Vijay Bhatt (born Vrajlal Jagneshwar Bhatt; 12 May 1907 – 17 October 1993) was a producer-director-screenwriter of

Hindi cinema 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 ...

, who made such films as '' Ram Rajya'' (1943), ''

Baiju Bawra Baiju Bawra (Lit. "Baiju the Insane", born as Baijnath Mishra) was a dhrupad musician from medieval India. Nearly all the information on Baiju Bawra comes from legends, and lacks historical authenticity. According to the most popular legends, he ...

'' (1952), ''

Goonj Uthi Shehnai ''Goonj Uthi Shehnai'' () is a 1959 Hindi film directed by Vijay Bhatt, with Rajendra Kumar, Ameeta, Anita Guha and I. S. Johar as leads. The film has music by Vasant Desai and lyrics by Bharat Vyas, and the duo created numerous hits such as "Jiv ...

'' (1959) and ''

Himalaya Ki God Mein ''Himalay Ki God Mein'' () is a 1965 Indian Hindi-language film directed by Vijay Bhatt starring Manoj Kumar and Mala Sinha, with Shashikala in a supporting role. The film won the Filmfare Best Movie Award and was a "Superhit" at the box offic ...

'' (1965). He founded Prakash Pictures, a film

production company A production company, production house, production studio, or a production team is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and ...

and Prakash Studios in

Andheri East Andheri ( �n̪d̪ʱeɾiː is a locality in the western part of the city of Mumbai in India. Udayanagari, the name of a hill near the Mahakali caves, inspired the name Andheri. On the former islet of Versova, also known as Vasave, there was an ...

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- ...

, which produced 64 feature films. Bhatt was a founding member of the Film and Television Producers Guild of India.

Biography

Early life and education

Vijay Jagneshwar Bhatt was born on 12 May 1907, into the household of Benkunwar Bhatt and Jagneshwar Bhatt, who was a railway guard at

Palitana Pālītāṇā is a city in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat, India. It is located 50 km southwest of Bhavnagar city and is a major pilgrimage centre ("shashwat tirth") for Jains. It is first of the two vegetarian cities in the world. Histo ...

Bhavnagar district Bhavnagar District is a Districts of India, district of southeastern Gujarat, India, on the Saurashtra (region), Saurashtra peninsula. It is also known as Gohilwar as a major portion of Bhavnagar district was ruled by Gahlot, Gohil Rajputs. The a ...

, Gujarat. He moved to Bombay in his twenties, along with his elder brother, Shankarbhai Bhatt, who took up a job, and went on to become a producer; Vijay enrolled in St. Xavier's College, and completed Intermediate from the Science stream, and later received a diploma in 'Electrical Lighting and Traction' through a correspondence course from London.

Career

After completing his education with an electrician's diploma, Bhatt started his career at Bombay Electric Supply & Tramways Company Limited (BEST), where he worked till he became the Drawing Office Superintendent. Although he had already written a few scripts for

Gujarati theatre Gujarati theatre refers to theatre performed in the Gujarati language, including its dialects. Gujarati theatre is produced mainly in Gujarat and Maharashtra, in cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Baroda, Surat and else where Gujarati diaspora ex ...

, a meeting with

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 ...

was the turning point in his career. Irani, who later produced ''

Alam Ara ''Alam Ara'' () is a 1931 Indian Hindustani-language historical fantasy film directed and produced by Ardeshir Irani. It revolves on a king and his two wives, Navbahaar and Dilbahaar, who are childless; soon, a '' fakir'' (Muhammad Wazir Khan) ...

'' India's first talkie, and also managed the Royal Film Company studio, introduced Bhatt to its owner Abu Husain. When Husain liked one of his scripts, it allowed for his debut in Indian film industry as a screenwriter, for director K P Bhave's silent film, ''Vidhi Ka Vidhan''. Irani produced two more of his scripts, ''Pani Mein Aag'' and ''Ghulam'' (1929) He eventually produced his first silent film, ''Delhi Ka Chhela'' in 1929, and went on to direct many notable films, in

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 ...

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...

and

Marathi cinema Marathi cinema is an Indian film industry of Marathi-language motion pictures. It is based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Based in old Mumbai, it is the oldest film industry of Indian cinema. The first Marathi film to be released in India was ''Shre ...

. His early film '' Ram Rajya'' (1942) was a big hit, and also made news, when it was shown to

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

in 1942. In 1947, he took the film to the USA, where it was first shown at

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

, New York on 5 May 1947, later he also met noted Hollywood director,

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cine ...

. His film ''

'' (1952), which was based on the historical tiff between Emperor

Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...

's court musician

Tansen Tansen ( – 26 April 1589), also referred to and commonly known as Sangeet Samrat () , was a Hindustani classical musician. Born in a Hindu Gaur Brahmin family, he learnt and perfected his art in the northwest region of modern Madhya Pr ...

and the talented singer,

, ran for a hundred weeks in Bombay, becoming a diamond jubilee hit, and also established its lead cast,

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

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 ...

, who won her first Filmfare Best Actress Award for the film, was launched by Vijay Bhatt in his film ''Leatherface'' (1939), as a child artist, "Baby Meena" (born Mahjabeen Bano), a name that stayed with her for the rest of her career.

