Happy Birthday, Mehboob Khan! Born today in 1907 as Mehboob Khan Ramzan Khan, this pioneer producer and film director of Indian cinema often featured lavish sets in the style of Hollywood at that time.
The oppression of the poor, class warfare and rural life are also recurring themes in his work.
Khan was born in the then-ruled British India (British Raj). A policeman's son, Khan, years later, absconded from home at eighteen to find work as an actor with the Imperial Film Company.
While there, Khan started out as an assistant during the silent film era as an extra in the studios.
Khan had been brought to Bombay from his home town in Gujarat. This was by Indian producer and horse supplier in Indian cinema Noor Muhammad Ali Muhammed Shipra to work as a horseshoe repairer in a stable (owned by Shipra).
One day at a shooting of South Indian director Chandra Shekhar, Khan showed interest in working with him.
After seeing his great interest and skills, Chandra Shekhar asked Shipra to take Khan with him to work at small jobs in the film studios of Bombay.
He later turned to writing and began to direct socially conscious films from the mid-1930s.
While there, Khan started out as an assistant during the silent film era as an extra in the studios of the Imperial Film Company. After this time, Khan directed his first feature in 1935.
This was the debut directorial venture of Khan, and also when he had started directing films for the Indian film and television production company Sagar Films (also known as Sagar Arts). During his time there, he directed five notable films.
Later on, Sagar Films had closed down during the start of WWII and reformed as National Studios. It was under the new banner that Khan produced his three important films of that time.
During the mid-1940s, Khan had set up his own production house – Mehboob Productions.
Also, that same year, his epic Indian Bollywood black and white historical drama film 'Humayun' was the seventh highest grossing film in India. After this, Khan later went on to produce and direct many blockbuster films.
During the 1950s, Khan made more popular commercial entertainments, including India's first Technicolor feature.
In the late 1950s, Khan co-wrote, produced and directed the film of which he is best known though Mehboob Productions. This was the three-hour 1957 Indian Technicolor musical/drama film 'Mother India'.
The film had been based on Khan's 1940 Indian black and white Bollywood/world cinema film 'Aurat' ('Woman').
'Mother India' opens on the wedding of Radha (Nargis) and Shamu (Rajendra Kumar), which is at hand. However, the loan they take out to pay for the ceremony ends up leading to their ruin.
Unable to pay the mounting interest rates, the couple is forced to give up three quarters of their crop to the moneylenders.
Shamu later works the fields in an attempt to alleviate their poverty, but a loose boulder crushes his arm, rendering him incapable of work and humiliated at his sudden inability to provide for his family.
At that time, 'Mother India' was among the most expensive Hindi cinema (Bollywood) productions and earned the highest revenue for any Indian film.
Adjusted for inflation, 'Mother India' still ranks among the all-time Indian box office hits. The film had several high-profile screenings, including one at the capital, New Delhi, attended by the country's president and prime minister.
'Mother India' eventually became a definitive cultural classic and is regarded as one of the best films in Indian cinema.
The following year, 'Mother India' was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, becoming the first Indian film to be ever nominated. However, it didn't win. This occurred at the 30th Academy Awards in late March 1958.
However, 'Mother India' had five wins at the 5th Filmfare Awards that same year. This included Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress (Nagris), Best Cinematographer, and Best Sound Recordist.
The Filmfare Awards are a set of awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India. The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India.
In July 1961, Khan was a member of the jury at the 2nd Moscow International Film Festival. Afterwards, he remained the president of the Film Federation of India.
The following year, Khan directed his last feature. This was the 1962 Indian Bollywood/drama film 'Son of India', of which he also wrote and produced. However, the film turned out to be a disaster.
Two years later, Khan passed in Bombay, Maharashtra, India on May 28, 1964. The New York Times reported at the time that Khan had a heart attack upon hearing the news of then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's death on May 27, 1964.
According to Khan's influence on the film industry, he had introduced and helped establish the careers of many Indian actors and actresses who went on to become big stars in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.
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.
In September 2007, as a part of his birth centenary celebrations, the Indian postal department released a commemorative stamp of Khan at a function held at the Mehboob Studios.
Khan had been active from 1931–1962.
