G P Sippy
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Gopaldas Parmanand Sipahimalani (14 September 1914 — 25 December 2007), better known as G. P. Sippy, was an Indian film producer and director who worked in the
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 ...
industry.


Biography

Sippy was born in
Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
,
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 ...
(now in
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
) into a wealthy trading family whose surname is actually "Sipahimalani". Their trading interests meant that they interacted frequently with the British and other Europeans, who found it difficult to say the name "Sipahimalani". Therefore they started saying "Sippy" as a mark of informal affection and also because it was easier on the English tongue. Thus the family received the surname by which it is now famous. Sippy's father's name was Parmanand Sipahimalani and the family are
Sindhi Hindus Sindhi Hindus are Sindhis who follow the Hindu religion, whose origins lie in the Sindh region and spread across modern-day India and Pakistani Sindh province. After the Partition of India in 1947, many Sindhi Hindus were among those who fled ...
. The family was based in
Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
until 1947, when the
partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...
took place and
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
was created. The entire province of
Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
became part of Pakistan. Most of the Hindus of Sindh were compelled to abandon their homes, lands and properties to go as refugees to India. This was the fate of the Sipahimalani family, whose wealth made them the target of particular spite and attack. Sippy and his wife Mohini were already the parents of two sons, and the entire family, including several other members, was compelled to abandon their home and property in Sindh and take refuge in India. G.P.Sippy was himself a lawyer. They moved to
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- ...
(then known as Bombay) where they already had trading interests and some properties. Indeed, they were far from being penniless; they owned valuable properties in downtown Mumbai and also received partial compensation from the government for the properties they had abandoned in Pakistan. With these resources, Sippy decided to become a builder and property developer. He built and sold several buildings in
Colaba Colaba (; or ISO: Kolābā) is a part of the city of Mumbai, India. It is one of the four peninsulas of Mumbai while the other three are Worli, Bandra and Malabar Hill. During Portuguese rule in the 16th century, the island was known as Kolbhat ...
and
Churchgate Churchgate (Marathi pronunciation: ͡ʃəɾt͡ʃɡeːʈ is an area in South Mumbai. During the eighteenth and up to the mid-19th century, Mumbai was a walled city. The city walls had three gates, and Churchgate, named after St. Thomas Cathe ...
, which are upscale neighbourhoods of downtown Bombay. It was during the construction of Govind Mahal building on sea-facing
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 ...
that Sippy sold the construction rights to a Muslim builder and used the money to finance his first film, '' Sazaa.'' His friend
Fali Mistry Fali Mistry (1919–1979) was an Indian cinematographer, who worked in Bollywood films, from the 1940s to 1980, both in black and white and colour cinema, and along with younger brother Jal Mistry, he was one of the most acclaimed cinematograph ...
, a
Parsi Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim conq ...
gentleman, directed the film, which starred
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
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 ...
. Released in 1951, the film met with moderate success, but the film bug had taken hold of Sippy by this time, and he was to make his career in that field. After that, he went on to become a film producer and made films under the banner of Sippy Films. Sippy is known for producing several popular Bollywood blockbusters such as ''
Seeta Aur Geeta ''Seeta aur Geeta'' () is a 1972 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film, written by Salim–Javed (Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar) and directed by Ramesh Sippy. It stars Hema Malini, Dharmendra and Sanjeev Kumar in leading roles, and features mus ...
'' (1972), '' Shaan'' (1980), '' Saagar'' (1985), ''
Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman ''Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman'' () is a List of Bollywood films of 1992, 1992 Cinema of India, Indian Bollywood, Hindi-Hindi, language romantic comedy film directed by Aziz Mirza starring Nana Patekar, Amrita Singh, Shahrukh Khan and Juhi Chawla. K ...
'' and his magnum opus, ''
Sholay ''Sholay'' (, ) is a 1975 Indian Hindi-language action-adventure film directed by Ramesh Sippy, produced by his father G. P. Sippy, and written by Salim–Javed. The film is about two criminals, Veeru (Dharmendra) and Jai (Amitabh Bachchan), ...
'' (along with his son
Ramesh Sippy Ramesh Sippy (born 23 January 1947) is an Indian film director and producer in Hindi cinema. He is particularly known for directing ''Sholay'' (1975), which is regarded as one of the most influential Indian film ever made. The Government of ...
). Sippy 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 ...
(FFI) for many years, first 1972–73, 1985–86, and then 1988–92. He was the Chairman of the Film and TV Producers Guild of India for several years, and won the
Filmfare Award 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 ...
in 1968 and 1982.


