Saturday, July 6, 2024

Chetan Anand's Death Anniversary


Chetan Anand, who passed away on 6 July 1997, in Mumbai, aged 76, was a Bollywood film producer, screenwriter and director from India, whose first film, Neecha Nagar, was awarded the Grand Prix Prize (now Golden Palm) at the first ever Cannes Film Festival in 1946. Later, he co-founded Navketan Films with his younger brother Dev Anand in 1949.

He took to film direction with the well-acclaimed movie Neecha Nagar which won the Palme d'Or award at Cannes in 1946.  It was the first film for Kamini Kaushal, became the first Indian film to gain international recognition and was the debut of Pandit  Ravi Shankar.

By the early 1950s, he and his younger brother Dev Anand had set up Navketan Productions in Bombay present day Mumbai. Afsar,  starring Dev Anand and Suraiya, was the first film made by Navketan, which turned out to be a moderate success. It was followed by Taxi Driver and Aandhiyan, both of which he directed for Navketan Films.

While he made his reputation as a director, Anand kept on acting too occasionally. He appeared in Humsafar made in 1957. In 1957, he directed two movies Arpan and Anjali, in which he played lead roles too. He went on to act in Kala Bazar, Kinare-Kinare, Aman, Kanch Aur Heera and Hindustan Ki Kasam, which he also directed.

Anand started his own production company called Himalaya films  and teamed up with the photographer Jal Mistry, music director Madan Mohan, lyrics writer Kaifi Azmi and the actress Priya Rajvansh. Together, they made some of most memorable and unique films in Hindi cinema like Haqeeqat, Heer Raanjha, Hanste Zakhm, and Hindustani Ki Kasam.

Apart from 17 feature films he is also known for the acclaimed television serial, Param Vir Chakra, which was a Broadcast by Doordarshan in 1988.

 

 


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