Rajkumar Santoshi

Rajkumar Santoshi

Rajkumar Santoshi at Bonny Duggal Bash

Santoshi in 2011
Born Rajkumar Santoshi
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Nationality Indian
Occupation Film director, producer, screenwriter

Rajkumar Santoshi is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter of Hindi films.

Personal life

He is the son of producer-director P.L. Santoshi and his second wife. Rajkumar was born in Chennai And currently lives with his wife Manila and children Ram and Tanisha.[1]

Career

Santoshi started his career as an assistant director and worked with Govind Nihalani during the filming of Ardh Satya (1982). He has given colossal hit films at the box office and is known to be one of the most successful directors in Bollywood. His notable films as director include Ghatak: Lethal, Pukar and The Legend of Bhagat Singh, Halla Bol (2008 film). He won the Filmfare Best Director Award for Ghayal (1990) and Damini (1993), both starring Sunny Deol.[2][3]

Santoshi is known to be one of the most versatile directors as he has directed films of all genres except sci-fi. His film Pukar focused on Indian army and court martial thereafter to its protagonist played by Anil Kapoor. Damini portrayed the justice and law of India.

After making two back to back serious films like Ghayal and Damini, Santoshi wanted to make a light film.[4] He then wrote and directed the ensemble comedy, Andaz Apna Apna (1994). The film failed commercially at the time of its release, but is now considered a cult classic.[4] Santoshi received the Filmfare Award for Best Director nomination for it.[5]

Barsaat was a romantic action drama, which marked the debut of actor Bobby Deol. Lajja (2001) was a woman oriented film about four Indian women belonging to different strata of society. The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002) saw Ajay Devgan as a freedom fighter. The film won a National Film Award and Filmfare Award.[6][7]

China Gate (1998), an action film inspired from Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954), was his next release.[8] It follows the story of a village that hire a group of veteran's to combat bandits who terrorise them.

In 2004, Santoshi wrote and directed Khakee, a multi-starrer action thriller about a group of cops who gets embroiled in a mystery surrounding a terrorist attack. The film was a critical and commercial success and established Santoshi as one of Bollywood's most sought after director.[9] Derek Elley of Variety wrote: "Powerhouse casting, and equally powerhouse direction by Rajkumar Santoshi, makes this an above-average example of mainstream Bollywood thrillers."[10]

Family (2006), an action crime flick, was his next release. Raja Sen called it an "utter tripe".[11] It bombed at the box office.[12] Santoshi's next directorial venture was Halla Bol (2008), a social film starring Ajay Devgan, Vidya Balan and Pankaj Kapur. The film was based on the life of activist Safdar Hashmi, who was killed by political rivals while performing on a street play (by the name of Halla Bol) in 1989.[13] It was shot in 75 days in over 65 locations.[13] Halla Bol was panned by critics, with Khalid Mohamed calling it "downright awful" [..] "packed with mind-benders galore."[14] During these period, his films were poorly received.

In 2009, he wrote and directed Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, that emerged as the fourth highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2009.[15] The film starring Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif, was a romantic comedy. Nikhat Kazmi in her review wrote that the film "has just a few moments of tedium", but "[It] takes you on a roller-coaster ride as Raj Kumar Santoshi tries to retrack his way to his Andaz Apna Apna days".[16]

Santoshi came after a three-year hiatus with the action comedy Phata Poster Nikhla Hero (2013) starring Shahid Kapoor and Ileana D'Cruz. The film was a critical and commercial failure.[17][18]

Filmography

Year Film Director Credit Notes
1982 Ardh Satya Assistant director
1982 Vijeta Assistant director
1990 Ghayal
Yes
Yes
 writer Filmfare Award for Best Director
Filmfare Award for Best Story
1993 Damini – Lightning
Yes
 Writer (Story & Screenplay)
Producer 		Filmfare Award for Best Director
1994 Andaz Apna Apna
Yes
 writer Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Director
1995 Barsaat
Yes
 writer
1996 Ghatak
Yes
 writer Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay
Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Director
1996 Halo Actor
1998 China Gate
Yes
 writer Filmfare Award for Best Dialogue
1998 Vinashak Writer (screenplay)
1998 Doli Saja Ke Rakhna Co-producer
1999 Jaanam Samjha Karo Writer (screenplay)
Co-producer
2000 Pukar
Yes
 writer
2001 Lajja
Yes
 writer
2002 The Legend of Bhagat Singh
Yes
 writer
2002 Dil Hai Tumhaara Writer (screenplay)
2004 Khakee
Yes
 writer -
2006 Family
Yes
 writer
2008 Halla Bol
Yes
 writer
2009 Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani
Yes
 writer
2013 Phata Poster Nikhla Hero
Yes
 writer

References

  1. ↑ "I was not able to give my father even one meal with my money: Rajkumar Santoshi". The Times of India. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  2. ↑ "The Winners – 1993". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
  3. ↑ "The Winners – 1990". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
  4. 1 2 Chintamani, Gautam (12 April 2014). "From flop to cult film: The journey of Andaz Apna Apna". Firstpost. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  5. ↑ "Aamir Khan still a fan of ‘Andaz Apna Apna’, wears t-shirt with Crime Master Gogo’s face". The Indian Express. 31 August 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  6. ↑ "The Winners – 2002". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
  7. ↑ "Devgan bags National Award for Bhagat Singh". The Tribune. 27 July 2003. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
  8. ↑ Leon Hunt and Leung Wing-Fai (2010). East Asian Cinemas: Exploring Transnational Connections on Film. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 9780857736369.
  9. ↑ Gangadhar, V. (27 February 2004). "Bollywood's favourite filmmaker". The Hindu. Retrieved 27 February 2004.
  10. ↑ Elley, Derek (31 January 2004). "Review: 'Khakee'". Variety. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  11. ↑ Sen, Raja (13 January 2006). "Don't visit this Family". Rediff.com. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  12. ↑ "Box Office 2006". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 26 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
  13. 1 2 "Halla Bol based on Safdar Hashmi: Rajkumar Santoshi". Hindustan Times. 12 July 2007. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  14. ↑ Mohamed, Khalid (11 January 2008). "Review: Halla Bol". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  15. ↑ "Box Office 2009". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
  16. ↑ Kazmi, Nikhat (5 November 2009). "Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani Movie Review". The Times of India.
  17. ↑ "Critics' review: Phata Poster Nikla Hero disappoints, Shahid shines". Hindustan Times. 20 September 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  18. ↑ "Phata Poster Nikla Hero flops, is Shahid Kapoor to be blamed?". The Indian Express. 24 September 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2013.

External links

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