Personal life

Sippy was married at a young age to Mohini Devi, a lady of his own community and similar background, in a match arranged by their families in the usual Indian manner. They had four sons (Ajit,
Ramesh Ramesh Ramesh is a common name. In Persian, the name is derived from Pahlavi origin "Ramishn", meaning "happiness". It is also an Indian masculine given name, from Sanskrit, diminutive of Rameshwar, meaning "Lord/husband of Rama (the goddess Laks ...
, Vijay and Suresh) and a daughter (Soni Uttamsingh). Sippy was a race horse owner as well and one of his female horses was named after his hit film ''
Woh Kaun Thi ''Woh Kaun Thi?'' () is a 1964 Indian Hindi-language mystery thriller film directed by Raj Khosla, starring Sadhana, Manoj Kumar and Prem Chopra. Though the screenplay was written by Dhruva Chatterjee, parts were later rewritten, wherein Manoj Ku ...
''. Sippy's second son,
Ramesh Sippy Ramesh Sippy (born 23 January 1947) is an Indian film director and producer in Hindi cinema. He is particularly known for directing ''Sholay'' (1975), which is regarded as one of the most influential Indian film ever made. The Government of ...
, is a successful filmmaker, most famous for the all-time blockbuster hit ''
Sholay ''Sholay'' (, ) is a 1975 Indian Hindi-language action-adventure film directed by Ramesh Sippy, produced by his father G. P. Sippy, and written by Salim–Javed. The film is about two criminals, Veeru (Dharmendra) and Jai (Amitabh Bachchan), ...
'' (1975) and the hugely successful TV serial ''
Buniyaad ''Buniyaad'' (literally ''Foundation'') is an Indian television soap opera directed by Ramesh Sippy and Jyoti. The series was written by Manohar Shyam Joshi and dealt with the Partition of India in 1947 and its aftermath. It first aired in 198 ...
'' which was telecast in the 1980s. His other son Vijay was also active in the film industry, but success largely eluded him. Vijay died in 1998 by falling off the balcony of his house, shortly after his last film, ''
Hameshaa ''Hameshaa'' (English: 'Forever') is a 1997 Indian Hindi-language romance film written by Ranbir Pushp and directed by Sanjay Gupta. The film stars Aditya Pancholi, Saif Ali Khan and Kajol. Aruna Irani and Kader Khan have supporting roles in th ...
'' had flopped, and it is suspected that he committed suicide. His death was a great blow to Sippy, who was also fated to witness the death of his only daughter Soni Uttamsingh. Sippy died in 2007 at the age of 93.


Filmography


Producer

* ''
Hameshaa ''Hameshaa'' (English: 'Forever') is a 1997 Indian Hindi-language romance film written by Ranbir Pushp and directed by Sanjay Gupta. The film stars Aditya Pancholi, Saif Ali Khan and Kajol. Aruna Irani and Kader Khan have supporting roles in th ...
'' (1997) * ''
Zamaana Deewana ''Zamaana Deewana'' is a 1995 Hindi-language action comedy film, produced by G. P. Sippy under the Sippy Films banner and directed by Ramesh Sippy. It stars Shah Rukh Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Raveena Tandon in pivotal roles, along with Jeetendra, Sh ...
'' (1995) * '' Aatish: Feel the Fire'' (1994) * ''
Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman ''Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman'' () is a List of Bollywood films of 1992, 1992 Cinema of India, Indian Bollywood, Hindi-Hindi, language romantic comedy film directed by Aziz Mirza starring Nana Patekar, Amrita Singh, Shahrukh Khan and Juhi Chawla. K ...
'' (1992) * ''
Patthar Ke Phool ''Patthar Ke Phool'' () is an Indian 1991 Hindi-language action film directed by Anant Balani, produced by G. P. Sippy, written by Salim Khan, and edited by Deepak Sehgal. It stars Salman Khan as a police officer opposite debutant Raveena Tandon ...
'' (1991) * ''
Bhrashtachar ''Bhrashtachar'' () is a 1989 Indian Hindi-language film directed by Ramesh Sippy, produced by G.P.Sippy, starring Mithun Chakraborty, Rekha, Anupam Kher, Raza Murad and Abhinav Chaturvedi, with Rajinikanth in a special appearance. and intro ...
'' (1989) * '' Saagar'' (1985) * '' Shaan'' (1980) * ''
Ahsaas ''Ahsaas'' is a 1979 Hindi romantic film produced by G. P. Sippy and directed by Surinder Suri. The film introduced Parvez and Dina in lead roles. It also starred Shammi Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor, Simi Garewal, Simple Kapadia, Bindu, Amjad Khan ...
'' (1979) * '' Trishna'' (1978) * ''
Sholay ''Sholay'' (, ) is a 1975 Indian Hindi-language action-adventure film directed by Ramesh Sippy, produced by his father G. P. Sippy, and written by Salim–Javed. The film is about two criminals, Veeru (Dharmendra) and Jai (Amitabh Bachchan), ...
'' (1975) * ''
Seeta Aur Geeta ''Seeta aur Geeta'' () is a 1972 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film, written by Salim–Javed (Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar) and directed by Ramesh Sippy. It stars Hema Malini, Dharmendra and Sanjeev Kumar in leading roles, and features mus ...
'' (1972) * '' Andaz'' (1971) * '' Bandhan'' (1969) * '' Brahmachari'' (1968/I) * ''
Mere Sanam ''Mere Sanam'' (English: ''My Lover'' hi, मेरे सनम) is a 1965 Hindi film starring Biswajeet, Asha Parekh, Mumtaz, Pran and Rajendra Nath. The film was a hit at the box office, especially because of the musical score by Majrooh Su ...
'' (1965) * ''Bhai-Bahen'' (1959) * '' 12 O'Clock'' (1958) * '' Shahenshah'' (1953) * '' Sazaa'' (1951)


Director

* ''
Mr. India Mr. or Mister India may refer to: Pageants * Rubaru Mister India, a national Indian beauty pageant in India that sends its winners to Mister International, Mister Global, Mister Model International and other international competitions * Mister Indi ...
'' (1961) * ''Bhai-Bahen'' (1959) * ''Shrimati 420'' (1956) * '' Adl-e-Jehangir'' (1955) * ''
Marine Drive Marine Drive may refer to: Roads Bangladesh * Cox Bazar-Tekhnaf Marine Drive, world's longest marine drive road. Canada *Marine Drive (Nova Scotia), a scenic route in Nova Scotia * Marine Drive (Greater Vancouver), a number of roadways in Metro ...
'' (1955)


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sippy, G. P. Hindi-language film directors Sindhi people 1914 births 2007 deaths Hindi film producers Filmfare Awards winners 20th-century Indian film directors