Padma Shri (also Padmashree)
Award Information
Type	Civilian
Category	National
Instituted	1954
First Awarded	1954
Last Awarded	2012
Total Awarded	2497
Awarded by	Government of India
Award Rank
Padmabhushan ← Padma Shri (also Padmashree) → none

Padma Shri (also Padmashree) is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. It is awarded by the Government of India.

History[link]

It is awarded to citizens of India to recognize their distinguished contribution in various spheres of activity including the Arts, Education, Industry, Literature, Science, Sports, Medicine, Social Service and Public Affairs. However it has also been awarded to some distinguished individuals who were not citizens of India and who did contribute in various ways to India.

The selection criteria, however, has been heavily criticized as many highly deserving artists have been left out in order to favor certain individuals.^{[citation needed]}

On its obverse, the words "Padma", meaning lotus in Sanskrit and "Shri", in Devanagari, appear above and below a lotus flower. The geometrical pattern on either side is in burnished bronze. All embossing is in white gold.

As of 2012^[update], 2497 people have received the award.^[1][2][3]

See also[link]

• Padma Shri Awards (1954–1959)
• Padma Shri Awards (1960–1969)
• Padma Shri Awards (1970–1979)
• Padma Shri Awards (1980–1989)
• Padma Shri Awards (1990–1999)
• Padma Shri Awards (2000–2009)
• Padma Shri Awards (2010–2019)

References[link]

• "Padma Awards Directory (1954-2009)". Ministry of Home Affairs. http://www.mha.nic.in/pdfs/LST-PDAWD.pdf. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Padma Shri

• "Padma Awards". Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. http://india.gov.in/myindia/padmashri_awards_list1.php. 
• "Padma Awards Directory (1954-2009)". Ministry of Home Affairs. http://www.mha.nic.in/pdfs/LST-PDAWD.pdf. 
• "Padma Awards Directory (2010)". Ministry of Home Affairs. http://www.mha.nic.in/pdfs/PadmaAwd2010.pdf. 

v t e Indian honours and decorations Civilian International Gandhi Peace Prize National Bharat Ratna Padma Vibhushan Padma Bhushan Padma Shri National Bravery Award Central Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan Award Ganga Sharan Award Ganesh Hindi Vidyarthi Award Aatma Ram Award Subramanya Bharathi Award George Grierson Award Moturi Satyanarayan Award By field Literature Jnanpith Award Sahitya Akademi Fellowship Sahitya Akademi Award Cinema Dadasaheb Phalke Award National Film Awards Other arts Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Lalit Kala Akademi Fellowship Sports Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award Arjuna Award Dronacharya Award (coaching) Dhyan Chand Award (lifetime achievement) Science and Technology Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology Military Wartime Param Vir Chakra Maha Vir Chakra Vir Chakra Peacetime Ashoka Chakra Kirti Chakra Shaurya Chakra Wartime / Peacetime Service & Gallantry Sena Medal (Army) Nao Sena Medal (Navy) Vayusena Medal (Air Force) Wartime Distinguished Service Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal Uttam Yudh Seva Medal Yudh Seva Medal Peacetime Distinguished Service Param Vishisht Seva Medal Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Vishisht Seva Medal

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2007)

Sahir Ludhianvi (Urdu: ساحر لدھیانوی; Devanagari: साहिर लुधियानवी) (8 March 1921 – 25 October 1980) was a popular Urdu poet and Hindi lyricist and songwriter. Sahir Ludhianvi is his pseudonym. He won the Filmfare Award twice, in 1964 and 1977, and in 1971 was awarded the Padma Shri.^[1][2]

Early life[link]

Sahir Ludhianvi was born into the wealthy family of a Muslim Gujjar Chaudhry Fazal Muhammad as Abdul Hayee on 8 March 1921 in Ludhiana, Punjab in India.^[3] His mother name was Sardar Begum. Sahir's parents had a very loose and estranged relationship. In 1934, when he was thirteen years old, his father married for the second time. At that time, his mother decided to take the bold step of leaving her husband, forfeiting all claims to the financial assets. Sahir's father then sued his mother for child custody but lost. He threatened to make sure Sahir did not live with his mother very long, even if that meant taking the child's life.^[4] Sahir's mother then found friends who kept a close watch on him and didn't let him out of sight. Fear and financial deprivation surrounded the formative years of this young man. His parents' divorce brought him and his mother face to face with poverty and struggle in life.^[5]

The house where Sahir was born, a red sand-stone haveli, stands in Karimpura, a Muslim neighborhood of Ludhiana, with a small plaque announcing its importance upon the arched mughal darwaaza — the only effort by the city to remember him.

Sahir studied at and graduated from Khalsa High School in Ludhiana. Upon matriculation, he joined the Satish Chander Dhawan Government College For Boys, Ludhiana. He was quite popular for his ghazals and nazms in the college. He was famously expelled from the college within the year 'for sitting in the Principal's lawn with a female class-mate'.^[6][7] About his expulsion, some accounts erroneously mention Amrita Pritam as the girl, but she never lived in Ludhiana. They met after the partition of India, when she arrived in Delhi from Lahore in 1949.

