Mehboob Khan

Early life

Khan was born Mehboob Khan Ramzan Khan in Bilimora in Gandevi Taluka of Baroda State (now Gujarat) on 9 September 1907.

Career

He was brought to Bombay from his hometown Gujrat by Mr. Noor Muhammad Ali Muhammed Shipra (Producer and horse supplier in Indian cinema) to work as a horse shoe repairer in a stable (Owned by Noor Muhammad Ali Muhammed Shipra). Then one day at a shooting of chandra shekar (from south) director he (Mehboob sahub) showed his interest to work with chandra and then after seeing his great interest and skills Mr. Chandra asked Mr. Noor Muhammad Ali Muhammed Shipra to take Mehboob with him to work as small jobs in the film studios of Bombay (assistant director). He started as an assistant in the Silent Films Era and an extra in the studios of the Imperial Film Company of Ardeshir Irani, 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 included Deccan Queen (1936), Ek Hi Raasta (1939) and Alibaba (1940). Directorial features like Aurat (1940) followed, with the studios Sagar Movietone and National Studios. In 1945, Khan set up his own production house, Mehboob Productions. In 1946 he directed the musical hit Anmol Ghadi which featured singing stars Surendra, Noorjehan and Suraiya in leading roles.

Khan went on to produce and directed many blockbuster films, the most notable being the romantic drama Andaz (1949), the swashbuckling musical Aan (1951), melodrama Amar (1954) and the social epic Mother India (1957), the latter of which was nominated for an Academy Award in 1957 and was a remake of his own 1940 film Aurat. His earlier works were in Urdu, but his later material, including Mother India, were in Hindi although many say he used Hindustani, a friendlier and softer spoken version of Hindi and Urdu. Several of his films, especially his earlier films Humayun (1945), the story of a Mughal emperor who ruled India, Anmol Ghadi (1946) and Taqdeer, in which he introduced Nargis, who later married Sunil Dutt, were written by Aghajani Kashmeri. Kashmiri was responsible for picking and training Nargis in Hindustani and Urdu dialogue delivery. His last film as a director was the 1962 film Son of India. He died in 1964 at the age of 57, and was buried at Badakabarastan in Marine Lines, Mumbai. His death occurred the next day after the death of Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India.

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, Raj Kapoor, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar, Raaj Kumar, Nargis, Nimmi and Nadira. In 1961, he was a member of the jury at the 2nd Moscow International Film Festival. He remained the President of the Film Federation of India.

Khan was known for having been influenced by Hollywood films and his films often featured lavish sets in the style of the Hollywood era 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. From his first wife, Fatima he had three sons, Ayub, Iqbal and Shaukat . After separation from his first wife, he married the famous Indian Hindi film actress, Sardar Akhtar (1915-1984), whom he married in 1942. He adopted Sajid Khan (Born 28 December 1951), who has acted in Hindi and foreign English films.

Legacy

As a part his birth centenary celebrations, the Indian postal department released a commemorative stamp of Mehboob Khan at a function held at the Mehboob Studios in September 2007.

As a producer

As an actor

As a writer

Awards