Birthday Special: Why Raj Khosla Isn't Among India's Top Filmmakers

I have had the honor of interacting with, working with, and observing some of the greatest directors of the film industry. When we think of the era of the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s which many of today's youth may not really know about, some of the most notable names like V. Shantaram, Mehboob Khan, Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt, Bimal Roy, K. Asif, B.R. Chopra, Vijay Anand, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Nasir Hussain, Shakti Samanta, Yash Chopra, Manmohan Desai, Ramesh Sippy and Subhash Ghai still fascinate and inspire us. However, one name that I have noticed in most articles and discussions this August is missing from the list: the versatile and talented Raj Khosla.

Why Raj Khosla Deserves Recognition as a Top Indian Filmmaker

She saves him from being ridiculed by society as an illegitimate bastard son. It baffles me why Raj Khosla is not included more often among the most admired filmmakers of our country. For any young filmmaker wanting to learn more about cinema, you cannot find a better textbook than the films of this versatile filmmaker Raj Khosla, who has made blockbusters in various genres.

Raj Khosla: Masterful Storytelling in 'CID' and 'Kaala Paani'

Raj Khosla's storytelling is a feat one looks at in his filmography, and the storytelling has depth and richness. His early work with Dev Anand, the thriller 'CID' was a success in that genre, followed by 'Kaala Paani'. These films were huge hits as they expressed the real dichotomy of morality and poverty that the common man faced after Partition.

From films with such human insight, it is rare to find someone mastering a completely different genre, be it the suspense thriller, films like 'Woh Kaun Thi', 'Mera Saaya'. The melodious songs of these films are brilliantly picturized and are hummed even today. Raj Khosla's quest for different stories continued with films like 'Do Badan' an emotional love story with wonderful melodious songs, a drama with great action and super hit music, picturized in his unique style 'Mera Gaon Mera Desh', 'Kacche Dhaage'.

'Do Raaste' is a family drama that deals with the selfless commitment of a step brother to his family at the cost of neglecting his step family. He produced 'Do Chor' which had both male and female in the lead roles playing the role of thieves. His 'Dostana' was a story of two friends in a love triangle, Salim Javed's brilliant script of 'Dostana' had brilliant music, and was a huge hit and who can forget this gem of a film 'Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki' which has a very strong theme, a mother treating her step son with respect to honor her late husband.