Sohrab Merwanji Modi (2 November 1897 – 28 January 1984) was an Indian stage and film actor, director and producer. His films include ''

Khoon Ka Khoon ''Khoon Ka Khoon'' () also called ''Hamlet'' is the first Hindi/ Urdu 1935 sound film adaptation of the Shakespearen play Hamlet. Directed by Sohrab Modi under his Stage Film Company banner, it is cited as one of the earliest talkie versio ...

'' (1935), a version of Shakespeare's ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'', '' Sikandar'', ''Pukar'', ''

Prithvi Vallabh Prithvi Vallabh (Hindi: पृथ्वी वल्लभ) is a historical drama Bollywood film directed by Sohrab Modi. Made under the Minerva Movietone banner it was released in 1943. The story is an adaptation of K. M. Munshi's book '' Pr ...

'', '' Jhansi ki Rani'', '' Mirza Ghalib'', Jailor and ''

Nausherwan-E-Adil ''Nausherwan-E-Adil'' () also called ''Farz Aur Mohabbat'', is a 1957 Indian costume action drama Hindi/ Urdu film directed by Sohrab Modi. Produced by Minerva Movietone, it had music composed by C. Ramchandra with lyrics by Parwaiz Shamshi. T ...

'' (1957). His films always carried a message of strong commitment to social and national issues.

Early life

Sohrab Merwanji Modi was born 2 November 1897 in Bombay. After finishing school, he became travelling exhibitor in Gwalior with his brother Keki Modi. At 16 he used project films in Gwalior's Town Hall and at 26 set up his Arya Subhodh Theatrical Company. Sohrab began as a Parsi theatre actor with some experience in silent films. He earned quite a reputation as a Shakespearean actor, travelling throughout India with his brother's theatrical company and enjoying the tremendous sense of fulfillment every time the curtain came down and the audience applauded. However, with the advent of the sound film in 1931, theatre was declining. To rescue this dying art, Modi set up the Stage Film Company in 1935. His first two films were filmed versions of plays. ''

'' (1935) was an adaptation of ''Hamlet'' and marked Naseem Bano's acting debut. The second, ''

Said-e-Havas ''Said-e-Havas'' (Prey To Desire) or (Greed) also known as ''King John'' is a 1936 Hindi/ Urdu film adaptation of the Shakespeare play, '' King John'', directed by Sohrab Modi. It was based on the Urdu play ''Said-e-Hawas'' by Agha Hashar Ka ...

'' (1936) was based on Shakespeare's '' King John''. Both films failed at the box office.

Personal life

Sohrab Modi was born into 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 ...

family on 2 November 1897. His father was an Indian civil servant. He spent his childhood in Rampur,

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 195 ...

where he developed a liking for

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 ...

and

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Mehtab Modi, an actress born into an aristocratic

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

family from

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 ...

, who began her career in his movie Parakh (1944). They married on her birthday on 28 April 1946. They had a son, Mehelli, from this marriageYesteryear actress Mehtab remembers her husband Sohrab Modi
Cineplot.com website (14 September 2013), Retrieved 27 November 2019 who settled in the UK in 1967, where he would later found the British arthouse DVD label Second Run.London’s Second Run DVD is rescuing rare arthouse films from obscurity
. Scroll.in (29 March 2018). Retrieved on 2018-11-09. Mehtab had a son, Ismail from her first marriage, who lived with them. There is an incident about Sohrab Modi's visit to Kolkata. Here he met with the Holy Mother Sarada Devi. Sohrab went to her for diksha but was denied permission. He reportedly asked to holy mother, "Maiji kuchh kijiye jisse khuda pehchana jaye". The incident of their meeting was not less than surprising. During her last days, none was permitted to come near the Holy Mother. But the day Sohrab had come for diksha, Maa Sarada could feel that someone has come for diksha from her saintly powers without anyone telling about him to the holy mother. She asked to send Sohrab to her and gave her many lessons which would be later helpful in his life.

