Harnam Singh Rawail (21 August 1921 – 17 September 2004), often credited as H. S. Rawail, was an Indian filmmaker. He debuted as a director with the 1940

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

film '' Dorangia Daku'' and is best known for romantic films like ''

Mere Mehboob ''Mere Mehboob'' ("My Lover") is a 1963 Indian film directed by Harnam Singh Rawail and starring Ashok Kumar, Rajendra Kumar, Sadhana, Nimmi, Pran, Johnny Walker and Ameeta. The film became a blockbuster and took the number one position at th ...

'' (1963), ''

Sunghursh ''Sunghursh'' is a 1968 Indian Hindi film directed and produced by Harnam Singh Rawail. It is based on a short story ''Layli Asmaner Ayna'' in Bengali language by Jnanpith Award-winning writer Mahasweta Devi, which presents a fictionalised accou ...

'' (1968), ''

Mehboob Ki Mehndi ''Mehboob Ki Mehndi'' is a 1971 Indian Hindi-language romantic musical film produced and directed by H. S. Rawail. The film stars Rajesh Khanna and Leena Chandavarkar. The music is by Laxmikant Pyarelal with lyrics by Anand Bakshi. It was bas ...

'' (1971) and ''

Laila Majnu ''Layla & Majnun'' ( ar, مجنون ليلى ; Layla's Mad Lover) is an old story of Arab origin, about the 7th-century Bedouin poet Qays ibn al-Mulawwah and his ladylove Layla bint Mahdi (later known as Layla al-Aamiriya). "The Layla ...

'' (1976). His son

Rahul Rawail Rahul Rawail is an Indian film director and editor in Bollywood known for his films like '' Love Story'' (1981), ''Betaab'' (1983), '' Arjun'' (1985), ''Dacait'' (1987), ''Anjaam'' (1994), '' Arjun Pandit'' (1999) and the recent one '' Jo Bole S ...

and grandson

Rajat Rawail Rajat Rawail is an Indian film producer, director and actor working in the Hindi film industry. He is best known as the producer of films such as ''No Problem'' (2010) and ''Ready'' (2011). Early life and family Rawail was born and brought ...

(through daughter Roshni Rawail) are film directors too; the former paid a tribute to his father's film ''Sunghursh'' by titling one of his film as ''

Jeevan Ek Sanghursh ''Jeevan Ek Sanghursh'' () is a 1990 Bollywood film directed by Rahul Rawail, produced by D. Rama Naidu. It stars Raakhee, Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit in the leading roles. The film was successful and was the tenth highest grossing Bollywood ...

'' (1990).

Personal life and career

Rawail was born in

Lyallpur Faisalabad (; Punjabi/ ur, , ; ), formerly known as Lyallpur ( Punjabi, Urdu: لائل پور), named after the founder of the city, but was renamed in 1977 in honour of late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. It is the 3rd largest city of Pak ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

and moved to Mumbai to aspire to be a filmmaker. Later, he moved to

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

where he wrote several film scripts and debuted as a director with '' Dorangia Daku'' (1940). His three consecutive films; ''

Shukriya Shukriya or Shukria ( ar, شكريّة) is an Arabic name for females meaning "thankful". It is the feminine active participle of the Arabic verb, شَكَرَ, meaning "to be thankful". The masculine form of the name is Shukri ( ar, شكري) ( tr ...

'' (1944), '' Zid'' (1945) and '' Jhoothi Kasmein'' (1948); were commercial failures. His next film '' Patanga'' (1949) was successful and was the seventh highest grossing Bollywood film of 1949. The film is still remembered for the song "Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon" performed by

Shamshad Begum Shamshad Begum (Hindi: शमशाद बेगम, IAST: ''Śamśād Bēgam''; 14 April 1919 – 23 April 2013) was an Indian singer who was one of the first playback singers in the Hindi film industry. Notable for her distinctive voice and ...

. Later, Rawail's nine consecutive films from 1949 till 1956 did not perform well on the box office. In March 1956, Rawail started with two new projects, ''Chaalbaaz'' with

Meena Kumari Meena Kumari (born Mahjabeen Bano; 1 August 1933 – 31 March 1972) was an Indian actress and poet, who worked in Hindi films. Popularly known as ''The Tragedy Queen'', she was active between 1939 and 1972. Kumari is widely considered one of ...

and ''Baazigar'' with

Vyjayanthimala Vyjayanthimala (born 13 August 1936) is a former Indian actress, dancer and parliamentarian. She is the recipient of several accolades, including two BFJA Awards and five Filmfare Awards. She made her screen debut at the age of thirteen with ...

