Prakash Mehra (13 July 1939 – 17 May 2009) was a legendary Indian film director and producer known for his work in

Hindi films 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 "Hollywood". The industry, producing films in th ...

. He was one of the pioneers of masala films, along with Nasir Hussain, and

Manmohan Desai 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 and a pioneer of ...

. His collaborations with the actor

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.* * * * * With a cinemati ...

resulted in several box office blockbusters and classics.

Early life and career

Born on 13 July 1939 in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, Mehra started in the late 1950s as a production controller. In 1968, he directed Shashi Kapoor who played a double role in '' Haseena Maan Jayegi''. . In 1973, he produced and directed '' Zanjeer''. This hit with

started a long term and successful collaboration that spanned 7 more films, 6 being blockbuster hits: '' Hera Pheri'', '' Khoon Pasina'', '' Muqaddar Ka Sikandar'', '' Lawaaris'', '' Namak Halaal'' and '' Sharaabi''. Their final collaboration was '' Jaadugar'' which was a flop and ended their successful streak. ''Zanjeer'' was the film credited with launching the career of Bachchan as a lead actor and their final film together Jaadugar. Prakash Mehra also directed & produced '' Zindagi Ek Jua'' with actor

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

in 1991, which was not a commercial success. In 1996, he introduced veteran actor Raaj Kumar's son Puru Raaj Kumar in '' Bal Bramhachari'' which was also unsuccessful. This was the last film he directed. He also produced the movie '' Dalaal'' with

Mithun Chakraborty Mithun Chakraborty (born Gouranga Chakraborty; 16 June 1950) is an Indian actor, film producer, screenwriter, entrepreneur and politician who predominantly works in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali cinema. In a career spa ...

, in the mid-90s, which was a box-office moneymaker. Mehra received a lifetime achievement award from the India Motion Picture Directors Association (IMPDA) in 2006. He also received Lifetime Achievement as Producer from IMPPA (Indian Motion Picture Producers Association) on 19 September 2008. Prakash Mehra was one of the first Bombay directors to try venture into

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

. In the late eighties he tried a joint venture to make the movie ''The God Connection'' with Frank Yandolino. The movie was to include Hollywood actors such as Charles Bronson among others, but the project though funded heavily initially, never came to fruition. Mehra died on 17 May 2009 in Mumbai of pneumonia and multiple organ failure.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mehra, Prakash 1939 births 2009 deaths Deaths from multiple organ failure Deaths from pneumonia in India Hindi-language film directors Film producers from Uttar Pradesh People from Bijnor 20th-century Indian people Film directors from Uttar Pradesh People from Bijnor district