Raj Khosla | |
|---|---|
 Khosla on a 2025 stamp of India | |
| Born | (1925-05-31)31 May 1925 |
| Died | 9 June 1991(1991-06-09) (aged 66) |
| Occupations | Film director, film producer, screenwriter |
| Children | Anita Khosla, Uma Khosla Kapur, Reena Khosla, Sonia Khosla Vinayak and Sunita Khosla Bhalla, Reena Khosla Kataria,Milan Luthria |
Raj Khosla (31 May 1925 – 9 June 1991) was one of the top directors, producers and screenwriters inHindi film industry from the 1950s to the 1980s. He was known for bringing in "neo-noir" and style inIndian cinema, and also as a "women's director" because he showcased actresses at their best. He has given many successful films withDev Anand. Starting his career underGuru Dutt, he went on to make hit films like,C.I.D. (1956),Woh Kaun Thi? (1964),Mera Saaya (1966),Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971),Dostana (1980) andMain Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978), the last of which won theFilmfare Award for Best Film.[1] His early background in classical music ensured that most of his films excelled in music.[2] Khosla along withGuru Dutt andVijay Anand were inspired byAlfred Hitchcock school of Mystery Suspense Thrillers.
Born inRahon,Punjab, he was trained to be a classical singer. He came to Bombay to look for work as a singer while working inAll India Radio for while as a music staff.[3]
SoonDev Anand felt he had other talents and hired him to beGuru Dutt's assistant on films, and eventually he became director. His most famous films areC.I.D. (1956) (which introducedWaheeda Rehman to Hindi audiences and made her a star),[4]Woh Kaun Thi? (1964) (which gaveSadhana her signature role of the "mystery girl"),Do Badan (1966) (which madeAsha Parekh into a serious actress and wonSimi Garewal theFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress),Do Raaste (1969) (which madeMumtaz into a household name),Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978) (which wonNutan theFilmfare Award for Best Actress at a mature age).
On Dev Anand's advice to take up direction, he became Guru Dutt's assistant. His directorial debutMilap (starring Dev Anand and Geeta Bali) in 1954 didn't click at the box office. But his second film,C.I.D., released in 1956 set the ball rolling and the young director never looked back.
He was known for his excellent song picturizations, probably stemming from his musical background. Raj Khosla initially entered the film Industry with hopes of making it as a playback singer. In most of his films he would have at least a song based on folk tune e.g.C.I.D.,Bambai Ka Babu,Solva Saal,Mera Saaya,Do Raaste,Mera Gaon Mera Desh to name a few.
He assisted Guru Dutt and in 1954 got a break withMilap, starringDev Anand andGeeta Bali. In this film, not only Raj Khosla made a debut as a Director, but a new music director, N. Dutta gave debut music. Despite excellent music, the film failed to create waves. Fortunately, Khosla's second film produced for him by mentorGuru Dutt,C.I.D. (1956) propelled him into the big league. C.I.D. was a slick crime thriller that highlighted Khosla's stylish shot taking and innovative song picturization, something passed down from Guru Dutt.[5]
From here onwards even as he continued to make films, Khosla ricocheted from style to style while adding his own touch to each genre. Never wanting to play safe Khosla made some films, which were startlingly different in those times.Solva Saal (1958) was a story of a single night wherein a girl elopes with her lover who dupes her and is helped back home by a journalist before her father wakes up and realizes what the girl has done.Bambai Ka Babu (1960) had the hero, a killer, entering the family of the man he has killed as their long lost son and falling in love with his "sister".
Khosla explored a variety of styles be it crime thrillers (C.I.D.,Kala Pani (1958)), musicals (Ek Musafir Ek Hasina (1962) – whose starting point was seven songs composed byO. P. Nayyar), suspense thrillers (Woh Kaun Thi? (1964),Mera Saaya (1966),Anita (1967) – his mystery trilogy with actressSadhana), melodramas (Do Badan (1966),Do Raaste (1969)) or dacoit dramas (Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971) – which inspiredSholay (1975)).
He made films afterMera Gaon Mera Desh and had hits likePrem Kahani (1975) starring the then hottest pair of the dayRajesh Khanna andMumtaz,Nehle Pe Dehla (1976) andMain Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978)
InMain Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki, he evoked sympathy for the mistress even as he told the story from the wife's point of view. Khosla was a director who understood women and was known as a "women's director" much likeGeorge Cukor in Hollywood.
After enjoying big hits likeMain Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki andDostana (1980) withAmitabh Bachchan,Zeenat Aman andShatrughan Sinha, Khosla ran into some rough weather as his other films started flopping. A dispirited Khosla took refuge in alcohol and died inBombay on 9 June 1991, totally disillusioned with the film industry.[6]
After his death "The Raj Khosla Foundation" was established by his daughter Sunita Khosla Bhalla, withShatrughan Sinha, as its chairman, and members like Manoj Kumar, Moushumi Chatterjee, Kabir Bedi, Mahesh Bhatt, Amit Khanna and Johny Bakshi.[7]
| Year | Award | Category | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Filmfare Awards | Best Director | Do Raaste | Nominated |
| 1979 | Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki | Nominated | ||
| Best Film | Won |
A postage stamp, bearing his face, was released byIndia Post to honour him on 3 May 2013 and 1 May 2025.
The56th International Film Festival of India taking place from 20 to 28 November 2025, will celebrate centenary and pay tribute to Raj Khosla by screening his classic films.[8]
| Year | Film |
|---|---|
| 1955 | Milap |
| 1956 | C.I.D. |
| 1958 | Kala Pani |
| Solva Saal | |
| 1960 | Bombai Ka Baboo |
| 1962 | Ek Musafir Ek Hasina |
| 1964 | Woh Kaun Thi? |
| 1966 | Mera Saaya |
| 1966 | Do Badan |
| 1967 | Anita |
| 1969 | Chirag |
| Do Raaste | |
| 1971 | Mera Gaon Mera Desh |
| 1973 | Shareef Budmaash |
| Kuchhe Dhaage | |
| 1975 | Prem Kahani |
| 1976 | Nehle Pe Dehla |
| 1978 | Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki |
| 1980 | Do Premee |
| Dostana | |
| 1981 | Daasi |
| 1982 | Teri Maang Sitaron Se Bhar Doon |
| 1983 | Maati Maange Khoon |
| 1984 | Sunny |
| Mera Dost Mera Dushman | |
| 1989 | Naqaab |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