Biography

He launched Minerva Movietone in 1936. His early films at Minerva dealt with contemporary social issues such as alcoholism in ''Meetha Zaher'' (1938) and the right of Hindu women to divorce in ''Talaq'' (1938). Though the films did well, what attracted Modi was the historic genre. Minerva Movietone became famous for its trilogy of historical spectaculars that were to follow – ''Pukar'' (1939), '' Sikandar'' (1941) and ''

'' (1943), wherein Modi made the most of his gift for grandiloquence to evoke historical grandeur. ''Pukar'' (1939) was set in the court of the Mughal Emperor Jehangir and is based on an incident, perhaps fictional, that highlights Jehangir's fair sense of justice. Many of the key scenes were filmed on location, at the magnificent courts and palaces from the Mughal era, which gave the film an authenticity that studio built sets could never achieve. The charisma of its stars, Chandra Mohan and Naseem Bano, and

Kamaal Amrohi Syed Amir Haider Kamal Naqvi (17 January 1918 – 11 February 1993), popularly known as Kamal Amrohi, was an Indian film director and screenwriter. He was also an Urdu and Hindi poet. His Hindi films include '' Mahal'' (1949), ''Pakeezah'' (19 ...

's oration, with its literary flourish and innate grace, ensured the film's popularity. Arguably Modi's greatest film was ''Sikander'' (1941), which immortalized Prithviraj Kapoor playing the title role. This epic film was set in 326 BC when

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

, having conquered Persia and the Kabul Valley, descends on the Indian border at Jhelum and encounters Porus (Modi), who stops the advance with his troops. ''Sikanders lavish mounting, huge sets, and production values equalled Hollywood's best, particularly in its rousing and spectacular battle scenes. The movie was rated by a British writer as "well up to the standard of that old masterpiece ''

The Birth of a Nation ''The Birth of a Nation'', originally called ''The Clansman'', is a 1915 American silent epic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. The screenplay is adapted from Thomas Dixon Jr.'s 1905 novel and play ''The Clan ...

''." Its dramatic, declamatory dialogue gave both Prithviraj Kapoor and Sohrab Modi free rein to their histrionic proclivities. The release of the film coincided with World War II at its peak and in India the political atmosphere was tense following Gandhiji's call to

Civil Disobedience Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal of a citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders or commands of a government (or any other authority). By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be called "civil". H ...

. ''Sikander'' further aroused patriotic feelings and national sentiment. Thus, though ''Sikander'' was approved by the Bombay censor board, it was later banned from some of the theatres serving army cantonments. However, its appeal to nationalism was so great and direct, it remained popular for years. It was revived in Delhi in 1961 during the Indian March into Goa. ''Prithvi Vallabh'' was based on K.M. Munshi's novel of the same name. The film's major highlights were the confrontations between Modi and

Durga Khote Durga Khote (14 January 1905 − 22 September 1991) was an Indian actress, beginning as one of the foremost leading ladies of her times, she remained active in Hindi and Marathi cinema, as well as theatre, for over 50 years, starring in arou ...

, the haughty queen ''Mrinalvati'', who tries to humiliate him publicly but then falls in love with him. Although Modi went beyond Parsee theatre with such themes as illicit passion ('' Jailor'' (1938), remade in 1958) and incest (''Bharosa'' (1940)), his formal approach still remained tied to the theatre. He re-created the look and sound of Parsee theatre by using frontal compositions and staging the narrative in spatial layers with copious use of Urdu dialogue. In 1946, after his relationship with Naseem had run its course (though she continued to work with him in ''Sheesh Mahal'' (1950) and ''Nausherwan-e-Adil'' (1957)), he married Mehtab, an actress 20 years his junior whom he had directed in ''Parakh'' (1944). Sohrab Modi was 48 years old at that time. In 1950, when Sohrab Modi's ''Sheesh Mahal'' was being screened at Minerva Theatre in Bombay, the actor was present at the hall. Mr. Modi noticed a man sitting in the front row with closed eyes. Upset with such a reaction, he asked an attendant to let the viewer out and to return his money. The employee came back to say that the person was blind but had come just to hear Sohrab Modi's lines. For Jhansi Ki Rani, India's first technicolour film, Modi had technicians flown in from Hollywood. Mehtab starred as the young queen of