In 1943, after being expelled from college, Sahir settled in Lahore. Here, he completed the writing of his first Urdu work, Talkhiyaan (Bitterness). He then began searching for a publisher and, after two years, he found one in 1945. After his work was published, he began editing four Urdu magazines, Adab-e-Lateef, Shahkaar, Prithlari, and Savera; these magazines became very successful.^[5] He then became a member of the Progressive Writers' Association. However, inflammatory writings (communist views and ideology) in Savera resulted in the issuing of a warrant for his arrest by the Government of Pakistan. So, in 1949, Sahir fled from Lahore to Delhi. After a couple of months in Delhi, he moved to and settled in Bombay. A friend of his recalls Sahir telling him "Bombay needs me!".^[5]

His most famous love affair, however, was with Amrita Pritam, who became his most ardent fan. She has openly acknowledged her love for Sahir in interviews and her books.^[8] Apart from Amrita, several other women too came in his life but he could never decide on accepting any of those as his life partner. He remained a bachelor all his life.^[9]

In recent years there have been many attempts to chronicle his life and times. Many books about him were published both in India and Pakistan. In 2010 Danish Iqbal wrote a Stage Play 'Sahir' about his life which was directed by NRI Director Pramila Le Hunt. This Play became a commercial success and had a dream run in Delhi. For perhaps first time, in the history of Indian Theatre, songs were used as narrative to recreate the life and struggles of Sahir. Many of his misty eyed contemporaries, Ramesh Chand Charlie, Kuldeep Nayyar and few others, thronged the performance with nostalgic ache in their heart.

According to writer Niilesh A Raje, While in college Sahir had established his reputation for being a good writer, wrote fiery speeches and was equally popular for his ghazals and nazms. Sahir was a restless person and could not sit in one place for long. It was evident he had the literary talent but that could not give him stability so he decided to contribute his work for Bollywood in a way to give him financial stability. Attempts are being made to convert this Play into a film on Sahir. Because the Play Sahir had characters like Guru Dutt, Yash Chopra and Amruta Preetam, it would be a tough task for the casting and depiction but it would be a nostalgic journey down the memory lane both for the public and his friends and admirers.

Lyrics and Bollywood[link]

Sahir lived on the first floor of the main building of an Andheri outhouse. His famous neighbours included the poet, Gulzar and Urdu litterateur, Krishan Chander. In the 1970s, he constructed Parchaiyaan (Shadows), a posh bungalow, and lived there till his death. Journalist Ali Peter John, who knew the poet personally, says real-estate sharks have been eyeing Sahir's abode after the death of his sister. His belongings and trophies are in a state of ruin, according to the journalist.^{[citation needed]}

Sahir Ludhianvi made his debut in films writing lyrics for the film Aazadi Ki Raah Par (1949). The film had four songs written by him and his first song was Badal Rahi Hai Zindagi... Both the film and its songs went unnoticed. However, with Naujawaan (1951), he gained recognition. S.D. Burman composed the music for Naujawaan. Even today, the film's lilting song, "ठंडी हवाएँ लहराके आएँ...," remains popular. His first major success came the same year with Guru Dutt's directorial debut, Baazi (1951), again pairing him with Burman. Thus he became part of the Guru Dutt team, and after the success of Naujawaan and Baazi, the combination of Sahir Ludhianvi and S.D. Burman came out with many more everlasting songs.

Sahir worked with many music composers, including Ravi, S.D. Burman, Roshan and Khayyam, and has left behind many unforgettable songs for fans of the Indian film industry and its music. Pyaasa marked an end to his successful partnership with S.D. Burman over what is reported to be S.D. Burman's displeasure at Sahir receiving more admiration (and thus credit for the success) from audiences for the words of the lyrics than S.D. Burman did for his memorable tunes.^{[citation needed]} Later, Sahir Ludhianvi teamed up with composer Datta Naik in several films. Datta, a Goan, was a great admirer of Sahir's revolutionary poetry. They had already worked together to produce the music for Milaap (1955). Sahir wrote many unforgettable gems for Datta.

In 1958, Sahir wrote the lyrics for Ramesh Saigal's film Phir Subah Hogi, which was based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment. The male lead was Raj Kapoor and it was presumed that Shankar-Jaikishan would be the music composers. However, Sahir insisted that only someone who had read the novel could provide the right score. Thus, Khayyam ended up as the music composer for the film, and the song Woh Subah Kabhi Toh Aayegi with minimal background music remains an all-time hit. Khayyam went on to work with Sahir in many films including Kabhie Kabhie and Trishul.

Admirers and critics rate Sahir's work in Guru Dutt's Pyaasa as his finest. Pyaasa, some say, bears resemblance to Sahir's early years as a poet. The onscreen poet, Vijay played by Guru Dutt, bears a strong likeness to the man whose poetry gave the film its soul.

With success, Sahir started displaying arrogance. He insisted on writing the lyrics first and then having them set to music unlike his other contemporaries who would be happy penning their verses to the tunes. His other insistence of being paid 1 Rupee more than Lata Mangeshkar created a rift between him and S D Burman and Lata. His attempt at promoting a new singer Sudha Malhotra who was also his love interest was another example.^[10]

Sahir Ludhianvi's work in the 1970s was restricted to films mainly directed by Yash Chopra. Though his output in terms of number of films had thinned out, the quality of his writing commanded immense respect. Kabhie Kabhie (1976) saw him return to sparkling form. These songs won him his second Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist, the first being for Taj Mahal (1963).

Last days[link]

On 25 October 1980, at the age of fifty-nine, Sahir Ludhianvi suffered a massive heart attack and died in the arms of his friend Dr R.P. Kapoor. He was buried at the Juhu Muslim cemetery. His tomb was demolished in 2010 to make space for new bodies.^[11]

Sahir's final works were released for the Hindi film Lakshmi (1982). He will always be remembered along with Kaifi Azmi as the poet who brought Urdu literature to Indian motion pictures. Over twenty-five years after Sahir Ludhianvi's death, his poetry and lyrics remain an inspiration for lyricists of the day. Composers and singers of Sahir's time swear by the depth, intensity and purity in his poetry. As singer, Mahendra Kapoor said in a Vividh Bharati interview, "I don't think a writer like Sahir Ludhianvi will be born again."

