Mohammed Ibrahim Baloch (or Bloch; born 1949), better known as Mehul Kumar, is an Indian filmmaker and writer in

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 ...

.Mohamed Ibrahim Bloch
'' Open Corporates''. He is known for directing the films ''

Tirangaa The national flag of India, colloquially called the tricolour, is a horizontal rectangular tricolour flag of India saffron, white and India green; with the ', a 24-spoke wheel, in navy blue at its centre. It was adopted in its present form d ...

'' (1992), '' Krantiveer'' (1993) and '' Kohram'' (1999). His other works include '' Mrityudaata'' (1997) and '' Kitne Door Kitne Paas'' (2002) among others as well as several Gujarati films.

Early life and work

Mehul Kumar was born as Mohammed Baloch into a Makrani Baloch family in the city of

Jamnagar Jamnagar () is a city located on the western coast of India in the state of Gujarat of Saurashtra region. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jamnagar district and the fifth largest city in Gujarat. The city lies just to the south o ...

, Gujarat in 1949. Graduating from

Bombay University The University of Mumbai is a collegiate, state-owned, public research university in Mumbai. The University of Mumbai is one of the largest universities in the world. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges. Ratan Tata is the appointed ...

he started as a journalist during the early 1970s which included writing film reviews. He then moved to work in Gujarati theatre.

Career

His first work in films was as an assistant director to

Chandrakant Sangani Chandrakant Sangani ( – 28 July 1997) was an Indian Gujarati language director, writer and actor from Gujarat, who worked predominantly in Gujarati cinema. Biography Sangani was born in Saurashtra region of Gujarat, India. Sangani started his ca ...

and then with Aamir Khan's father

Tahir Hussain Mohammad Tahir Hussain Khan (19 September 1938 – 2 February 2010), better known as Tahir Hussain, was an Indian film producer, screenwriter, actor and film director known for his works in Hindi cinema. Personal life Tahir Hussain ...

. He made his directorial debut with a Gujarati comedy ''Chandu Jamadar'' (1977), a remake of

Dada Kondke Krishna "Dada" Kondke (Marathi pronunciation: ̪aːd̪a koːɳɖke 8 August 1932 – 14 March 1998) was an Indian actor and film producer. He was one of the most renowned personalities in Marathi film industry, famous for his double entendre d ...

's highly successful lowbrow Marathi comedy ''

Pandu Havaldar ''Pandu Havaldar'' () is a 1975 Marathi-language film. Cast * Dada Kondke as Pandu Havaldar * Ashok Saraf *Usha Chavan *Ruhi Berde *Mohan Kotivan. Script *Rajesh Mujumdar Rajesh is a given name of Indian and Nepali origin. Given name * R ...

'' (1975). Though it was Kumar's 1977 bilingual Hindi-Gujrati film '' Janam Janam Na Saath'' (Gujarati)/''Phir Janam Lenge Hum'' (Hindi) produced by Tahir Hussain which first gained recognition. After its success, Kumar directed eighteen successful Gujarati films over the years. Kumar then made his second Hindi project ''

Anokha Bandhan ''Anokha Bandhan'' ( ''Unique Relation'') is a 1982 Hindi-language drama film, produced by Ratan Irani under the Shree Jagdamba Movies banner and directed by Mehul Kumar. It stars Ashok Kumar, Shabana Azmi, Navin Nischol, Master Bittu while ...

'' (1982). After that he directed films with actors like

Dharmendra Dharam Singh Deol (born 8 December 1935), also known mononymously as Dharmendra, is an Indian actor, producer and politician who is known for his work in Hindi films. Known as the first " He-Man" of Bollywood, Dharmendra has worked in over 301 ...

Jeetendra Ravi Kapoor ( ; born 7 April 1942), known mononymously by his screen name Jeetendra, is an Indian actor who is known for his work in Hindi cinema. He also serves as the chairman of the Balaji Telefilms and Balaji Motion Pictures. Early li ...

Anil Kapoor Anil Kapoor (born 24 December 1956) is an Indian actor and producer who works primarily in Hindi films, besides television and international films and television. In a career spanning over 40 years as an actor and since 2005 as a producer, Kap ...

, Meenakshi Sheshadri,

Shabana Azmi Shabana Azmi (born 18 September 1950) is an Indian actress of Hindi film, television and theatre. One of India's most acclaimed actresses, Azmi is known for her portrayals of distinctive, often unconventional female characters across several ge ...

Madhuri Dixit Madhuri Dixit Nene (née Dixit; born 15 May 1967) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films. A leading actress of Indian cinema, she has appeared in over 70 films. Noted by critics for her beauty, dancing skills, and character ...

Shatrughan Sinha Shatrughan Prasad Sinha (born 9 December 1945) is an Indian actor and politician. He is a Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Asansol constituency as a member of All India Trinamool Congress (TMC). Earlier he was elected as Member of Parliame ...

, Mehmood and

Feroz Khan Feroz Khan or Feroze Khan may refer to: * Feroz Khan (actor) (1939–2009), Indian actor and film director * Feroz Khan Noon (1893–1970), Pakistani politician and 8th Prime Minister of Pakistan * Feroze Khan (born 1990), Pakistani VJ, television ...

among others. Then came Kumar's blockbuster golden jubilee hit '' Marte Dam Tak'' (1987) which starred

Raaj Kumar Raaj Kumar (born Kulbhushan Pandit; 8 October 1926 3 July 1996) was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi films. He appeared in the Oscar-nominated 1957 film '' Mother India'' and starred in over 70 Hindi films in a career that spanned over fo ...

