Mehboob Khan (born Mehboob Khan Ramzan Khan; 9 September 1907
at filmreference.com. – 28 May 1964) was a pioneer producer-director of

Indian cinema The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Ko ...

, best known for directing the social epic ''

Mother India ''Mother India'' is a 1957 Indian epic drama film, directed by Mehboob Khan and starring Nargis, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar and Raaj Kumar. A remake of Khan's earlier film '' Aurat'' (1940), it is the story of a poverty-stricken village woma ...

'' (1957), which won the

Filmfare Awards The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...

for

Best Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

and

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...

, two

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 ...

, and was a nominee for the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

. He set up his production company – Mehboob Productions, and later a film studio –

Mehboob Studios Mehboob Studio is an Indian film studio and recording studio in Bandra (W), Mumbai, founded in 1954 by director and producer Mehboob Khan, who previously owned Mehboob Productions (founded 1942), and is most known for films such as ''Mother Indi ...

Bandra Bandra (Indian English, æːɳɖɾa also known as Vandre (Help:IPA/Marathi, �aːn̪d̪ɾe is an upscale coastal suburb located in Mumbai (Bombay) area of the Konkan division, Maharashtra, India. The suburb is located to the immediate nor ...

, Mumbai in 1954. He also created the

dacoit film Dacoity is a term used for "banditry" in the Indian subcontinent. The spelling is the anglicised version of the Hindi word ''daaku''; "dacoit" is a colloquial Indian English word with this meaning and it appears in the ''Glossary of Colloqui ...

genre with '' Aurat'' (1940) and ''Mother India'', and is also known for other blockbusters including the romantic drama '' Andaz'' (1949), the swashbuckling musical ''

Aan ''Aan'' (Hindi: आन, Urdu: آن, translation: ''Pride''), released as ''The Savage Princess'' in the United Kingdom and United States, is a 1952 Indian Bollywood adventure film, produced and directed by Mehboob Khan. It was India's first t ...

'' (1951), and the melodrama ''

Amar Amar may refer to: People Given name * Amar (British singer) (born 1982), British Indian singer born Amar Dhanjal * Amar (Lebanese singer) (born 1986), born Amar Mahmoud Al Tahech * Amar Bose (1929–2013), Founder of Bose Corporation * Amar Gup ...

'' (1954).

Early life

Khan was born Mehboob Khan Ramzan Khan in

Bilimora Bilimora is a city situated on the banks of the river Ambika, in Gandevi taluka & Navsari district of Gujarat state, in India. The city comes under the purview of the Surat Metropolitan Region. The city is roughly south of the city of Surat ...

in Gandevi Taluka of

Baroda State Baroda State was a state in present-day Gujarat, ruled by the Gaekwad dynasty of the Maratha Confederacy from its formation in 1721 until its accession to the newly formed Dominion of India in 1949. With the city of Baroda (Vadodara) as its c ...

(now

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

) on 9 September 1907.

Career

He was brought to Bombay from his home town in Gujarat 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 the

Silent Film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

era and as an

extra Extra or Xtra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * ''Extra'' (newspaper), a Brazilian newspaper * ''Extra!'', an American me ...

in the studios of the Imperial Film Company of

Ardeshir Irani Khan Bahadur Ardeshir Irani (5 December 1886 – 14 October 1969) was a writer, director, producer, actor, film distributor, film showman and cinematographer in the silent and sound eras of early Indian cinema. He was the one of the greatest l ...

, before directing his first film '' Al Hilal'' a.k.a. ''Judgement of Allah'' (1935), when he started directing films for the ''Sagar Film Company''. Notable films he directed for Sagar Movietone and National Studios included ''

Deccan Queen The 12123 / 12124 Deccan Queen is a daily Indian passenger train service operated by the Central Railway zone of the Indian Railways connecting the cities of Mumbai and Pune. Introduced on June 1, 1930, the Deccan Queen was India's "first sup ...

'' (1936), '' Ek Hi Raasta'' (1939), ''

Alibaba Ali Baba (character), Ali Baba is a character from the folk tale ''Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves''. Ali Baba or Alibaba may also refer to: Films * Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1902 film), ''Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves'' (1902 film), a F ...

'' (1940), '' Aurat'' (1940) and '' Bahen'' (1941). In 1945, Khan set up his own production house –

Mehboob Productions Mehboob Studio is an Indian film studio and recording studio in Bandra (W), Mumbai, founded in 1954 by director and producer Mehboob Khan, who previously owned Mehboob Productions (founded 1942), and is most known for films such as ''Mother Indi ...