. Both the films were dropped eventually. However, in 1958 director

Nanabhai Bhatt Nanabhai Bhatt (12 June 1915 – 24 April 1999) was an Indian film director and producer who worked in Hindi and Gujarati cinema. He is known for making over a hundred fantasy and mythological films, including ''Mr. X'' (1957), ''Zimbo Comes t ...

revived both the project starring

Nirupa Roy Nirupa Roy (born Kokila Kishorechandra Bulsara; 4 January 1931 – 13 October 2004) was an Indian actress who had appeared in Hindi films. Noted for her portrayals of tragedy and sorrow, Roy was known for her acting ability, and was uncharitab ...

. Rawail took three years sabbatical and returned in 1959 with a comedy film ''Shararat'', starring

Raaj Kumar Raaj Kumar (born Kulbhushan Pandit; 8 October 1926 3 July 1996) was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi films. He appeared in the Oscar-nominated 1957 film ''Mother India'' and starred in over 70 Hindi films in a career that spanned over four ...

Kishore Kumar Kishore Kumar (born as Abhas Kumar Ganguly (); 4 August 1929 – 13 October 1987) was an Indian playback singer and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest, most influential and dynamic singers in the history of Indian music. He ...

and Meena Kumari. The film was not a commercial success along with his next two films, ''

Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja ''Roop ki Rani Choron Ka Raja'' () is a 1993 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film starring Sridevi, Anil Kapoor, Anupam Kher, Johnny Lever and Jackie Shroff in special extended role. It was the highest-budget Hindi film at that time. The ...

'' (1961), starring

Dev Anand Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand (26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011), better known as Dev Anand, was an Indian actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema, through a career that spanned over six decades. He was ...

and

Waheeda Rehman Waheeda Rehman (born 3 February 1938) is an Indian actress and dancer. Regarded as one of Hindi cinema's finest actresses, Rehman's accolades include a National Film Awards, National Film Award and three Filmfare Awards. Rehman was honoured wi ...

and ''Kanch Ki Gudiya'' (1963) starring

Manoj Kumar Harikrishan Goswami (born 24 July 1937), better known by his screen name Manoj Kumar, is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, lyricist and editor who worked in Hindi cinema. He is known for acting and making films with patriotic theme ...

. But the film brought recognition to Manoj Kumar after having starred in various unsuccessful films before. Rawail's major success came with 1963 musical film ''

'' starring

Rajendra Kumar Rajendra Kumar Tuli (20 July 1927 – 12 July 1999) was an Indian actor who starred in Bollywood films. Starting his career in 1949, he appeared in more than 80 films in a career spanning over four decades. He was popularly known as the 'Jubil ...

and

Sadhana Shivdasani Sadhana Shivdasani (2 September 1941 – 25 December 2015), known mononymously as Sadhana, was an Indian actress who worked in Hindi films, primarily active between 1958-1981. Regarded as one of the finest and iconic actresses of the golden age ...

. Kumar had earlier worked as an assistant director to Rawail. The film was praised for Rawail's direction and is remembered for title song composed by music director

Naushad Naushad Ali (25 December 1919 – 5 May 2006) was an Indian music director for Hindi films. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and foremost music directors of the Hindi film industry. He is particularly known for popularising the ...

and performed by singers

Mohammed Rafi Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was an Indian playback singer and musician. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. Rafi was notable for his versatility and ...

and

Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar () (born as Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 06 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is widely considered to have been the greatest and most influential singers in India. Her cont ...

. His next film ''

'' (1968) was based on a novel written by the Bengali author

Mahashweta Devi Mahasweta Devi (14 January 1926 – 28 July 2016)
''

. The film was set in 19th century and showcased the lives of bandits. It was praised for the "exceptional performances" by its actors like

Dilip Kumar Mohammed Yusuf Khan (; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021), better known by his stage name Dilip Kumar, was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated the Indian movie scene from lat ...

, Vyjayanthimala,

Balraj Sahni Brigadier Balraj (born Balasegaram Kandiah) was a senior commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Early life Balraj was the fifth and youngest child of Kandiah and Kannagias. He received his primary education in Kokkuthoduwaai ...

Sanjeev Kumar Sanjeev Kumar (born Harihar Jethalal Jariwala; 9 July 1938 – 6 November 1985) was an Indian actor. He is well remembered for his versatility and genuine portrayal of his characters. He acted in genres ranging from romantic dramas to thriller ...

and

Jayant Jayanta ( sa, जयन्त, "victory"), is a character who appears in Hindu literature. He is the son of Indra, the king of the devas (gods), and his wife, Shachi (Indrani). He has a sister called Jayanti. He appears in various Hindu scri ...