Sahir also wrote songs for Laila Majnoon and Daag

The person[link]

Personality[link]

It was ironically appropriate; while the poet's heart bled for others, he never paid enough attention to his own life.

His friend, Prakash Pandit once recalled how, after the Partition of India, Sahir was unhappy without the company of his Hindu and Sikh friends (they had all fled to India). A secular India was Sahir's preference to an Islamic Pakistan.^[12]

Sahir Ludhianvi was known to be very egotistic^{[citation needed]}, perhaps as a result of his zamindar background; he fought for, and became the first lyricist or songwriter, to get royalties from music companies. Sahir insisted on writing the songs before the song was composed, against the Bollywood norm. However, some of his songs were written after the tunes were ready. For example, मांग के साथ तुम्हारा (Naya Daur 1957 - music by O.P. Nayyar). At the height of his popularity, Sahir is known to have demanded a rupee more than what was paid to Lata Mangeshkar for singing it. It was on Sahir's insistence that All India Radio started crediting lyricists along with singers and music composers for songs it aired.

Poetry[link]

"मै पल दो पल का शायर हूँ, पल दो पल मेरी कहानी है

पल दो पल मेरी हस्ती है, पल दो पल मेरी जवानी है

मुझसे पहले कितने शायर आए और आकर चले गए,

कुछ आहें भरकर लौट गए, कुछ नग़मे गाकर चले गए

वो भी एक पल का किस्सा थे, मै भी एक पल का किस्सा हूँ

कल तुमसे जुदा हो जाऊँगा, जो आज तुम्हारा हिस्सा हूँ"

A colossus amongst film lyricists, Sahir Ludhianvi was slightly different from his contemporaries. A poet unable to praise Khuda (God), Husn (Beauty) or Jaam (Wine), his pen was, at its best, pouring out bitter but sensitive lyrics over the declining values of society, the senselessness of war and politics, and the domination of materialism over love. Whenever he wrote any love songs, they were tinged with sorrow, due to realisation that there were other, starker concepts more important than love. He could be called the underdog's bard; close to his heart were the farmer crushed by debt, the soldier gone to fight someone else's war, the woman forced to sell her body, the youth frustrated by unemployment, the family living on the street and other victims of society. His lyric from Pyaasa when lead actor Guru Dutt (Vijay) was passing through a red light area by singing this song, moved even Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, Honourable Prime minister of India that time.

"ये कूचे, ये नीलामघर दिलकशी के,

ये लुटते हुए कारवां ज़िंदगी के,

कहाँ है कहाँ है मुहाफ़िज़ खुदी के?

जिन्हें नाज़ है हिंद पर,वो कहाँ हैं?"

Sahir Ludhianvi's poetry had a "Faizian" quality. Like Faiz Ahmed Faiz, he too gave Urdu poetry an intellectual element that caught the imagination of the youth of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. He helped them discover their spine. Sahir asked questions and was not afraid of calling a spade, a spade; he roused people from an independence-induced smugness. He would pick on the self-appointed custodian of religion, the self-serving politician, the exploitative capitalist, and the war-mongering super-powers.

Sahir's poetry reflected the mood of the age. Whether it was the arrest of progressive writers in Pakistan, the launch of the satellite Sputnik or the discovery of Ghalib by a government lusting after minority votes, Sahir reacted with a verve not seen in many writers' work. Kahat-e-Bangal ("The Famine of Bengal"), written by a 25-year-old Sahir, bespeaks maturity that came early. His Subah-e-Navroz ("Dawn of a New Day"), mocks the concept of celebration when the poor exist in squalor.

Perhaps Sahir is the first renowned Urdu poet, who, could express his view towards The Tajmahal in a complete different way. He wrote

"मेरे महबूब कहीं और मिला कर मुझसे, बज़्म- ए-शाही में ग़रीबों का गुज़र क्या माने. सबत जिन राहों पर है सतबते शाही के निशां उसपे उल्फत भरी रूहों का गुज़र क्या माने?"-

The poet asks his lover to meet him anywhere else but Tajmahal. A tomb which has been a symbol of luxurious monarchy for years, there is no need to make journey of love by two beautiful but not famous hearts there.^[13]

Sahir will always be remembered as a poet who made his creation a lesson for all ages of Urdu poetry to come. In this way he contradicts his own creation: "kal aur aayenge naghmo ki khilti kalian chunnewale, mujhse behtar kehnewale, tumse behtar sunne wale; kal koi mujhko yaad kare, kyun koi mujhko yaad kare, masroof zamana mere liye kyun waqt apna barbad kare?" Translation: Tomorrow there will be more who will narrate the love poems. May be someone narrating better than me. May be someone listening better than you. Why should anyone remember me? Why should anyone remember me? Why should the busy age waste it’s time for me?

Personal life[link]

Sahir Ludhianvi remained a bachelor all his life, he had two failed love affairs with journalist Amrita Pritam and singer/actress Sudha Malhotra.^[13] These relationships had left him an embittered man. He took to drinking heavily and drank himself deep into alcoholism. The tragedies and pathos of his personal life most truly reflected in his poignant poetry.

