Prakash Mehra Biography: Birthday, Early Life, Career, Works, Facts

Prakash Mehra Biography: On the birth anniversary of legendary film director Prakash Mehra, the nation pays tribute. Mehra was born on July 13, 1939 in Bijnor, and his existence was fraught with difficulty. Before becoming a director, Prakash Mehra, who is regarded as Amitabh Bachchan’s godfather, held a variety of positions.

After his father abandoned him at the age of eight, Prakash Mehra made his film début in 1968 with Haseena Maan Jayegi. The film changed Prakash Mehra’s life, and he never looked back. With Zanjeer, the renowned director launched the career of Amitabh Bachchan. The pair then produced six blockbuster films together.

Prakash Mehra Biography

Early Life

Born on 13 July 1939 in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, Mehra began his career as a production controller in the late 1950s. In 1968, he directed Shashi Kapoor in Haseena Maan Jayegi, in which he portrayed a dual role. He produced and directed Zanjeer in 1973. This success with Amitabh Bachchan marked the beginning of a lengthy and fruitful collaboration that spanned seven more films, six of which were box office successes: Hera Pheri, Khoon Pasina, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Lawaaris, Namak Halaal, and Sharaabi. The failure of their final collaboration, Jaadugar, put an end to their run of success. The film Zanjeer is attributed with launching Bachchan’s career as a leading actor, while Jaadugar was their final collaboration.

Prakash Mehra Career

In 1991, Prakash Mehra also directed and produced the unsuccessful film Zindagi Ek Jua with protagonist Anil Kapoor. In 1996, he introduced the son of veteran actor Raaj Kumar, Puru Raaj Kumar, in the unsuccessful film Bal Bramhachari. This was his final film as director. In the mid-1990s, he collaborated with Mithun Chakraborty to produce the box office success Dalaal. Mehra received the India Motion Picture Directors Association (IMPDA) Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.(Reference Required) On September 19, 2008, he also received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Producer from the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA).(Reference Required)

Prakash Mehra was one of the first directors from Bombay to attempt to break into Hollywood. In the late 1980s, he attempted a joint venture with Frank Yannolino to produce the film The God Connection. The film was to feature Hollywood actors such as Charles Bronson, but despite initial substantial funding, it was never completed.(Reference Required)

Mehra perished in Mumbai on May 17, 2009 from pneumonia and multiple organ failure.

MF Doom Biography: Age, Height, Birthday, Family, Net Worth

Facts about Prakash Mehra

• Prakash Mehra composed all of the tracks for his films using his poetic sensibility. The remaining lines were composed by Anjaan, the father of Sameer, the most prominent song writer of the present day. The greatest tribute as a poet was paid to him by Mahesh Bhatt, who asked him to compose the entire theme song for the blockbuster film Thikaana.
• In all of Prakash Mehra’s films, the music was the highlight. He had the veteran music director Kalyanji-Anandji compose the music for all of his films, but Bappi Lahiri only scored two of his most successful films.Namaak Halaal? and ?Sharabi?.
• In “Zanjeer,” Prakash Mehra was the first director to refer to Amitabh as Vijay. Amitabh portrayed Vijay in over twenty films, including those directed by Manmohan Desai and Prakash Mehra.
• Manmohan Desai was the director with whom Prakash Mehra had a long-running rivalry. They were adversaries who collaborated with Amitabh. Manmohan frequently made fun of the films that Mehra produced, and Mehra regarded Manmohan as “a mere tamaashewala who knew nothing about filmmaking or even telling a logical story.” Their careers as great filmmakers came to an end when identical films starring Amitabh, “Jaadugar” and “Toofan,” failed miserably and signified the end of their rivalry.
• Prakash Mehra was extremely possessive of Amitabh Bachchan and had the entire staff of the Breach Candy Hospital on patrol when Amitabh was injured while filming “Coolie” and was fighting for his life.
• Prakash Mehra never considered filming abroad. He designed some of the finest and most expensive sets, which became the standard by which other filmmakers were judged.
• Prakash Mehra was a chain smoker and Scotch connoisseur. Because he was always suspicious of the brand of Whisky served at other gatherings, he always brought his own Scotch with him.
• Prakash Mehra was always attired in pristine white, with a white handkerchief wrapped around his neck and white shoes and socks to match.