Remembering Raj Khosla, director of a string of hit films

Raj Khosla, whose birth centenary falls on May 31, was nothing less than an institution. His cinema was intensely passionate, often women-centric, with a narrative style dominated by pith rather than technique, and usually boosted by exceptionally filmed classic songs. 

Khosla directed 26 movies between 1955’s ‘Milap’, starring Dev Anand and Geeta Bali, and 1989’s ‘Naqab’, starring Rishi Kapoor and Farha. His last years saw his creativity under a cloud.

“I don’t blame anyone else for this, I allowed my personal problems to come in the way of my work,” he had told me in an earlier interview. 

His golden streak began with his second film, ‘C.I.D.’ (1956). It was followed by ‘Solva Saal’, ‘Kala Pani’, (his critically appreciated but commercially unsuccessful) ‘Bambai Ka Babu’, ‘Ek Musafir Ek Hasina’, ‘Woh Kaun Thi?’, ‘Mera Saaya’, ‘Do Raaste’, ‘Mera Gaon Mera Desh’, ‘Kucche Dhaage’, ‘Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki’ and ‘Dostana’. 

Story is king

For Khosla, it was always about the story. His multi-genre narrative genius was honed by his mentor, Guru Dutt. Narrative technique or stylised camera angles never mattered, the plot did.

His maiden film, ‘Milap’, was about a rich man who bequeathed all to a village simpleton and how his relatives plan to hoodwink the man into parting with it. ‘Solva Saal’ told the story of a 16-year-old girl who runs away from home at night, and is finally taken home before daybreak.

Khosla’s two ‘dacoit dramas’ were also diverse. ‘Mera Gaon Mera Desh’ was the gripping saga of an outsider invoking cowardly villagers to rise as one against a dreaded dacoit. It was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s edict, “If I have to choose between cowardice and violence, I will choose violence”. The second, ‘Kucche Dhaage’, told the touching tale of a simple village girl who made two brigands realise the futility of hatred realise the futility of hatred for each other after becoming their raakhi sister.

‘Do Raaste’, Khosla’s biggest hit, showed a joint family torn asunder by a daughter-in-law with a contrasting value system. 

The filmmaker had declared, “A strong story logically building up to a strong climax is indispensable for a good film. My teachers, Guru Dutt and S Mukerji, were masters. Mukerji once told me to do my shots the way I did my songs, strictly within the ambit of the sequence.”

The musical side

If the script was his films’ backbone, music was the network of nerves. The Ludhiana-born Khosla, trained in classical music, initially wanted to be a singer. He began learning classical music when he was six and later joined the All-India Radio as an anonymous staff artiste, filling in whenever a singer could not make it.

Khosla once recalled, “In Mumbai, I began meeting music directors, and one of them gave me a song. After the rehearsal, I went with great enthusiasm for the recording the next day, only to see Mukesh rehearsing it. I went home and cried all night.” Khosla did get to sing once, though, in Madan Mohan’s debut film, ‘Ankhen’ (1950). 

A new direction

The filmmaker was friends with Dev Anand and they would often discuss films and shots together. Recognising his talent, Dev Anand took him to Guru Dutt. Khosla soon started assisting Dutt. An impressed Dutt soon offered Khosla ‘C.I.D.’.  

And Khosla’s greatest moment came when his mentor Dev Anand got his first award for ‘Kala Pani’. It was directed by Khosla for the actor’s home banner, Navketan.  

In his long career, Khosla also directed another production of Dev Anand (Shareef Badmash) besides home productions of Shatrughan Sinha (Maati Maangey Khoon), Joy Mukerji (Ek Musafir Ek Hasina) and Sunil Dutt (Nehle Pe Dehla). He also directed portions of Sanjay Dutt’s ‘Rocky’ when Sunil had to be away.

Khosla was extremely upset about Madhubala turning down ‘Bambai Ka Babu’ owing to her poor health. In the later days of his life, he was very excited about his comeback film.  

But the film was never to be, as Khosla passed away.

He died on June 9, 1991. 

(The author is a senior film journalist)