FHF to celebrate Raj Khosla’s centenary with screenings of his restored films

Mumbai: The Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) has announced a one-day retrospective to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of writer-filmmaker Raj Khosla.

Titled ‘Raj Khosla 100: Bambai Ka Babu’, the event will take place on May 31 at Mumbai’s Regal Cinema and also features a special panel discussion on the legacy of one of Indian cinema’s most versatile directors.

As part of the celebrations, three of Khosla’s acclaimed films - "C.I.D." (1956), "Bambai Ka Babu" (1960) and "Mera Gaon Mera Desh" (1971) - will be screened.

The first two movies have been restored in 4K resolution by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and National Film Archive of India (NFAI) under the National Film Heritage Mission, an initiative of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.

The event will feature a panel discussion with veteran actor Asha Parekh, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and Amborish Roychoudhury, the author of "Raj Khosla: The Authorized Biography".

Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, director of the Film Heritage Foundation, said, “I would describe Raj Khosla as the Howard Hawks of Indian cinema for his remarkable ability to successfully make films in every genre from thrillers, whodunits, musicals, action adventure to love stories and dacoit films."

"He excelled in song picturisation and was known for having strong female characters in his films. It inspired me as an upcoming filmmaker when I saw images of his hoardings that had a director’s chair with his name emblazoned on it," he added.

Parekh, who collaborated with Khosla on several films including "Chirag", "Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki" and "Mera Gaon Mera Desh", said his 1966 film ‘Do Badan’ transformed the way audiences perceived her as an artist.

"Before my first film with Raj Khosla, I was known more for my dancing and glamorous roles. It was 'Do Badan' that changed people’s perception of me as an actress that could perform more serious roles. I shared a great rapport with Raj ji and I enjoyed working with him. He was a very fine filmmaker and his song picturisation was remarkable," she said.

Mahesh Bhatt paid a tribute to Khosla, saying, “His words haunt me still. He likened fame to starlight - a flow emanating from stars long dead, their light journeying across vast distances to reach us. ‘The light is the message,’ he said, ‘but the star, the messenger, is gone’. Raj Sahab is such a star. Though he is long gone, his light still shines through me."

Prakash Magdum, managing director, NFDC, revealed that NFDC-NFAI has had a 35mm release print of 'Bombai Ka Babu' in its collection for over 40 years, which made the 4K restoration possible in the first place.

"This screening at Regal, Mumbai, is a unique opportunity for the cinema lovers to view, for the first time ever, 'Bombai Ka Babu' in 4K restored version," he added.