His relationship with Amrita Pritam was so passionate that at one time, while attending a press conference, Amrita wrote his name hundreds of times on a sheet of paper. The two of them would meet without saying a word and Sahir would puff away with his cigarettes, and after he left, Amrita would smoke the cigarette butts left by him. After his death, she hoped the smoke from her cigarettes would meet him in the other world.^[13]

It is said that when Sahir was courting Amrita Pritam, he built a taller house in front of Amrita Pritam's residence in Ludhiana to show her father that he could afford a house. This statement is a fallacy derived from the Hindi film Tere Ghar Ke Samne. Sahir's economic position at the time was pitiful, so 'building a house' would be out of the question; and secondly, Amrita Pritam did not belong to Ludhiana but to Gujranwala; and the "love of her life" was another Urdu shayar, Imroz, as detailed extensively in her autobiography, written in Punjabi for which she got a Sahitya Academy Award.

Famous works[link]

• English translations of Sahir's poetry: LUDHIANVI, Sahir (1921–1980)
• SHADOWS SPEAK tr. with intro. Khwaja Ahmad Abbas {Abbas, Khwaja Ahmad} pref. Sajjad Zaheer {Zaheer, Sajjad} English text only. P.P.H. Bookstall (Bombay) 129pp (intro. 7-12) 1958 paper only.
• THE BITTER HARVEST tr. Rifat Hassan {Hassan, Rifat} Urdu & English texts. Aziz Publishers (Lahore) 169pp (pref. i-iii) 1977 cloth only.
• SORCERY/ (Sahir) tr. with pref. Sain Sucha {Sucha, Sain} Urdu & English texts. Vudya Kitaban Forlag (Sollentuna, Sweden) 114pp (pref. 1-6, essay in Urdu 106-114) 1989 paper only.
• Gaata jaye Banjara - A Collection of film lyrics

Bollywood songs[link]

Sahir Ludhianvi penned some of the finest Bollywood songs.

• आना है तो आ (Naya Daur 1957), composed by O.P. Nayyar, sung by Mohammed Rafi.

• ये दुनिया अगर मिल भी जाए तो क्या है (Pyaasa 1957), composed by S.D. Burman, sung by Mohammed Rafi.
• तू हिंदू बनेगा ना मुसलमान बनेगा (Dhool Ka Phool 1959), composed by Datta Naik, sung by Mohammed Rafi.

• ये इश्क़ इश्क़ है (Barsaat Ki Raat 1960), music by Roshan, sung by Mohammed Rafi.

• ना तो कारवाँ की तलाश है (Barsaat Ki Raat 1960), music by Roshan, sung by Mohammed Rafi.

• अल्ला तेरो नाम ईश्वर तेरो नाम (Hum Dono 1961), composed by Jaidev
• चलो इक बार फिर से अजनबी बन जाए हम दोनों (Gumrah 1963), composed by Ravi
• मन रे तू काहे ना धीर धरे? (Chitralekha 1964), composed by Roshan, sung by Mohammed Rafi.

• संसार से भागे फिरते हो, भगवान को तुम क्या पाओगे (Chitralekha 1964), composed by Roshan, sung by Mohammed Rafi.

• ईश्वर अल्ला तेरे नाम (Naya Raasta 1970), composed by Datta Naik, sung by Mohammed Rafi.

• मै पल दो पल का शायर हूँ (Kabhi Kabhi 1976), composed by Khayyam
• कभी कभी (Kabhi Kabhi 1976), music by Khayyam
• aye meri zoharjabin (waqt) by Manna Dey
• aagey bhi jane na tu (waqt) by Asha Bhonsle
• Saathi haath badhana-naya daur by Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhonsle
• Na tu zameen ke liye hai na aasman ke liye (Music Ravi )by Mohammed Rafi
• Mere dil mein aaj kya hai tu kahe to main bata doon ( Ravi ) by Kishore Kumar
• Main zindagi ka sath nibhata chala gaya (Hum Dono 1961) by Mohammed Rafi

Published collection of Urdu poetry[link]

• Talkhiyan ("Bitterness")

Stage Plays, Documentaries and TV Productions on Sahir[link]

In recent years there have been many attempts to bring him in sharp focus by using Theatre and Television.

1. M S Sathyu directed Stage Play Amrita: A Sublime Love Story had the first part of the narrative built around his enigmatic presence. Written by Danish Iqbal this Play was staged in Delhi, Gurgaon, Patiala and Banglore etc.

2. Pramila Le Hunt directed Play Sahir is a lyrical tribute to the life and times of this great poet and his revolutionary spirit. Written by Danish Iqbal in 2010 this Play became a commercial success and had a dream run in Delhi. For perhaps first time, perhaps in the history of Indian Theatre, songs were used as narrative to recreate the life and struggles of Sahir. Many of his misty eyed contemporaries, including Ramesh Chand Charlie, Kuldeep Nayyar and few others, thronged the performance with nostalgic ache in their heart.

3. Few TV Series on Modern Poets had episodes devoted to Sahir.

Awards[link]

• 1958: Nominated - Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist: Aurat Ne Janam Diya (Sadhna)^[14]
• 1964: Filmfare Best Lyricist Award: Jo Wada Kiya ( Taj Mahal)
• 1977: Filmfare Best Lyricist Award: Kabhi Kabhie Mere Dil Mein (Kabhi Kabhie)^[15]

See also[link]

Poetry portal

• Bollywood songs.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Sahir kahan ho tum?
• Sahir Ludhianvi at Kavita Kosh
• Sahir ki qalam se - Site dedicated to Sahir Ludhianvi
• Sahir Ludhianvi at the Internet Movie Database
• Sahir Ludhianvi at Urdu Poetry
• Silver Memories: Romantic Sahir by Madhavi Biswas
• Brothels — A Translation of Sahir's famous poem 'Chakley'

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2010)

Manoj Kumar (born Harikrishna Giri Goswami^[1] on 24 July 1937) is an award-winning Indian actor and director in the Bollywood film industry. He is known for acting in and directing films with patriotic themes, and has been given the nickname "Mr Bharat" (Bhaarat is the Hindi term for India). In 1992, he was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India.