. The actor-director

Rakesh Roshan Rakesh Roshan (born 6 September 1949) is an Indian film producer, director, screenwriter, and actor who works in Hindi films. He is the son of Indian music director Roshan and Indian Bengali singer Ira Roshan. He had appeared in 84 films throu ...

had worked as an assistant director on the film. His next film ''

'' (1971), featuring

Rajesh Khanna Rajesh Khanna () (; born Jatin Khanna; 29 December 1942 – 18 July 2012) was an Indian actor, film producer and politician who worked in Hindi films. He is called as the "First Superstar of Hindi cinema", he consecutively starred in a record ...

and

Leena Chandavarkar Leena Chandavarkar (born 29 August 1950) is an Indian former actress who appeared in Bollywood movies as a leading actress and now appears in reality shows. She was an actress during the late 60s and early 70s. She played leading heroine opposit ...

performed well at the box office and is counted among the 17 consecutive hits of Khanna and was recognised for its music composed by

Laxmikant–Pyarelal Laxmikant–Pyarelal were an Indian composer duo, consisting of Laxmikant Shantaram Patil Kudalkar (1937–1998) and Pyarelal Ramprasad Sharma (born 1940). He is known by the nickname “Pyromaniac” due to his flaming style of music. Laxmikan ...

. Later his 1976 film ''

'', starring

Rishi Kapoor Rishi Raj Kapoor (4 September 1952 — 30 April 2020) was an Indian actor, film director and producer who worked in Hindi films Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry base ...

and

Ranjeeta Kaur Ranjeeta "Robby" Kaur (born 22 September 1956) is an Indian actress. She was trained at FTII. She has appeared in around 47 films. She has portrayed a variety of characters and her films include: ''Laila Majnu'' (1976), ''Ankhiyon Ke Jharok ...

in lead roles, became a success. Rawail's last film as director ''Deedar-E-Yaar'' (1982) was a commercial failure with which he took sabbatical from the film industry. His son

is also a film director and is best known for films like '' Love Story'' (1981), ''

Betaab ''Betaab'' (''Restless'') is a 1983 Indian romance film written by Javed Akhtar, directed by Rahul Rawail and produced by Bikram Sing Dahal. The film stars Sunny Deol and Amrita Singh in their debut roles along with Shammi Kapoor. The music was ...

'' (1983), '' Arjun'' (1985) and ''

Anjaam ''Anjaam'' () is a 1994 Indian Hindi-language psychological thriller film directed by Rahul Rawail. It stars Madhuri Dixit and Shah Rukh Khan in lead roles, with Tinnu Anand, Johnny Lever, Kalpana Iyer, Himani Shivpuri, Sudha Chandran, Been ...

'' (1994). He paid a tribute to his father's "best work" ''Sunghursh'' (1968) by titling one of his film as ''

'' (1990). Rawail's grandson Bharat Rawail is an upcoming director, who recently assisted

Yash Chopra Yash Raj Chopra (27 September 1932 21 October 2012) was an Indian people, Indian film director and film producer who worked in Bollywood, Hindi cinema. The founding chairman of the film production and distribution company Yash Raj Films, Chop ...

for his last film, ''

Jab Tak Hai Jaan ''Jab Tak Hai Jaan'' (), also simply known as ''JTHJ'', is a 2012 Cinema of India, Indian Bollywood, Hindi-Hindi, language romantic drama film directed by Yash Chopra and written and produced by his son Aditya Chopra under their banner Yash Ra ...

'' (2012). Rawail died on 17 September 2004 at the age of 83 in Mumbai.

Filmography

Awards

;

National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...

* 1963 –

11th National Film Awards The 11th National Film Awards, then known as State Awards for Films, presented by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in 1963. Ceremony took place at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on 25 A ...

– Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Feature Film – ''

'' as both producer and director. ;

Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards commonly referred as BFJA Awards, is given by The Bengal Film Journalists' Association. The BFJA is the oldest association of film critics in India, founded in 1937 to serve the developing film journalism ...

* 1968 – 32nd Annual BFJA Awards – Fourth Best Indian Film – ''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rawail, H. S. 1921 births 2004 deaths Film directors from Mumbai Indian male screenwriters Punjabi people People from Bandra Hindi-language film directors 20th-century Indian film directors 20th-century Indian screenwriters 20th-century Indian male writers