Shakti Samanta

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Shakti Samanta
Born(1926-01-13)13 January 1926
Died9 April 2009(2009-04-09) (aged 83)
Occupation(s)Film director, Film producer, Founder "Shakti Films" (1957)
Years active1955–2002

Shakti Samanta (13 January 1926 – 9 April 2009) was an Indian film director and producer, who founded Shakti Films in 1957, which is most known for films such as

Howrah Bridge (1958), Insan Jaag Utha (1959), China Town (1962), Kashmir Ki Kali (1964), An Evening in Paris (1967), Aradhana (1969), Kati Patang (1971), and Amar Prem (1972), Amanush
. [1]

He received

Anuraag (1973) and Amanush
, which was also made in Bengali, a language in which he made six films, including an Indo-Bangladesh joint production in 1984.

Early life and education

He was born in the village of Bokra (post office: Raina), in the district of

Calcutta University
.

Career

After completing his education he wanted to become an actor in the

Hindi film industry at Bombay, so moved closer to the city. He took a school teacher's job in Dapoli, about 200 kilometres from Mumbai.[2] Shakti Samanta actually wanted to be a playback singer in the beginning. Around 1947, he went to S.D. Burman for an audition. After listening to him Burman told him that he could give him a role in a chorus song, but not in a solo song. So he shifted his energies elsewhere.[3] He eventually joined the film industry in 1948 as an assistant director starting with Satish Nigam in Raj Kapoor starrer Sunhere Din, subsequently he worked with directors like Gyan Mukherjee, and Phani Majumdar at Bombay Talkies
, in Tamasha, Baadbaan and Dhobi Doctor.

Eventually he got his break as an independent director when Samanta directed his first feature film, Bahu in 1954, starring Karan Dewan, Usha Kiron, Shashikala and

Insaan Jaag Utha (1959) starring Sunil Dutt and Madhubala, he wanted to shift to making films on social themes, but when it was unsuccessful, he shifted back to making entertainers for another decade, for returning to social themes, with Aradhana (1969).[6]

In all, Samanta directed 43 feature films, including 37 Hindi, and 6 Bengali films. His best known films include Howrah Bridge, China Town, Kashmir Ki Kali, Sawan Ki Ghata and An Evening in Paris. He is credited for starting the trend of making double version films in Hindi and Bengali with Amanush in 1974, and also made the first co-produced film between India and Bangladesh in 1984.

Samanta was among the directors who worked with Shammi Kapoor in the late 1950s and up to the mid '60s, then with Sharmila Tagore, Rajesh Khanna, creating a number of classics such as Aradhana, Kati Patang, Anurodh and Amar Prem. However, his movies with Amitabh Bachchan were not major hits.[7]

On some of his films, his brother and wife were producers. He also produced some of the films that his son,

Bollywood as well as Hollywood films.[4]

Samanta died of cardiac arrest at his suburban Santa Cruz residence at approximately 5pm on 9 April 2009, while undergoing physiotherapy.[9] He was recovering from a stroke he had suffered two months ago.[6]

Legacy

Three of his classics, Howrah Bridge, Aradhana and Barsaat Ki Ek Raat, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Raakhee, are to be turned into animation films by 'Pritish Nandy Communications'[10]

Awards and recognition

Samanta received

Anuraag and Amanush.[11] He has also received several Lifetime Achievement awards, including the Zee Cine Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2002 and several other awards from Zee and other Indian organisations. Some of his films have been shown at international festivals in Berlin, Tashkent, Moscow, Cairo and Beirut
.

Samanta was President of the Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association for 5 years,[12] Chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for 7 years and was Chairman of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata for 2 years.

Filmography

Director
Producer

References

  1. ^ "Reinventing itself". Screen. 12 December 2008. Archived from the original on 9 September 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
  2. ^ a b Golden banner Archived 29 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine Rajiv Vijayakar. Screen, 11 July 2008.
  3. YouTube
  4. ^ a b Five decades of Shakti Films Archived 15 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine Screen, 12 December 2008.
  5. ^ Turning the pages of film history[usurped] The Hindu, Friday, 1 September 2000.
  6. ^ a b "Bollywood will miss wizard of entertainment Shakti Samanta". The Hindu. 10 April 2009. Archived from the original on 2 June 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  7. ^ Shakti Samanta – Films as director: 43 Archived 15 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Great Gambler Archived 15 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine Screen.
  9. ^ Veteran film-maker S Samanta passes away Archived 13 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine The Times of India Friday, 10 April 2009.
  10. ^ PNC to remake 3 classics in animated form Archived 15 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine Business Standard Reporter / Mumbai 17 August 2007.
  11. Internet Movie Database
    .
  12. Indian Express
    , Wednesday, 30 September 1998.
  13. .
  14. ^ Shakti Samanta – Filmography Archived 12 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine Upperstall.com.

External links