Mohammad Nasir Hussain Khan (16 November 1926 – 13 March 2002), better known as Nasir Hussain, was an Indian film producer, film director, and screenwriter.
Early life
Hussain was born in
Bhopal State on 16 November 1926 to Jaffar Hussain Khan, a schoolteacher who belonged to a
zamindar family of
Pashtuns descent, and Aamna, who traced her
Arabs roots to
Jeddah (modern-day
Saudi Arabia) and was the niece of
Maulana Azad, and he was the fourth of five children, the youngest being
Tahir Hussain, the father of
Aamir Khan.
Personal life
He married Ayesha Khan, who pre-deceased him.
Their son
Mansoor Khan is a former film director and producer whose daughter is actress Zayn Marie Khan.
The couple are the maternal grandparents of Imran Khan, a former film actor.
Career
Early career
Hussain first worked with Qamar Jalalabadi when he joined
Filmistan as a writer in 1948. The famous films he wrote for Filmistan include
Anarkali (1953),
Munimji (1955), and
Paying Guest (1957). Filmistan was the breakaway studio from
Bombay Talkies; it used mid-budget formula productions and sold on star value and music. Sashadhar Mukherjee was a part of the breakaway team, and he gave Hussain
Tumsa Nahin Dekha to direct. The film made a star of
Shammi Kapoor.
Kapoor and Hussain made another hit, Dil Deke Dekho (1959), for Filmalaya, the breakaway group of Filmistan. The film introduced Asha Parekh, who would be the lead in all of Hussain's films until Caravan (1971). He was also in a long romantic relationship with her, but it ended because he was already a married man with two children, and Parekh didn't want to be labeled a homewrecker.[Manwani, Akshay. Music, Masti, Modernity: The Cinema of Nasir Hussain. HarperCollins Publishers India. (2016)]
Own production
Hussain then set up Nasir Hussain Films and turned producer-director. He made musical hits like
Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai (1961),
Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon (1963),
Teesri Manzil (1966),
Baharon Ke Sapne (1967),
Pyar Ka Mausam (1969),
Caravan (1971),
Yaadon Ki Baraat (1973), and
Hum Kisise Kum Naheen (1977).
Hussain, Majrooh Sultanpuri, and R.D. Burman collaborated on Teesri Manzil, Baharon Ke Sapne, Pyar Ka Mausam, Caravan, Yaadon Ki Baraat and Hum Kisise Kum Naheen.
Hussain wrote and produced the musical cult hit Teesri Manzil. Vijay Anand directed the film, which starred Hussain's regular actors Shammi Kapoor and Asha Parekh. Originally Dev Anand was signed for the film but due to differences with Hussain he opted out and Kapoor was cast.[Interview by Shammi Kapoor to CNN IBN telecast after his death, on 15 August 2011.] He also hired R.D. Burman for the first time to compose the songs ("O Haseena Zulfonwali", "O Mere Sona Re", "Deewaana Mujhsa Nahin", "Tumne Mujhe Dekha", "Aaja Aaja Main Hoon Pyaar Tera"). After the songs became evergreen hits, Burman would compose for all of Hussain's films for the next 19 years, ending with Zabardast (1985).
Hussain's Yaadon Ki Baraat was written by Salim–Javed, who had written Zanjeer the same year. Both films dealt with the hero wanting to avenge his father's death, and both featured Ajit Khan as the villain. Yaadon Ki Baraat has been identified as the first masala film.[Kaushik Bhaumik, An Insightful Reading of Our Many Indian Identities, The Wire, 12/03/2016]
Late career
As
Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai (1981),
Manzil Manzil (1984) and
Zabardast (1985) all flopped, Hussain's son Mansoor took over the reins of Nasir Hussain Films, although Hussain continued to write scripts and dialogues for films like
Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988) and
Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander (1992). In
Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, he introduced his nephew
Aamir Khan as a hero.
Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak was a milestone in the history of Hindi cinema, setting the template for Hindi language musical romance films that defined Hindi cinema in the 1990s.
Hussain received a special Filmfare Award in 1996 for his contribution to Hindi cinema.
Death
Hussain died in Mumbai on 13 March 2002 following a heart attack.
After his death, Asha Parekh stated in an interview that she had not seen him the last year of his life, as he became reclusive because of his wife's death.
Associations
Hussain had several "favourites" with whom he worked repeatedly.
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The first was mentor Sashadhar Mukherjee, for whose Filmistan Studio Hussain wrote and directed his earlier films.
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Sashadhar's brother Subodh Mukherjee directed two films that Hussain wrote for Filmistan, Munimji and Paying Guest. Both films had Dev Anand as the hero and S.D. Burman as the music composer. Hussain cast Dev Anand in his own first production, Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai.
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Pran was also a constant villain in Ziddi, Love in Tokyo, Paying Guest and Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon.
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Hussain also produced a film and cast his mentor Sashadhar's son Joy Mukherjee in Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon.
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Hussain used Majrooh Sultanpuri in 10 of his productions, apart from working with him in Paying Guest.
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Hussain directed Shammi Kapoor in his early hits and created Shammi's image with films like Tumsa Nahin Dekha and Dil Deke Dekho as well as his later production Teesri Manzil.
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Actor Rajindernath was a fixture in almost all of his early productions. He was in Dil Deke Dekho (1959), Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai (1961), Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon (1963), Baharon Ke Sapne (1967), Pyar Ka Mausam (1969), Zabardast (1985) and Zamaane Ko Dikhana Hai (1981).
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One of his longest associations was with leading lady Asha Parekh, from Dil Deke Dekho, through Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai, Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon, Teesri Manzil, Baharon Ke Sapne, Pyar Ka Mausam until Caravan. After a gap of 13 years, she did a cameo in his film Manzil Manzil (1984).
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He worked with R.D. Burman in 9 films from Teesri Manzil, through Baharon Ke Sapne, Pyar Ka Mausam, Caravan, Yaadon Ki Baraat, Hum Kisise Kum Naheen, Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai, Manzil Manzil and Zabardast.
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Hussain also collaborated with writer Sachin Bhowmick, comic Wasti, and editors Babu Lavande and Gurudutt Shirali in many of his films.
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Hussain's wife was assistant choreographer Ayesha Khan and she worked on several of his films: Baharon Ke Sapne, Hum Kisise Kum Naheen
Awards and nominations
-
Filmfare Best Movie Award – "Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak" (1988)
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Filmfare Best Screenplay Award – Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988)
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Filmfare Best Movie Award – Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992)
-
Filmfare Special Award (1996)
Filmography
- As director
|
| 1957 | Debut film as director |
| 1959 | |
| 1961 | |
| 1963 | |
| 1967 | |
| 1969 | |
| 1971 | |
| 1973 | |
| 1973 | Story also |
| 1977 | |
| 1981 | |
| 1984 | |
| 1985 | |
- As producer
- As writer for others
|
| 1953 | Story |
| 1954 | Dialogue |
| 1955 | |
| 1957 | |
| 1973 | Story, screenplay and dialogue |
|
External links
