Raja Nawathe (; 14 October 1924 – 15 November 2005) was an Indian film producer, director, assistant film director, in Bombay's Hindi film industry, long before it came to be known as

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 ...

. He is known for films like Raj Kapoor-Nargis starrer '' Aah'' (1953) and thriller ''

Gumnaam ''Gumnaam'' (translation: ''Unknown'' or ''Anonymous'') is a 1965 Indian Bollywood thriller film directed by Raja Nawathe, starring Manoj Kumar, Nanda, Pran, Helen and Mehmood. The film is a loosely-inspired adaptation of the 1939 mystery n ...

'' (1965).

Career

Raja Nawathe had commenced his film career as assistant director to

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 ...

, for three productions from R.K. Films, viz. '' Aag'' (1948), '' Barsaat'' (1949), and ''

Awaara ''Awaara'', also written ''Awāra'', ur, , Āvārā, group=n, name=HindiUrdu and known overseas as ''The Vagabond'', is a 1951 Indian Hindi crime drama film, produced and directed by Raj Kapoor, and written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas. It stars Raj ...

'' (1951). His debut as independent director commenced with the film, '' Aah'', in 1953, produced by Raj Kapoor, which, at the time, did not quite make its mark at the box-office. However, the songs and music of the film are considered classics of Indian cinema. Subsequently, the film was dubbed in Tamil and Telugu. Raja Nawathe's next directorial venture in 1956, '' Basant Bahar'', was a musical success. This film received the "Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film in Hindi", a

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several a ...

. For lead roles of his next film, ''

Sohni Mahiwal Sohni Mahiwal or Suhni Mehar ( pa, , ਸੋਹਣੀ ਮਹੀਂਵਾਲ is one of the four popular tragic romances of Punjab including Sindh. In Sindh Sohni's shrine is in Shahdadpur Town of Sangar District. The others are Sassi Punnun, Mirza ...

'' (1958), Nawathe again paired

Bharat Bhushan ''Bharatbhushan Bhalla'' better known as ''Bharat Bhushan'' (14 June 1920 – 27 January 1992) was an Indian actor in Hindi language films, scriptwriter and producer, who is best remembered for playing Baiju Bawra in the 1952 film of the sam ...

with

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 ...

, both legendary stars of that era. Other noteworthy films by Raja Nawathe are: ''

'' (1965),Vick, Tom (2008). ''Asian Cinema: A Field Guide'', pp. 101. Harper Perennial. a suspense thriller based on an

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...

novel, 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 ...

and

Nanda Nanda may refer to: Indian history and religion * Nanda Empire, ruled by the Nanda dynasty, an Indian royal dynasty ruling Magadha in the 4th century BCE ** Mahapadma Nanda, first Emperor of the Nanda Empire ** Dhana Nanda (died c. 321 BCE), last ...

in the lead roles; with mesmerizing music direction by maestros

Shankar–Jaikishan Shankar–Jaikishan (also known as S-J), were an Indian composer duo of the Hindi film industry, working together from 1949 to 1971. They are widely considered to be one of the greatest ever music composers of the Hindi film industry. After Jaiki ...

. In 1967, for '' Patthar ke Sanam'', he cast

once again, now with

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 ...

, as the lead pair;

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 ...

created some memorable music for this film. '' Bhai-Bhai'' in (1970), was directed with

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 ...

and

Asha Parekh Asha Parekh (born 2 October 1942) is a retired Indian actress, film director, and producer who appeared in many commercially successful films throughout her career. She was the highest paid actress of her time and was one of the most successful ...

in the lead roles; it had melodious music by

. ''

Manchali ''Manchali'' is a 1973 Hindi romantic drama movie produced and directed by Raja Nawathe, starring Sanjeev Kumar, Leena Chandavarkar, Nazima and Nirupa Roy. The title track was very catchy and popular. It was one of the best known films with ...

'' (1973) was a comedy, and departed from Raja Nawathe's earlier films; it is also memorable for the super comical role played by

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 ...

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 ...

, by then an actress well established in her own right, was lead actress for this film. The music for this romantic comedy was composed by celebrity duo Laxmikant Pyarelal, stalwarts at the time, with a decade of music success behind them.

Death

After suffering from a long illness, Raja Nawathe died in Mumbai, on Wednesday morning, 15 November 2005, a month after his 81st birthday.

Filmography

* '' Aah'' (1953) * '' Basant Bahar'' (1956) * ''

'' (1958) * ''

''Pauwels, Heidi R.M. (2008). ''Indian Literature and Popular Cinema: Recasting Classics'', pp. 2. Routledge Contemporary South Asia Series. (1965) * '' Patthar ke Sanam'' (1967) * '' Bhai-Bhai''Gavankar, Nilu. N. (2011). ''The Desai Trio and The Movie Industry of India'', pp. 189, pp. 195. AuthorHouse. (1970) * ''

''(1973)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nawathe, Raja 1924 births Indian Hindus 20th-century Indian film directors Hindi-language film directors Film producers from Maharashtra People from Ratnagiri 2005 deaths Film directors from Maharashtra Hindi film producers