Early life[link]

Manoj Kumar was born in Abbottabad, a town of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, then part of India. Abbottabad is now located within the borders of Pakistan. His original name was Harikishan Giri Goswami. When he was 10, his Gosain Hindu family had to move to Delhi owing to partition. His family lived as refugees in Vijay Nagar, Kingsway Camp and later moved to Patel Nagar area of New Delhi.

After graduating from Hindu College, University of Delhi, he decided to enter the film industry.

Career[link]

As a youth, he admired Bollywood superstar Dilip Kumar, and decided to name himself Manoj Kumar after Dilip's character in Shabnam (1949).^[1]

After making a little-noticed début in Fashion in 1957, Manoj landed his first leading role in Kaanch Ki Gudia (1960) opposite Sayeeda Khan. Piya Milan Ki Aas and Reshmi Roomal followed, setting the stage for the Vijay Bhatt-directed Hariyali Aur Raasta (1962) opposite Mala Sinha. Kumar then appeared with Sadhana in Raj Khosla's Woh Kaun Thi (1964), and reunited with Vijay Bhatt and Mala Sinha in Himalaya Ki God Mein (1965).

The patriotic hero[link]

Kumar's image as the patriotic hero started with the 1965 film Shaheed,^[2] based on the life of Bhagat Singh, a martyr in the struggle for India's freedom. After the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri asked him to create a film based on the popular slogan Jai Jawan Jai Kissan (hail the soldier, hail the farmer).^[1]

The result was Kumar's magnum opus and his directorial debut, Upkaar (1967). In it, he played both a soldier and a farmer. The film was also noted for the famous song Mere Desh Ki Dharti, written by Gulshan Bawra, composed by Kalyanji-Anandji and sung by Mahendra Kapoor. Upkaar was a hit and won Kumar his first Filmfare Best Director Award.

After dabbling in various roles in the late 1960s, Manoj returned to patriotic themes in Purab Aur Paschim (1970), in which life in the East and West are juxtaposed. In 1972, he starred in Be-Imaan (for which he won the Filmfare Best Actor Award) and directed and starred in Shor (1972). The latter, opposite Nanda, was not a huge box office success, but it did feature the memorable song Ek Pyar Ka Nagma Hai, a duet by Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh, which was composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal.

Later career[link]

The mid-1970s saw Kumar star in three hit films: Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (1974) was a social commentary featuring an all-star cast including Zeenat Aman, Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan that won him his second Filmfare Award for Best Director; Sanyasi (1975) had Kumar and Hema Malini in the lead roles of a religious-themed comedy; and Dus Numbri (1976) also gave Kumar and Hema top billing. In 1981, Kumar reached the peak of his career when he got the opportunity to direct his idol, Dilip Kumar, as well as star in Kranti, a story about the struggle for Indian independence in the 19th century. Kranti was the last notable successful film in his career. He also starred in the hit Punjabi film Jat Punjabi.

After Kranti, Kumar's career began to decline in the 1980s as all of his films failed at the box office. In 1989 he cast Pakistani actors Mohammad Ali and Zeba in his film Clerk which was considered to be a groundbreaking event. He quit acting after his appearance in the 1995 film Maidan-E-Jung. His son, Kunal Goswami, tried to revive the patriotic theme and was directed by Kumar in the 1999 film Jai Hind which was a flop. Kumar was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award that same year.

His trademark hand-covering-the-face was very popular and continues to be the butt of jokes of latter day stand-up comedians. In 2007, the Shah Rukh Khan film Om Shanti Om featured the lead character pretending to be Manoj Kumar so as to sneak into a movie premiere, by holding his hand over his face. Kumar filed a lawsuit, which was settled out of court.^[3]

Politics[link]

Like many other Bollywood stars, Kumar decided to enter politics following his retirement. Before the 2004 general election in India, it was announced that he had officially joined the ranks of the Shiv Sena.

Personal life[link]

Kumar is married to Shashi Goswami (originally from Jodhkan, Sirsa district, Haryana). He has two sons, Vishal and Kunal, Vishal tried his skills as a singer and Kunal as an actor. His brother, Rajiv Goswami, also entered the film industry, but none were able to gain any footing in Bollywood.

Awards[link]

[edit] Civilian award

• 1992 - Padma Shri by the Government of India

[edit] National Film Awards

• 1968 - National Film Award for Second Best Feature Film for Upkaar

[edit] Filmfare Awards

Winner

• 1968 - Filmfare Best Movie Award for Upkaar
• 1968 - Filmfare Best Director Award for Upkaar ^[4]
• 1968 - Filmfare Best Story Award for Upkaar
• 1968 - Filmfare Best Dialogue Award for Upkaar
• 1972 - Filmfare Best Actor Award for Beimaan
• 1975 - Filmfare Best Director Award for Roti Kapda Aur Makaan
• 1999 - Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award

Nominated

• 1968 - Filmfare Best Actor Award for Upkaar
• 1969 - Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for Aadmi
• 1973 - Filmfare Best Director Award for Shor
• 1975 - Filmfare Best Movie Award for Roti Kapda Aur Makaan
• 1975 - Filmfare Best Actor Award for Roti Kapda Aur Makaan
• 1976 - Filmfare Best Actor Award for Sanyasi