. In 1946, he directed the musical hit ''

Anmol Ghadi Anmol Ghadi (English translation: Precious Watch ) is a 1946 Indian drama film directed by Mehboob Khan, starring Surendra, Suraiya and Noor Jehan. The film was a musical hit and still remembered for its music by Naushad, with hits like "Aawaaz ...

'', which featured singing stars Surendra,

Noor Jehan Noor Jehan ( Punjabi: ) (born () Allah Rakhi Wasai ; 23 September 1926 – 23 December 2000; sometimes spelled Noorjehan),Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen, ''Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema,'' British Film Institute, Oxford University Pres ...

and

Suraiya Suraiya Jamal Sheikh (15 June 1929 – 31 January 2004), popularly known by the mononym Suraiya, was a popular actress and playback singer in India's Hindi-language films. She was active from 1936 to 1963, and was the most celebrated actress ...

in leading roles. Khan went on to produce and direct many blockbuster films, the most notable being the romantic drama '' Andaz'' (1949), the swashbuckling musical ''

'' (1951), the melodrama ''

'' (1954), and the social epic ''

'' (1957). The latter was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

in 1957 and was a remake of his 1940 film '' Aurat''. His earlier works were in

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Hindustani, a friendlier and softer spoken version of

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

and Urdu. Several of his films, especially his earlier work on ''Humayun'' (1945), the story of a Mogul emperor who ruled India, ''

'' (1946), and ''Taqdeer'', (in which he introduced

Nargis Nargis Dutt (born Fatima Rashid; 1 June 1929 – 3 May 1981) was an Indian actress and politician who worked in Hindi cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Indian cinema, she made her screen debut in a minor role ...

, who later married

Sunil Dutt Sunil Dutt (born Balraj Dutt; 6 June 1929 — 25 May 2005) was an Indian actor, film producer, director and politician. Dutt was one of the major stars of Hindi cinema in the late 1950s and 1960s and continued to star in many successful film ...

), were written by

Aghajani Kashmeri Syed Wajid Hussain Rizvi (Urdu: , born 16 October 1908 – 27 March 1998), better known by his film screen name, Agha Jani Kashmiri (Urdu: ), was an Indian screenwriter, former actor and Urdu poet. He worked in Bollywood films, as a writer for a ...

. Kashmeri was responsible for picking and training Nargis in Hindustani and Urdu dialogue delivery. His last film as a director was 1962's '' Son of India''. Mehboob Studio courtyard

He died of a Heart Attack in 1964 at the age of 56 and was buried at

Badakabarastan Bada Kabarastan, also written as "Bara Qabristan" (), is a Muslim cemetery in the Marine Lines area of south Mumbai in India. One of the largest Muslim cemeteries in the country, it is also the final resting place of a number of icons from the I ...

Marine Lines Marine Lines is a locality in South Mumbai. The name ''Marine Lines'' is derived from the Marine Battalion Lines, a military establishment built by the British in the 19th century. The battalion was later converted to an air force residential ...

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

. His death occurred the day after the death of

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

, the

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...

Industry influence

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 as Surendra, Arun Kumar Ahuja,

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 ...

Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor (pronunciation: �aːd͡ʒ kəpuːɾ born Shrishti Nath Kapoor; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of th ...

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 ...

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 ...

Nimmi Nawab Bano (18 February 1933 – 25 March 2020), better known by her stage name Nimmi, was an Indian screen actress who achieved stardom in the 1950s and early 1960s in Hindi films. She was one of the leading actresses of the "golden era" of Hin ...

and

Nadira Nadira is a given name common in Asian countries. It may refer to Given name * Nadira (actress), an Indian actress of the 1950s and 1960s, best known for her roles as a temptress * Nadira (Pakistani actress), Pakistani actress in Punjabi and Urdu ...

. In 1961, he was a member of the jury at the

2nd Moscow International Film Festival The 2nd Moscow International Film Festival was held from 9 to 23 July 1961. The Grand Prix was shared between the Japanese film ''The Naked Island'' directed by Kaneto Shindo and the Soviet film '' Clear Skies'' directed by Grigori Chukhrai. Jur ...

. He remained the president of the

Film Federation of India The Film Federation of India (FFI) is an apex body of the Indian film producers (around 18,000), distributors (around 20,000), exhibitors (around 12,000) and studio owners, headquartered in Mumbai.Shahid Alikhan, R. A. Mashelkar, "Intellectual pro ...

. 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 of ''Hidayat Kar-e-Azam'' by the Indian government.