Jhansi Jhansi (; Hindi: झांसी, Urdu: ) is a historic city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It lies in the region of Bundelkhand on the banks of the Pahuj River, in the extreme south of Uttar Pradesh. Jhansi is the administrative head ...

who took up arms against the British during the Mutiny of 1857 with Modi playing the role of the Rajguru, her chief advisor. The film was notable for its authenticity in creating the right period and delineating historical events, its spectacular battle scenes and Mehtab's stirring performance though she was far too old for the role. She achieves stirring dignity in the role as she vows to protect Jhansi from all enemies both within and outside. The ball sequence in Jhansi's palace was superbly shot and Modi's characters held great emotional appeal. The film failed to connect with the audience and was a costly misfire for Modi as a box office crash. Modi however bounced back with Mirza Ghalib (1954). The film, based on the life of the great Indian poet who lived during the reign of

Bahadur Shah Zafar Bahadur Shah II, usually referred to by his poetic title Bahadur Shah ''Zafar'' (; ''Zafar'' Victory) was born Mirza Abu Zafar Siraj-ud-din Muhammad (24 October 1775 – 7 November 1862) and was the twentieth and last Mughal Emperor as well a ...

, the last of the Mughal Emperors, won the President's Gold Medal for Best Feature Film of 1954. The film beautifully captured the mood of the period, its hedonistic pursuits and the fading magnificence of the court of the last Mughal, where poets like Zauq, Momin, Tishna, Shefta and

Ghalib ) , birth_date = , birth_place = Kala Mahal, Agra, Maratha Confederacy , death_date = , death_place = Gali Qasim Jaan, Ballimaran, Chandni Chowk, Delhi, British India , occupation = Poet , language ...

assembled to recite their verse. ''Mirza Ghalib'' also saw Suraiya's finest dramatic performance as she embodied the role of the married Ghalib's lover, a courtesan. ''Ghalib'' also saw some of her finest singing – "Aah ko Chaihiye Ek Umar," "Nuktacheen Hai Gham-e-Dil," "Dil-e-Nadaan Tujhe Hua Kya Hai," "Yeh Na Thi Humari Kismet,". Her singing is to date regarded as the definitive portrayal of ''Ghalib''. In fact India's then Prime Minister

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

paid her the ultimate compliment by telling her she had brought Mirza Ghalib to life. ("Tumne Mirza Ghalib ki Rooh ko Zinda Kar Diya"). Though ''Nausherwan-e-Adil'' and ''Samay Bada Balwan'' (1969) had their moments it is said that Modi's later films did not reach the heights of his earlier work. In Jailor (1958) Modi gave a chilling portrayal of a rational man turned into a tyrant. His last few hits included Kundan(1955), Raj Hath (1956) and Meri Biwi Mere Bachche (1960).

Death and later life

Even after he stopped making films, Sohrab Modi never actually gave up the idea of making one. Even as late as 1982 (when he was 85 years old) and was hardly able to move around, he had the muhurat of 'Guru-dakshina'. As per his wife, people took advantage of his weakness for making a film and they lost a lot of money by way of advance payments etc., since two days after the 'muhurat', Sohrab Modi fell sick and then never recovered. His wife also said in a 1986 interview that Sohrab Modi was obsessed with filmmaking and, in fact, had no other interests. Sohrab Modi received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1980. He was the tenth recipient of the award. He suffered from cancer of the bone marrow and succumbed to the disease on 28 January 1984 at the age of 86.

