Manmohan Desai (26 February 1937 – 1 March 1994) was an Indian film producer and director. He was one of the most successful filmmakers of the 70s and 80s. Desai was an influential and sought-after film director of
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
and a pioneer of making
Masala films along with
Prakash Mehra
Prakash Mehra (13 July 1939 – 17 May 2009) was a legendary Indian film director and producer known for his work in Hindi films. He was one of the pioneers of masala films, along with Nasir Hussain, and Manmohan Desai. His collaborations wi ...
and
Nasir Hussain.
Family background
Manmohan Desai was of
Gujarati ancestry. His father, Kikubhai Desai, was an Indian film producer and owner of Paramount Studios (later Filmalaya) from 1931 to 1941. His productions, mainly stunt films, included ''Circus Queen'', ''Golden Gang'', and ''Sheikh Challi''. Manmohan Desai's elder brother, Subhash Desai, became a producer in the 1950s and gave Manmohan his first break in the Hindi film ''
Chhalia'' (1960). Subhash later went on to produce ''
Bluff Master'', ''
Dharam Veer'', and ''
Desh Premee'' with Manmohan as the director.
His wife was Jeevanprabha Desai. She died in April 1979. He was engaged to actress
Nanda from 1992 until the time of his death in 1994. He had one son
Ketan Desai who is still involved in the film industry. Ketan is married to Kanchan Kapoor, daughter of actor
Shammi Kapoor
Shammi Kapoor (born Shamsher Raj Kapoor; (pronounced Help:IPA/Hindi and Urdu, �ʌmːi kʌpuːɾ 21 October 1931 – 14 August 2011) was an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi cinema. Kapoor is considered one of the greatest and most s ...
and actress
Geeta Bali.
On 1 March 1994, as per news Manmohan Desai fell from the balcony in
Girgaon
Girgaon, or Girgaum, is an area in southern Mumbai in Maharashtra, India. It is near the coast. A section of Marine Drive, Mumbai, Marine Drive is located here.
History
Girgaon has a deep-rooted connection with the celebration of Ganesh Cha ...
and died. There are doubts that he jumped to his death due to health issues
Career
Manmohan Desai was known for his family-centered, action-song-and-dance films which catered to the tastes of the Indian masses and through which he achieved great success. His movies defined a new genre called
masala films. A common theme in his films were the lost and found plot where family members would be separated and reunited.
Filmography
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Desai, Manmohan
1937 births
1994 deaths
Film producers from Mumbai
20th-century Indian people
Hindi-language film directors
Gujarati people
Film directors from Mumbai