Govinda Govinda (), also rendered Govind and Gobind, is an epithet of Vishnu which is also used for his avatars such as Krishna. The name appears as the 187th and the 539th name of Vishnu in '' Vishnu Sahasranama''. The name is also popularly addresse ...

and Farah. '' Jungbaaz'', ''

Nafrat Ki Aandhi ''Nafrat Ki Aandhi '' ( ''Storm Of Hatred'') is a 1989 Hindi-language action film, Produced by Ratan Irani on Shree Jagdamba Movies Combines banner and directed by Mehul Kumar. It stars Dharmendra, Jeetendra, Anita Raj, Madhavi in lead roles ...

'' and a string of back-to-back films followed in the 1980s. In the '90s he made commercially successful films like ''

'' (1992) starring Raaj Kumar and

Nana Patekar Vishwanath Patekar (born 1 January 1951), better known as Nana Patekar, is an Indian actor, screenwriter, film maker, and a former Indian Territorial Army officer, mainly working in Hindi and Marathi cinema. He is regarded as one of the finest an ...

. Then followed '' Krantiveer'' (1993) based on the

Bombay riots In the Bombay riots in December 1992 and January 1993, an estimated 900 people died. The riots were mainly due to escalations of hostilities after large scale protests by Muslims in reaction to the 1992 Babri Masjid Demolition by Hindu Karsev ...

. ''Krantiveer'' was a box-office hit with Patekar winning a National Film Award for his performance. Kumar then directed ABCL's debut venture '' Mrityudaata'' (1997) which was Amitabh Bachan's comeback film after five years, but it emerged as a box-office failure. He brought Nana Patekar and Amitabh Bachchan together in '' Kohram'' (1999). Although it was commercially unsuccessful as well, it is remembered for the performances of its lead actors. He then made '' Kitne Door Kitne Paas'' (2002), which fared well. His next film '' Jaago'' (2004) was based on a real life incident and was one of the first films to raise awareness about

rape in India Rape is the fourth most common crime against women in India. According to the 2021 annual report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 31,677 rape cases were registered across the country, or an average of 86 cases daily, a rise from 20 ...

. His last film was ''Krantiveer: The Revolution'' (2010) starred his daughter Jahan Bloch in the lead role and was a sequel to ''Krantiveer''. He has also produced some of his films like ''Tirangaa'', ''Krantiveer'', ''Kohram'' and ''Jaago''. Other actors which have appeared and collaborated with Kumar on film projects include

Dimple Kapadia Dimple Kapadia (born 8 June 1957) is an Indian actress predominantly appearing in Hindi films. Born and raised in Mumbai by wealthy parents, she aspired to become an actress from a young age and received her first opportunity through her father ...

Naseeruddin Shah Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1950) is an Indian actor. He is notable in Indian parallel cinema. He has also starred in international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfare ...

Akshay Kumar Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia (born 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian-born naturalised Canadian Quote: "(Former prime minister Stephen) Harper campaigned in 2011 alongside one of Modi's biggest celebrity backer ...

Raveena Tandon Raveena Tandon (born 26 October 1972) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. The daughter of director Ravi Tandon, she made her acting debut in the 1991 action film '' Patthar Ke Phool'', which won her the Filmfare Award for New Face ...

and

Karisma Kapoor Karisma Kapoor (born 25 June 1974) is an Indian actress, who works in Hindi films. A member of the Kapoor family, she is the recipient of several accolades, including a National Film Award and four Filmfare Awards. Kapoor made her acting ...

Personal life and family

Kumar runs Mehul Cinemax, a film theatre in Jamnagar owned by his production company Mehul Entertainments Private Limited. His brother Hussain Bloch is a film director in Gujarati cinema and has also worked with Kumar in many of his films. Kumar's daughter Jahan Bloch appeared as the lead in ''Krantiveers sequel ''Krantiveer: The Revolution'' (2010). She had previously appeared as a child actress in his films. Having since moved to Prince Edward's Island with her chef husband, she now runs a bakery while also working as a filmmaker.PEI filmmaker Jahan Bloch's feature film
'' CBC.ca''. His son Zoheb Mohammed Bloch has assisted Kumar as a director in films. He has another daughter Shameem Khan, a costume designer, and a brother production manager Mohamed Bloch; both of whom have worked with Kumar on his films. The family uses the unusual spelling of

Bloch Bloch is a surname of German origin. Notable people with this surname include: A–F * (1859-1914), French rabbi * Adele Bloch-Bauer (1881-1925), Austrian entrepreneur * Albert Bloch (1882–1961), American painter * (born 1972), German motor jour ...

for their surname, which is usually spelt as

Baloch Baloch, also spelled Baloch, Beluch and in other ways, may refer to: * Baloch people, an ethnic group of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan * Baluch, a small itinerant community of Afghanistan * Balouch, Azad Kashmir, a town in Pakistan * Baloch (s ...

Filmography

References

External links