Kundan Shah

Infobox actor


imagesize = 150px
name = Kundan Shah
birthdate = 1947
occupation = Director, Screenwriter
yearsactive = 1983 - present
location =
spouse =
children =
awards = 1983 Indira Gandhi Award for Best First Film of a Director - "Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro
1994 Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie - "Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa"

Kundan Shah (born 1947) is an Indian film director and writer.He is most known for his comedy classic Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983) and his 1985-1986, TV series "Nukkad" with Saeed Akhtar Mirza.

Biography

Shah studied direction at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune. He got an interest in the Comedy genre.

His directional debut was the comedy film "Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro" (aka Who Pays the Piper) in 1983. He also took part in the writing of the film, along with Satish Kaushik. The film introduced a new kind of slapstick comedy into the Indian cinema for the first time and was well recognized.

Shah then started to work in television. He became a partner of "Iskra", a company founded by Saeed Akhtar Mirza, Aziz Mirza and others. In 1985-1986 he directed the TV series "Nukkad" (street) along with Saeed Akhtar Mirza. The serial was another folk comedy dealing with the routine life of street youngsters.

After directing several serials, Shah took a long break of 7 years from cinema.

Shah made his comeback to cinema in 1993. He directed the famous "Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa" and wrote the screenplay for the film. The film was another comic love story but it also displayed new aspects to its credit - it was the first time that the hero in the film was an absolute loser. The film starred Shahrukh Khan in one of his first roles. The film was much acclaimed and both Shah and Khan were appreciated for their work. In 1994, Shah won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie for the film. He was the first filmmaker to win this award.

In 1998, Shah directed another acclaimed film, "Kya Kehna". Due to delay, the film released in 2000 and became the surprise hit of the year. The film dealt with a social controversial issue - single parenthood. Actress Preity Zinta debuted in this film and enacted the lead role of a teenage single-mother who tries to overcome the wrong values of her society. Zinta's performance was also acclaimed.

Shah's next releases were "Hum To Mohabbat Karega" (2000) starring Bobby Deol and Karisma Kapoor, "Dil Hai Tumhara" (2002) with Rekha and Preity Zinta, and the last one, "Ek Se Badhkar Ek" in 2004.

Awards

*Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie - "Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa"
*National Film Award - Indira Gandhi Award for Best First Film of a Director - "Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro"

Filmography

External links

*imdb name|id=0787453