muhammad Ali Muhammed Shipra Baddhiyawala). One day at the shooting of South Indian director Chandrashekhar, Mehboob showed interest in working with Chandrashekhar. After seeing his great interest and skills, Chandrashekhar asked Noor Muhammad Ali Muhammed Shipra Baddhiyawala to allow him to take Mehboob with him to work at small jobs in the film studios of Bombay. He started as an assistant director in theSilent Film era and as anextra in the studios of the Imperial Film Company ofArdeshir Irani, before directing his first filmAl Hilal a.k.a.Judgement of Allah (1935), when he started directing films for theSagar Film Company. Notable films he directed for Sagar Movietone and National Studios includedDeccan Queen (1936),Ek Hi Raasta (1939),Alibaba (1940),Aurat (1940) andBahen (1941).
In 1945, Khan set up his own production house –Mehboob Productions. In 1946, he directed the musical hitAnmol Ghadi, which featured singing starsSurendra,Noor Jehan andSuraiya in leading roles. Khan went on to produce and direct many blockbuster films, the most notable being the romantic dramaAndaz (1949), the swashbuckling musicalAan (1951), the melodramaAmar (1954), and the social epicMother India (1957). The latter was a remake of his 1940 filmAurat and was nominated for anAcademy Award in 1957. His earlier works were inUrdu, but his later material, includingMother India, were inHindustani, a friendlier and softer spoken version ofHindi and Urdu. Several of his films, especially his earlier work onHumayun (1945), the story of a Mogul emperor who ruled India,Anmol Ghadi (1946), andTaqdeer (in which he introducedNargis, who later marriedSunil Dutt), were written byAghajani Kashmeri. Kashmeri was responsible for picking and training Nargis in Hindustani and Urdu dialogue delivery. His last film as a director was 1962'sSon of India.
He died of aheart attack in 1964 at the age of 56 and was buried atBadakabarastan inMarine Lines,Mumbai. His death occurred the day after the death ofJawaharlal Nehru, thePrime Minister of India.[8]
Khan introduced and helped establish the careers of many actors and actresses who went on to become big stars in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s such asSurendra,Arun Kumar Ahuja,Dilip Kumar,Raj Kapoor,Sunil Dutt,Rajendra Kumar,Raaj Kumar,Nargis,Nimmi andNadira. In 1961, he was a member of the jury at the2nd Moscow International Film Festival.[9] He remained the president of theFilm Federation of India from 1963 through 1964.[10]
Mehboob Khan was known for having been influenced by Hollywood, and his films often featured lavish sets in the style of the Hollywood at that time. The oppression of the poor, class warfare and rural life are recurring themes in his work.
Mehboob Khan was awarded the title ofHidayat Kar-e-Azam by the Indian government.[11]
Mehboob Khan married twice.[12][11] With his first wife Fatima, he had three sons: Ayub, Iqbal and Shaukat. After separation from his first wife, he married the famous Indian film actressSardar Akhtar (1915–1986) in 1942. He adoptedSajid Khan (born 28 December 1951), who has starred in Indian and foreign English films.[11]
Mehboob Khan died of a heart attack on 28 May 1964.[11]As a part of his birth centenary celebrations, theIndian postal department released a commemorative stamp of Mehboob Khan at a function held at theMehboob Studios in September 2007.[13]
... Mehboob Khan died the day after Jawaharlal Nehru. Neither the country, nor its cinema, have been the same since. Films continue to be made that may critically be compared to that all-time grosser "Mother India". But no leader since its maker died has approached the dimensions of leadership reached by this country bumpkin who began his career as a bit player in "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" (1927) and went on to make ...
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