Mumbai’s Regal theatre to screen Bambai Ka Babu, CID, Mera Gaon Mera Desh during Centenary celebration of Raj Khosla

A day-long mini-retrospective of the popular writer-director’s movies, titled ‘Raj Khosla 100 – Bambai Ka Babu’, organised by the Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) at Regal on Saturday, commemorates this 100th birth anniversary. The event will also hold screenings of Khosla’s C.I.D. (1956) and Bambai Ka Babu (1960), which have been restored in 4K resolution by the National Film Archive of India (NFDC).

C.I.D, a 1956 Indian crime thriller directed by Raj Khosla. It stars Dev Anand, Shakila, Johnny Walker, K. N. Singh and Waheeda Rehman. (Film Heritage Foundation)

His just-published biography, written by Amborish Roychoudhury, will be released.

In a career spanning three decades and 27 films, Khosla is known for his remarkable song picturisation in the 1950s and 60s as well as revolutionising the way music was integrated into Indian film narratives. Born in Punjab (now in Pakistan), he shifted to Bombay with dreams of becoming a playback singer. Instead, he ended up being an assistant director on Guru Dutt’s directorial debut, Baazi (1951), which featured actor Dev Anand.

Though Khosla’s directorial debut, Milap (1955), was not a box-office hit, he went on to direct several successful entertainers — from neo-noir crime dramas like CID (1956) and Solva Saal (1958) to the haunting Woh Kaun Thi? (1964) and Mera Saaya (1966).

Mera Gaon Mera Desh, a 1971 Indian action drama directed by Raj Khosla, written by Akhtar Romani, starring Dharmendra and Asha Parekh in lead roles, with Vinod Khanna as the villain. (Film Heritage Foundation)

Describing Raj Khosla as “the Howard Hawks of Indian cinema” for his remarkable ability to successfully make films in every genre from thrillers, whodunits, musicals, action adventure to love stories and dacoit films, Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, director of Film Heritage Foundation says: “Raj-ji excelled in song picturisation and was known for having strong female characters in his films. It inspired me as an upcoming filmmaker when I saw images of his hoardings that had a director’s chair with his name emblazoned on it.”

Parekh counts Do Badan, Chirag, Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki and Mera Gaon Mera Desh — directed by Khosla — among her favourite films. “Before my first film, Do Badan, with Raj Khosla, I was known more for my dancing and glamorous roles. Do Badan that changed people’s perception of me as an actress that could perform more serious roles. He was a very fine filmmaker and his song picturization was remarkable,” says the Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipient.

“This screening at Regal, Mumbai is a unique opportunity for the cinema lovers to view, for the first time ever, Bombai Ka Babu in 4K restored version. We are also showcasing another classic, CID, restored by NFDC-NFAI,” says Prakash Magdum, managing director of NFDC.

The screenings of Bambai Ka Babu at 12 pm; C.I.D. at 3 pm; and Mera Gaon Mera Desh at 8.30 pm at Regal are free for all with seating available on a first-come first-served basis.

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