Honours[link]

• 2008 - National Kishore Kumar Award by the Government of Madhya Pradesh.^[5]
• 2009 - Phalke Ratna Award by the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy.^[6]
• 2010 - National Raj Kapoor Award by the Government of Maharashtra.^[7][8]

Other Awards[link]

• 1968 - BFJA Awards: Best Dialogue for Upkaar^[9]
• 2001 - Kalakar Awards for Lifetime Achievement^{[citation needed]}
• 2008 - Star Screen Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2010 - Lifetime Achievement Award at the 12th Mumbai Film Festival.^[10]
• 2012 - Lifetime Achievement Award at the Apsara Awards.^[11]
• 2012 - Lifetime Achievement Award at the Nashik International Film Festival.^[12]

Special Honour[link]

In the honour of devotion of Manoj Kumar towards Shri Sai Baba; Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust, Shirdi has renamed "Pimpalwadi Road" in Shirdi, as "Manojkumar Goswami Road".^[13]

Selected filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Manoj Kumar: Bollywood's Own Mr Bharat
• Showbiz Legends: Manoj Kumar
• Manoj Kumar at the Internet Movie Database

Kamal Haasan
Kamal Haasan at an event organised by FICCI
Born	Kamal Haasan (1954-11-07) 7 November 1954 (age 57)[1] Paramakudi, Madras State, India
Residence	Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Occupation	Film actor, producer, director, screenwriter, dialogues, playback singer, lyricist
Years active	1959–present
Spouse	Vani Ganapathy (1978–1985—divorced) Sarika Thakur (1985–2004—divorced)
Children	Shruti Haasan (born 1986) Akshara Haasan (born 1991)
Awards	Padmashri, Kalaimamani

Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian film actor, screenwriter, producer and director, considered to be one of the leading method actors of Indian cinema.^[2][3][4] He is widely acclaimed as an actor and is well known for his versatility in acting.^[5][6][7] Kamal Haasan has won several Indian film awards, including four National Film Awards and numerous Filmfare Awards, and is known for having starred in the largest number of films submitted by India in contest for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.^[8] In addition to acting, screenwriting and directing, he has also featured in films as a songwriter, playback singer and choreographer.^[9] His film production company, Rajkamal International, has produced several of his films. In 1990, he was awarded the Padma Shri for his contributions to Indian cinema.^[10] Kamal Haasan is also a recipient of an Honorary doctorate by Sathyabama University.^[11] In 2009, he became one of very few Indian actors to have completed 50 years in cinema.^[12]

After several projects as a child artist, Kamal Haasan's breakthrough into lead acting came with his role in the 1975 drama Apoorva Raagangal, in which he played a rebellious youth in love with an older woman. He secured his second Indian National Film Award for his portrayal of a guileless school teacher who tends a child-like amnesiac in 1982's Moondram Pirai. He was particularly noted for his performance in Mani Ratnam's Godfatheresque Tamil film Nayagan (1987), which was ranked by Time magazine as one of the best films of all time.^[13] Since then he has gone on to appear in other notable films such as Anbe Sivam and his own productions, Hey Ram and Virumaandi, as well as Dasavathaaram, in which he appeared in ten distinct roles.

Career[link]

Debut as child artiste: 1959–1963[link]

Kamal Haasan's family shifted from Paramakudi to Chennai for his mother's medical treatment. He went to Holy Angels Convent school in T. Nagar. He was interested in girls even as a young child. ^[14] There are two versions regarding his entry into films. One version has it that, as a little boy, he accompanied a doctor who went to treat an ill woman at the home of movie mogul A V Meyyappa Chettiar (father of AVM Saravanan). On hearing loud shouting from a first-floor tenant of the bungalow, the doctor became uneasy. Young Kamal Haasan strode up the stairway to ask the noisemaker not to shout over the phone as someone was ill, leaving the person astonished. An impressed Meyyappa Chettiar later provided him an entry into films.^[15] The other version is that when young boy Kamal Haasan accompanied a family doctor of Meyyappa Chettiar to his house, producer AVM Saravanan noticed Kamal as a hyperactive child. He took him over and introduced to AV Meyyappa Chettiar who was looking for a young boy to play a role in the movie Kalathur Kannamma.^[16]

Kamal Haasan was five-years-old when he faced the camera for the first time in Kalathur Kannamma, which was directed by A. Bhimsingh. The film was released on August 12, 1960. The film starred veteran actor Gemini Ganesan and won the President's Gold Medal.^[17] Following his successful debut, he starred in five more films as a child actor sharing screen space with Sivaji Ganesan and M. G. Ramachandran. Kamal Haasan's family was very supportive of his interest in the performing arts. He joined a theatre repertory, TKS Nataka Sabha, that was helmed by T.K.Shanmugam. He continued his school education at the Hindu High School in Triplicane. The time spent as part of the theatre company shaped Kamal Haasan's craft and was instrumental in his interest in make-up. ^[14][18]

Breakthrough and Experimentation: 1970–1975[link]

Following a seven-year hiatus from films, Haasan returned to the industry to be a part of the technical crew of films. However, he played a few supporting roles instead. As an adult, his first film role was in the 1970 film Maanavan, in which he appeared in a dance sequence. He also did a supporting role in the film Annai Velankani in which he was the assistant director. His role in K.Balachander's 1973 film Arangetram was the beginning of many noteworthy performances. He played the antagonist in Sollathaan Ninaikkiren and Gumasthavin Magal both co-starring Sivakumar. His first serious role was in K. Balachander's Aval Oru Thodar Kathai (1974). His last role as a supporting actor was in 1974, in the film Naan Avan Illai.

