Prakash Mehra

Infobox actor

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name = Prakash Mehra
birthdate = birth date and age|1939|7|13
Bijnaur, Uttar Pradesh.
filmfareawards=

Prakash Mehra (born 13 July, 1939) in Bijnaur, Uttar Pradesh, India) is one of the more successful veteran Bollywood film producer and directors of his time. He frequently wrote song lyrics for his own movies.fact|date=June 2008

Career

Mr Mehra started in the late 1950s as a production controller. In 1968, he directed Shashi Kapoor who played a double role in "Haseena Maan Jayegi". This was followed by the 1971 hit "Mela" starring the Khan brothers (Feroz Khan and Sanjay Khan) together. In 1973, he produced and directed "Zanjeer". The role was offered to a relative newcomer Amitabh Bachchan as established stars were not available. The role was of a serious police officer who wants revenge, and a break from the then popular musical romances. The movie was a huge hit and established Amitabh as a solo actor ( his previous roles of note having been in support roles). It established Amitabh's early personna (an angry young man fighting the system on his own terms) and started an association that spawned 6 more movies - " Hera Pheri", "Muqaddar Ka Sikandar" (1977), "Laawaris" (1981), "Namak Halaal" (1982), "Sharaabi" (1984) and "Jaadugar" (1989) All except "Jaadugar" being huge blockbusters. In 1974, he also had a big hit as a director with his other favourite star Vinod Khanna, with the movie "Haath Ki Safai".

Prakash Mehra also directed & produced "Zindagi Ek Jua" with actor Anil Kapoor in 1991, which was not a commercial success. In 1996, he introduced veteran actor Raaj Kumar's son Puru Raajkumar in "Bal Brahmachari" which was also unsuccessful. This was the last film he directed. He also produced the movie Dalaal with Mithun Chakraborthy, in the mid-90s, which was a box-office hit. Mr Mehra received a lifetime achievement award from the India Motion Picture Directors Association (IMPDA) in 2006. He also received Lifetime Achievement as Producer from IMPAA (Indian Motion Picture Producers Association) on September 19, 2008. Mr Mehra is now retired.

Prakash Mehra was one of the first Bombay directors to try venture into Hollywood. In the late eighties he tried a joint venture to make the movie "The God Connection" with Frank Yandolino. The movie was to include Hollywood actors such as Charles Bronson among others, but the project though funded heavily initially, never materialized.

Contemporaries

Prakash Mehra along with Manmohan Desai, Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Yash Chopra, have accounted for a large number of Amitabh Bachchan's works. Prakash Mehra is now retired.

Filmography

*"Haseena Maan Jayegi" (1968)
*"Aakhri Daku" (1970)
*" Mela" (1971)
*"Samadhi" (1972)
*"Zanjeer" (1973)
*"Haath Ki Safai" (1974)
*" Hera Pheri" (1976)
*"Muqaddar Ka Sikander"(1978)
*"Laawaris" (1981)
*"Namak Halaal" (1982)
*"Sharaabi" (1984)
*"Jaadugar" (1989)
*"Zindagi Ek Jua" (1992)
*"Dalaal" (Producer only) (1993)
*"Bal Brahmachari" (1996)

External links