Trivia

* In 1960 he was a member of the jury at the

10th Berlin International Film Festival The 10th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 24 June to 5 July 1960. The Golden Bear was awarded to the Spanish film ''El Lazarillo de Tormes'' directed by César Fernández Ardavín. Jury The following people were announce ...

. * In 2005, the Phalke medallion and some ceramic pieces from Modi's

Cuffe Parade Cuffe Parade is a historic and significant business district of the city of Mumbai, India. It is home to a collection of commercial and office high-rises. It is bordered to the north by Nariman Point which, along with Cuffe Parade, forms the gre ...

home were sold to Mumbai's most resourceful and notorious antiques market, Chor Bazaar.

Filmography

As director

* ''

'' (1935) * ''

'' (1936) * '' Atma Tarang'' (1937) * ''

Khan Bahadur Khan Bahadur – a compound of khan ('leader') and bahadur ('brave') – was a formal title of respect and honor, which was conferred exclusively on Muslim and other non-Hindu natives of British India. It was one degree higher than the title of ...

'' (1937) * '' Jailor'' (1938) * ''

Meetha Zahar ''Meetha Zahar'' (Sweet Poison) is a 1938 Indian Hindi/ Urdu-language social drama film directed by Sohrab Modi for his Minerva Movietone productions. The screenplay was by Gajanan Jagirdar with dialogue by Munshi Abdul Baqi and director of p ...

'' (1938) * '' Pukar'' (1939) * '' Bharosa'' (1940) * '' Sikandar'' (1941)Sohrab Modi (1897 - 1984) - profile on Cineplot.com website
Published 13 June 2010, Retrieved 27 November 2019 * '' Phir Milenge'' (1942) * ''

'' (1943) * '' Parakh'' (1944) * '' Ek Din Ka Sultan'' (1945) * '' Manjhdhar'' (1947) * ''

Narasinha Avatar ''Narasinha Avatar'' (The Incarnation of Narsinha) is a 1949 Hindi mythological film produced and directed by Sohrab Modi. Made under the Minerva Movietone banner, it had music composed by Vasant Desai with lyrics by Narendra Sharma. The sto ...

'' (1949) * ''

Daulat Daulat may refer to: * Daulat (painter), Mughal painter * ''Daulat'' (1949 film) * ''Daulat'' (1982 film) * ''Daulat'' (2020 film) *Daulat Beg Oldi, Indian military base in Ladakh People with the given name *Daulat Khan Lodi, 16th-century governo ...

'' (1949) * '' Sheesh Mahal'' (1950) * '' Jhansi Ki Rani'' (1953) * '' Mirza Ghalib'' (1954) * '' Kundan'' (1955) * '' Raj Hath'' (1956) * ''

'' (1957) * '' Jailor'' (1958) * ''

Mera Ghar Mere Bachche ''Mera Ghar Mere Bachche'' () is a 1960 Indian Hindi-language social family drama film produced and directed by Sohrab Modi. Made under the Minerva Movietone banner, it had music by Sardar Malik with lyrics by Hasrat Jaipuri. The film had Naaz ...

'' (1960) * ''

Samay Bada Balwan ''Samay Bada Balwan'' is a 1969 Hindi social moral drama film produced and directed by Sohrab Modi. Modi had sold his studio a year earlier but tried to revive the Minerva Movietone banner by producing this film. The music director was Usha Kha ...

'' (1969)

As actor

References

External links

Sohrab ModiSohrab Modi Profile
* * https://www.flickr.com/photos/29284105@N04/6520694645/in/photostream {{DEFAULTSORT:Modi, Sohrab 1897 births 1984 deaths Indian male film actors Male actors in Hindi cinema Indian male stage actors Indian male silent film actors Film directors from Mumbai Hindi-language film directors Film producers from Mumbai Parsi people from Mumbai Gujarati people Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipients 20th-century Indian male actors Deaths from bone cancer Deaths from cancer in India 20th-century Indian film directors Male actors from Mumbai Hindi film producers Producers who won the Best Feature Film National Film Award Directors who won the Best Feature Film National Film Award