He debuted in the Malayalam film industry with the 1974 film Kanyakumari. He won his first regional Filmfare award for this film.^[19] His first break as a lead actor in Tamil films came with Apoorva Raagangal, directed by K.Balachander, for which he also won his first Filmfare award in Tamil.^[20] The plot of the film revolved around a young man in love with an older woman and won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. Kamal Haasan learned to play the mridangam for this role. Another noteworthy fact is that this film introduced audiences to Rajnikanth, who played several supporting roles in films starring Kamal Haasan before becoming one of the most successful actors in the Tamil film industry.

Success in the south: 1976–1980[link]

The late 1970s was a period that saw Haasan's continued collaboration with K. Balachander, who cast him in many of his social-themed films. In 1976, Balachander cast him as a womaniser trying to woo many women in Manmadha Leelai which was followed by Oru Oodhappu Kan Simittugiradhu, which won him his second consecutive Regional Filmfare (Tamil) Best Actor Award. Later, Kamal Haasan appeared in the drama Moondru Mudichu with Rajinikanth and Sridevi, another Balachander film. Avargal (1977) was one of the most sensitive movies on woman liberation, for which he learnt the art of ventriloquism.^[21] The film was also remade in Telugu as Idi Katha Kaadu (1979) with Haasan repeating his role. 16 Vayathinile won him his third consecutive best actor award, where he appeared as a village bumpkin, along with Rajinikanth and Sridevi. In 1977, he starred in his first Kannada film, Kokila, which was the directorial debut of another friend and mentor, Balu Mahendra. The same year, he acted in a Bengali film, Kabita. In 1978, he debuted in the Telugu film industry as a lead actor with the cross-cultural romantic film, Maro Charithra directed by K. Balachander. The film was regarded a cult-classic and was also Haasan's first major hit. His fourth consecutive Filmfare award came with Sigappu Rojakkal, an anti-hero thriller in which he played a psychopathic sexual killer.

Few of the other famous films in this period were the Telugu film Sommokadidhi Sokkadidhi, where he played dual roles, the musical entertainer Ninaithale Inikkum, the snake horror film Neeya and Kalyanaraman.

At the end of this period, he had won six regional Best Actor Filmfare Awards, including four consecutive Best Tamil Actor Awards and became a famous actor in South India by having starred in all languages.

Bollywood foray: 1980s[link]

Kamal Haasan's pairing with the actress Sridevi continued with Tamil classic Varumayin Niram Sigappu in 1980, where he played an unemployed youth. Kamal Haasan also made a guest–cameo appearance in the Rajnikanth's Thillu Mullu. He made his Bollywood debut with Ek Duuje Ke Liye, the remake of his Telugu-language film, Maro Charithra, also by K. Balachander which earned him his first Filmfare nomination. He made his 100th film appearance in 1981 with Raja Paarvai, which also marked his debut in film production. Despite this film's relatively poor reception at the cinemas, his portrayal of a blind session violinist earned him a Filmfare Award.^[22] Following a year of starring in commercially-oriented films, he won his first of three National Awards for Best Actor with his portrayal of a school teacher who looks after an amnesia patient in Balu Mahendra's Moondram Pirai, later reprising the role in the Hindi version, Sadma.^[19] During this time he concentrated more in Bollywood acting in remakes of his Tamil films, most famously Yeh To Kamaal Ho Gaya and Zara Si Zindagi. In 1983, he appeared in Sagara Sangamam, directed by Kasinadhuni Viswanath. His portrayal as a drunkard classical dancer fetched him his first Nandi Award for Best Actor and second Filmfare Best Telugu Actor Award.

After the successful multi starrer Raaj Tilak in 1984, he acted in Saagar, released in 1985, for which he was awarded both the Filmfare Best Actor Award and was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Award at the same ceremony for this role. The film was India's representative for the Academy Award for the Best Foreign Language Film in 1985.^[19] Saagar portrayed him alongside Rishi Kapoor. The same year, he appeared in Geraftaar alongside Amitabh Bachchan. He featured in Tamil cinema's first sequel Japanil Kalyanaraman, which followed up his previous Kalyanaraman.

In 1986, he again collaborated with K. Vishwanath in Swathi Muthyam which portrayed him as an autistic person attempting to change society. The film was India's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards in 1986.^[19] The enormous response to these films in Tollywood helped him capture a strong audience in Andhra Pradesh, and many of his later Tamil films were regularly dubbed in Telugu.^[23]

Following Punnagai Mannan, in which he portrayed dual roles including a satire of Charlie Chaplin as Chaplin Chellappa and Vetri Vizha as an amnesiac, Kamal Haasan appeared in Mani Ratnam's 1987 film Nayagan. Nayagan portrays the life of an underworld don in Bombay. The story revolved around the life of a real-life underworld don called Varadarajan Mudaliar, while sympathetically depicting the struggle of South Indians living in Mumbai.^[19] He received his second Indian National Award for his performance and Nayagan was nominated by India as its entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards in 1987. It was included in the Time's All-TIME 100 Movies list. In 1988, Kamal Haasan appeared in his only silent film to date, Pushpak, a black comedy.^[19] In 1989, he appeared in three roles (one of which was that of a dwarf) in Apoorva Sagodharargal.^[19] He then performed dual roles in Indrudu Chandrudu, winning the Filmfare Best Actor Award and Nandi Awards for his performance. In 1989, Kamal Haasan starred in his last original Malayalam film as hero to date, titled Chanakyan. The multi-starrer film was critically acclaimed and was a hit.^[24]

