Raj Khosla 100th Birth Anniversary: Remembering Bollywood’s Master of Surprises

Raj Khosla 100th Birth Anniversary: Yesterday, I was talking to Shri Ved Prakash Srivastava, personal secretary of legendary producer-director Raj Khosla, about his 100th anniversary. He said, "Imagine, you are watching a film in which you have no idea what is going to happen next. The hero is not just fighting the bad guys, and the heroine is not just falling in love, but there is a twist in every scene of the film. The songs are so beautiful that even after 50 years, people hum them. This is the magic of Raj Khosla, one of the most talented and creative directors in the history of Bollywood."

Ved Prakash, who himself is the owner of a popular magazine (Mira Bhayander Darshan), was once Raj Khosla's personal secretary. He told, "Raj Khosla loved his staff a lot, he used to make all arrangements for their food and travel, and he had entrusted the responsibility of that to me. He used to spend freely, many times, after having a few drinks at a party, he used to give anything to anyone on asking, and then I had to see that his money was not being misused. Sometimes he used to sing a song in a fun mood, which used to happen when only his very close friends were in his room. Although I was very young then, and I used to hesitate to sit in his private gatherings, but being his personal secretary, I had the freedom to be with him everywhere. Raj Khosla ji once told me, "First of all, I am a singer and then a director and then a producer. If I had become a singer, I would never have gone into production and direction."

Ved Prakash ji's elder brother Shiv Kumar Saroj has been a well-known lyricist of Bollywood (who wrote many superhit songs like 'Pyaar Manga Hai Tumhi Se, Na Inkaar Karo, Khamosh Zindagi Ko Awaaz De Rahe Ho'). He was associated with Radio Ceylon for a decade. Raj Khosla also worked in All India Radio as a music staff. He became friends with Shiv Kumar there, which later became the reason for Ved Prakash becoming his personal secretary.

Let me tell the readers that Raj Khosla, born on 31 May 1925 in Ludhiana, Punjab, came to Mumbai, Bollywood to become a singer after learning classical music, and in 1947 he also sang a song in his own voice 'Main Tumhein Dil Dunga' in the film 'Rain Basera'.

Although everyone thinks that as soon as Raj Khosla came to Mumbai, he met the legendary producer-director Guru Dutt and became his assistant, but it was not so. Ved Prakash Srivastava ji told me that Raj Khosla was struggling to become a singer in the film industry.

In those days, Mumbai Coffee House was a hangout for film people. Raj Khosla used to go there to have coffee sometimes. Once, he met actor Dev Anand there. Both were from Punjab. They were served coffee at the same table and both started talking. Gradually, they became friends. Dev Anand saw something special in Raj Khosla and he asked Raj Khosla to stop struggling in singing and take the path of direction and introduced him to his friend Guru Dutt. Thus Raj Khosla became Guru Dutt's assistant. He saw Guru Dutt's film-making, learned and understood how a story is told with pictures, music and emotions. On the other hand, Guru Dutt also came to know in a short time that Raj Khosla is a born director. When he told this to Dev Anand, both of them together decided to give Raj Khosla a chance as a director for the first time and introduced him in the film 'Milap'. Dev Anand and Geeta Bali worked in this film. The film flopped but Dev Anand and Guru Dutt did not lose faith in Raj Khosla. They again gave him a chance to direct the film 'CID' and this time Raj Khosla won the job and never looked back.

Ved ji told that Raj Khosla never liked to make films of one genre or one pattern. He used to take risks blindly. In that era (1958) when heroines were presented as innocent and shy, he made the film 'Solve saal' in which the heroine was shown running away from home with her lover in the dark of the night and returning in the morning before her father wakes up. In the film 'Bambai Ka Babu' (1960), the hero kills the son of a family and then enters the same house in the guise of another lost son and falls in love with the deceased sister. Raj Khosla tried his hand at all kinds of films and all of them were super hits, see the examples:-- CID, crime thriller (1958), Woh Kaun Thi (1964), Mera Saaya (1966), Anita (1967) all three were mystery and suspense thrillers, then Do Badan (1966) Do Raaste (1969) Prem Kahani (1975), Nahle Pe Dahala (1976) Dostana (1980) all of these were melo-drama films. The film Ek Musafir Ek Haseena (1962) he made was a completely musical film, which had seven songs by OP Nayyar right from the beginning. Raj Khosla Sir made the film 'Mera Gaon Mera Desh' on dacoits in that era (1971 ) when producers considered romance and tear-jerking films a safe bet. This film of Raj Khosla inspired the classic film 'Sholay' (1975). Raj Khosla had made another socially offbeat film, 'Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978, Best Film Award winner) and in it he showed sympathy towards the other woman, favouring her in his married life."