Personal life

Mehboob Khan married twice. 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 actress

Sardar Akhtar Sardar Akhtar (1915–1986) was an Indian actress who worked in Hindi and Urdu films. She started her acting career on the Urdu stage. Her early films were with Saroj Movietone, where she did a majority of stunt (action) roles. She came into pr ...

(1915–1986) in 1942. He adopted

Sajid Khan Sajjad Khan (born 28 December 1951) is an Indian actor and singer. Born into poverty in the Bombay slums, he became the adopted son of Bollywood filmmaker Mehboob Khan, founder of Mehboob Studios. He worked in a handful of Indian films, debuti ...

(born 28 December 1951), who has starred in Indian and foreign English films.

Death and legacy

Mehboob Khan died of a heart attack on 28 May 1964. As a part of his birth centenary celebrations, the Indian postal department released a commemorative stamp of Mehboob Khan at a function held at the

in September 2007.

Filmography

As a director

* '' Son of India'' (1962) * ''A Handful of Grain'' (1959) * ''

'' (1957) * ''

'' (1954) * ''

'' (1952) * '' Andaz'' (1949) * '' Anokhi Ada'' (1948) * '' Elaan'' (1947) * ''

'' (1946) * ''

Humayun Nasir-ud-Din Muhammad ( fa, ) (; 6 March 1508 – 27 January 1556), better known by his regnal name, Humāyūn; (), was the second emperor of the Mughal Empire, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northern ...

'' (1945) * '' Najma'' (1943) * '' Taqdeer'' (1943) * ''

Roti Roti (also known as chapati) is a round flatbread native to the Indian subcontinent. It is popular in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica, Trinid ...

'' (1942) * ''

Huma Gun Anmogaldi ''Huma Gun Anmogaldi'' is a Bollywood film directed by Mehboob Khan. It was released in Bollywood films of 1942, 1942. References External links

* 1942 films 1940s Hindi-language films Indian black-and-white films {{1940s-Hindi-fi ...

'' (1942) * '' Bahen'' (1941) * ''

'' (1940) * '' Aurat'' (1940) * '' Ek Hi Raasta'' (1939) * '' Hum Tum Aur Woh'' (1938) * '' Watan'' (1938) * '' Jagirdar'' (1937) * ''

'' (1936) * ''

Manmohan Manmohan means 'Winner of the heart'. It is another name of Krishna, the Hindu deity, one of the "avatars" (or "incarnation") of Lord Vishnu. Manmohan may also refer to: *Man Mohan Adhikari (1920–1999), former Prime Minister of Nepal *Manmohan (a ...

'' (1936) * '' Al Hilal'' a.k.a. ''Judgement of Allah'' (1935)

As a producer

* ''

'' (1957) * ''

'' (1954) * ''

'' (1952) * '' Anokhi Ada'' (1948) * '' Elaan'' (1947) * ''

'' (1946) * ''Zarina'' (1932)

As an actor

* ''

Chandrahasa Chandrahasa () is a king of the Kuntala kingdom in Hindu mythology. The story of Chandrahasa is described in the Ashvamedhika Parva of the epic Mahabharata. Chandrahasa befriends Arjuna who was accompanied by Krishna guarding the ashvamedha c ...

'' (1933) * ''Zarina'' (1932) * ''Dilawar'' (1931) * ''Meri Jaan'' (1931)

As a writer

* '' Watan'' (1938) (story) * '' Al Hilal'' a.k.a. ''Judgement of Allah'' (1935) (story, screenplay)

Awards and honours

;

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

* 1958 –

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

– ''Mother India'' (nomination) ;

* 1958 – All India Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film – ''

'' * 1958 – Certificate of Merit for Second Best Feature Film in Hindi – ''Mother India'' ;

* 1958 –

– ''Mother India'' * 1958 –

– ''Mother India'' *

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

– Best Director – '' Son of India'' (nomination) ;Honours * 1963: Awarded

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

, the fourth highest civilian honour by Government of India. * 30 March 2007, India Post released a commemorative stamp showing Maheboob Khan and a scene of 'Mother India' depicting Raaj Kumar & Nargis

References

External links

*
Mehboob Khan@SPICE

Mehboob Khan profile at Cineplot.com website - Archived
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Mehboob 1907 births 1964 deaths Filmfare Awards winners Gujarati people Hindi-language film directors Film directors from Mumbai Film producers from Mumbai 20th-century Indian film directors Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Male actors in Hindi cinema Indian male film actors 20th-century Indian male actors Film directors from Gujarat Film producers from Gujarat Male actors from Gujarat People from Navsari district Urdu-language film directors