The 1980s saw the transformation of Kamal Haasan from a young heartthrob performer in Tamil films to a nationally acclaimed star appreciated for his method acting. By the end of 1980s, he had entered and tasted success in the Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi film industries, had received Filmfare awards at each industry, three national awards and had his performances recognized at international film festivals.^[23][25]

Tryst with comedy: 1990s[link]

In 1990, Michael Madhana Kamarajan saw Kamal Haasan go one step further from Apoorva Sagodharargal, acting in four different roles as quadruplets. It started an ongoing collaboration with Crazy Mohan, a dialogue writer, for future comedy films.^[26] The film became a blockbuster, and his portrayals were all critically praised; one cook role where he spoke in Palakkad Tamil formed the crux for a future venture by his production house.^[27] Kamal Haasan won successive Best Actor awards for his portrayal of the deranged, obsessive protagonist in Guna and Thevar Magan, where he played the son of actor Sivaji Ganesan. Guna met with critical acclaim but failed commercially, while the latter became a big success and was remade into Hindi as Virasat. Kamal Haasan was credited for the story and became India's submission for the Academy Awards that year. After a series of films such as Singaravelan, Maharasan and Kalaignan, he played a cheated villager in the emotionally draining and underrated classic Mahanadi. Six years after it released, it was premiered at the Rotterdam festival.^[28] He then began to appear in comedies such as Sathi Leelavathi, based on the English film She-Devil. The film, his home production, featured him opposite comedienne Kovai Sarala and its success led to further regional remakes. He also renewed his collobaration with Kasinadhuni Viswanath in Telugu film, Subha Sankalpam. In 1995, Kamal Haasan starred in the police story Kuruthipunal. His success in Kuruthipunal was followed by his third National Film Award for Best Actor, for the film Indian.^[29] Playing dual roles of a freedom fighter and his untrustful son, the film also won Kamal Haasan regional awards and plaudits for his portrayal.^[30] Moreover, both films were also selected as India's submissions for the Academy Awards in their respective release years.

Kamal Haasan appeared as a woman in Avvai Shanmughi, inspired by the Hollywood production Mrs. Doubtfire.^[31] He initially chose noted adfilm maker Shantanu Sheorey to direct the Hindi remake of Avvai Shanmughi, titled Chachi 420.^[32] But unhappy with the complaints after five days of shoot and after checking the actual result, he took over as director.^[33][34] In 1997, Kamal Haasan began his first directorial venture, the biopic of Mohammed Yusuf Khan, Marudhanayagam, which failed to complete its schedules with only half an hour and a trailer being recorded during its shoot.^[35] Marudhanayagam had been speculated to be the biggest and most expensive film in Indian cinema with a number of high profile actors technicians signing up for roles. Moreover, the film was launched in a highly publicized ceremony by Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom during her visit to India in 1997.^[36] Due to budget constraints, the film failed to materialize into a feature film, but he has since stated his interest in building up funds for the project.^[37]

[edit] Hey Ram and onwards: 2000–present

Following a two-year hiatus in Indian cinema, he opted against reviving his magnum opus, Marudhanayagam, and filmed his second directorial venture, Hey Ram,^[38] a period drama told in flashback with a semi-fictional plot centering around India's Partition and the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Kamal Haasan also took on roles as the writer, the lyricist and the choreographer as well as producing the film under his home banner. The film, also featured Shahrukh Khan and was India's submission for the Academy Awards that year.^[39] His following film was Aalavandhan, where he portrayed two distinct roles, for one of which he had his head shaved bald and gained ten kilograms. To play the other army major in Alavandaan (Abhay, in Hindi), he went to the NDA for a crash course.^[40] The Hindi version Abhay was distributed by reputed Shringar Films.^[41][42] Despite much publicity prior to release, the film failed commercially, and he opted to repay distributors who had suffered losses with the film.^[43]

Following a series of successful comedies^[44] in Thenali, Panchathantiram and Pammal K. Sambandam and a couple of guest appearances, Kamal Haasan directed his third feature film in Virumaandi, a film about the death penalty which won the Best Asian Film award at Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival.^[45] Kamal Haasan also appeared in Anbe Sivam alongside Madhavan. Priyadarshan, who started the film, departed allowing commercial director Sundar C to complete the film. Anbe Sivam told the story of Nallasivam, enacted by Kamal Haasan as a communist. Kamal Haasan's performance was highly lauded by critics with The Hindu stating that he "has once again done Tamil cinema proud".^[46]

Kamal Haasan then appeared in the remake film Vasool Raja alongside Sneha. In 2006, Haasan's long delayed project, Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu emerged as a blockbuster.^[47] In 2008, he appeared in Dasavathaaram portraying ten distinct roles in the venture which was released in multiple languages including Tamil, Telugu, Hindi throughout India and overseas. Dasavathaaram is known to be one of the first modern sci-fi films made in India which Kamal Haasan co-wrote along with the film's director K. S. Ravikumar, it also remains one of the most expensive Indian films ever made.^[48] Featuring him opposite Asin Thottumkal, the film as of 2008 became the first highest grossing film ever in Tamil cinema, and won him critical praise for his performance.^[49] In Canada, the film was distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, the first Tamil film to be done so. The film ultimately grossed more than 250 crores worldwide.^[49][50] He had written the story and screenplay for the project.