Personal life

Vijay Bhatt was married to Rama Bhatt, with whom he had two sons,

Arun Bhatt Arun Bhatt (1934–2001) was an Indian film director and producer active in Hindi and Gujarati cinema during the 1970s and 1980s. Biography Arun Bhatt was born on 26 September 1934. He was the eldest son of the movie producer and director V ...

and

Pravin Bhatt Pravin Bhatt (Praveen Bhatt) is an Indian film cinematographer, director and screenwriter, who has worked in Hindi cinema from 1970s to 2010s and shot most of the films directed by Mahesh Bhatt, like ''Arth'' (1982) and ''Aashiqui'' (1990) and ...

, and two daughters, and later six granddaughters and four grandsons. Arun Bhatt, his older son, was a film director in Gujarati and Hindi cinema. He was a producer/director of Gujarati films such as Mota Gharni Vahu, Paarki Thaapan and Lohi Ni Sagaai and a record of 9 films being jubilees out of the 14 he had produced. His younger son,

, is a cinematographer in

(Masoom, Umrao Jaan), and his son,

Vikram Bhatt Vikram Bhatt (born 27 January 1969) is an Indian director, producer, screenwriter and actor. He is best known for directing the Raaz (film series), ''Raaz'' film series, an Indian horror series produced by Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt and for d ...

, is a noted film director (Ghulam, Raaz). Arun Bhatt's son

Chirantan Bhatt Chirrantan Bhatt is an Indian musician, composer and singer. He is active in the Indian film industry, Bollywood, and has also composed music for Telugu films. He is best nown for his melody compositions. He is a member of the Gujarati Bhatt ...

is a music director in Bollywood and Tollywood and has produced tracks such as BOSS, Gabbar Is Back, Haunted 3D and 1920 Evil Returns, EMI and Mission Istanbul.

Filmography

As Director * '' Khwab Ki Duniya'' aka ''Dreamland'' (1937) * '' State Express'' (1938) * ''

Leatherface Leatherface is a fictional character in ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' film series created by Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper. He first appears in '' The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' as a disfigured, cannibalistic and mentally unstable mass murdere ...

'' aka ''Farzande Watan'' (1939) * '' Narsi Bhagat'' (1940) * ''

Ek Hi Bhool ''Ek Hi Bhool'' () is a 1981 Indian Hindi-language drama film, produced by A. Purnachandra Rao under the Lakshmi Productions banner and directed by T. Rama Rao. The film stars Jeetendra and Rekha, with music composed by Laxmikant–Pyarelal. I ...

'' (1940) * '' Bharat Milap'' (1942) * '' Ram Rajya'' (1943) * ''

Vikramaditya Vikramaditya (IAST: ') was a legendary king who has been featured in hundreds of traditional stories including those in ''Baital Pachisi'' and '' Singhasan Battisi''. Many describe him as ruler with his capital at Ujjain (Pataliputra or Prati ...

'' (1945) * ''

Samaj Ko Badal Dalo ''Samaj Ko Badal Dalo'' () is a 1970 Bollywood drama film directed by V. Madhusudhana Rao. The film stars Parikshit Sahni, Sharada (reprising the latter's role from the original version and making this picture as her Hindi film debut), Prem Ch ...

'' (1947) * ''

Rambaan ''Rambaan'' (Rama's Arrow) is a 1948 Indian film with a mythological theme, directed by Vijay Bhatt. Made under the banner of Prakash Pictures, it had music by Shankar Rao Vyas. The story writer was Mohanlal Dave with dialogue by Pandit Girish. T ...

'' (1948) * ''

'' (1952) * ''

Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (; born Vishvambhar Mishra) was a 15th-century Indian saint who is considered to be the combined avatar of Radha and Krishna by his disciples and various scriptures. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krishna ...

'' (1954) * '' Ramayan'' (1954) * ''

Patrani ''Patrani'' ( hi, पटरानी; ) is a 1956 Hindi black and white historical drama written by R. S. Choudhury and directed by Vijay Bhatt. The film starred Vyjayanthimala and Pradeep Kumar, with Shashikala, Durga Khote, Om Prakash, Jeevan ( ...

'' (1956) * ''

'' (1959) * '' Angulimaal'' (1960) * ''

Hariyali Aur Raasta ''Hariyali Aur Rasta'' (English: The Greenery and the Road) is a 1962 Hindi film produced and directed by Vijay Bhatt. It stars Manoj Kumar and Mala Sinha in lead roles. The film has music by Shankar Jaikishan. The film was the fourth highest g ...

'' (1962) * ''

'' (1965) * '' Ram Rajya'' (1967) * ''

Banphool '' Banphool '' is a 1971 Indian Hindi-language romance film, produced by Harish Upadyaya and C.D. Shah under the Filmlands banner and directed by Vijay Bhatt. Starring Jeetendra, Babita, Shatrughan Sinha and music composed by Laxmikant Pyarela ...

'' (1971) * '' Hira Aur Patthar'' (1977)

Awards

* 1966:

Filmfare Best Movie Award The Filmfare Award for Best Film is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films. The award was first given in 1954. Here is a list of the award winners and the nominees of the respective years. Eac ...

: ''

'' (1965)IMDb
/ref>

References

External links

Vijay Bhatt – Tribute website
*
"Life and times of legendary director-producer Vijay Bhatt"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhatt, Vijay 1907 births 1993 deaths People from Bhavnagar district Hindi-language film directors Film producers from Mumbai 20th-century Indian film directors Indian male screenwriters St. Xavier's College, Mumbai alumni Filmfare Awards winners Vijay 20th-century Indian screenwriters 20th-century Indian male writers