Ved ji said, "Raj Khosla was a man ahead of his time, a man who fought against social evils. He never walked the straight path. He had many personal problems in his personal life, a lot of pain, but he never complained. When the shooting was over and he was free, he would quietly drink the pain by dissolving it in alcohol. He had a habit, that during the shooting on the set or even when he was in the office, after lunch in the afternoon, he would close the door of his room and sleep for some time. He would tell me not to send anyone inside to meet him during this time.

Ved ji said "Time did a lot of injustice to him. Those whom he helped and promoted, those very people pushed him back. His last few films did not do well, due to which he was upset. His body was also not supporting him. He was very tired at the age of 65. One day I (Ved Prakash) told Khosla ji that I need a few days off, I have to go to Patna (my village). He looked at me lovingly and said, "Are you leaving me? Come back soon, I will announce a new film as soon as you return." I assured him of coming back soon. I booked a return ticket and went to the village. After a few days, I caught a train to come back from the village. Halfway, while sitting in the train, I bought the morning newspaper of 9 June 1991, I had just opened the paper when I read the news of Raj Khosla ji's death on the front page and for many moments I sat there in a state of shock, I don't know which station came, which one went. I got down at Dadar and went straight to his house, but by then everything was over.

His daughters Uma Khosla Kapoor, Sunita Khosla Bhalla, Anita Khosla Puri, Reena Khosla Kataria, Sonia Khosla Vinayak are very nice and cultured ladies. They are still in touch with me.  They are publishing a book on her father's life and achievements. His daughter Sunita Khosla Bhalla also founded 'The Raj Khosla Foundation'."

Raj Khosla was interested in a new genre of "noir" or "dark" cinema that depicted dark, mysterious, and complicated stories, such as crime, corruption, and psychological tension. It reinvented the old noir cinema genre in a modern way, using new technology and new ideas.

Raj Khosla was considered a ladies' film specialist. Whenever he made a film, he gave prominence to the heroine and made her look very beautiful. Waheeda Rehman in CID, Sadhna in Woh Kaun Thi, Sadhna in Mera Saya (because of Raj Khosla's films, Sadhna's name remained Mystery Girl till her death). He presented Asha Parekh and Simi Grewal very prominently in the film 'Do Badan' and gave Asha the image of a serious actress. Raj presented Mumtaz in 'Do Raaste', Asha Parekh in 'Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki', and Nutan as very beautiful women.

Because Raj Khosla himself had the qualities of a musician, singer, lyricist and composer, so he put such songs in each of his films and took such composers that all the songs became immortal, for example, "Naina barse rimjhim rimjhim, lag ja gale, jo humne dastaan apni sunaya, nainon mein badra chaaye, jhumka gira re, naino wali ne hai mera dil loota,  'Tu jaha jaha chalega mera saya ssth hoga', ', Aapke pahlu mei aake ro diye 'naseeb mein jiske jo likha tha', mat jaiyo naukariya Chhod ke ', bhari duniya mein aakhir dil ko samjhane kaha jaye, lo aa gayi unki yad vo nahi aaye, jab chali thandi hawa, jab udi kali ghata mujhko ai jane vafa tum yad aaye, raha gardishon mei hardam Mere ishk ka sitara, kaise karu  prem ki mai bat, tum bin jeevan kaise bita pucho mere dil se, mai dekhu jis or sakhi ri samne mere savariya, Teri Aankhon Ke Siva Duniya Mein Rakha kya hai, Aankhon hi Aankhon Mein Ishara Ho Gaya, leke pahla pahla Pyar, boojh Mera Kya Naam Re, Achcha Ji Main Hari, Dekhne Mein bhola hai dil ka salona, Chal Re Sajani ab kya soche, bahut Shukriya Badi Meherbani, Aap Yun Hi Agar Humse Milte Rahe, mai Pyar Ka rahi hun, Kuchh Kahta Hai yah Savan, Bindiya Chamkegi, yeh Reshmi Zulfe, Chhup Gaye Sare Nazare, Main Tulsi Tere Aangan ki IF Songs like these are not immortal then WHAT IS IMMORTAL?

Some of his other films are Kala Paani, Chirag, Sharif Badmash, Kachche Dhaage, Do Premi, Dasi, Teri Maang Sitaron Se Bhar Doon, Mati Mange Khoon, Sunny, Naqaab, Do Chor (as Producer).

A great director like Raj Khosla left behind a treasure of unforgettable films. Remembering him, his films are being celebrated in many places, many halls and cinema houses in India.

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