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Kidar Sharma

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Kidar Sharma
Sharma in the film Neki Aur Badi
Born
Kidar Nath Sharma

(1910-04-12)12 April 1910
Narowal, Punjab, British India
Died29 April 1999(1999-04-29) (aged 89)
Mumbai, India
Occupations
  • Director
  • screenwriter
  • actor
  • producer
  • lyricist
Years active1935–1998
SpouseRaj Dulari

Kidar Nath Sharma, also Kedar Sharma (12 April 1910 – 29 April 1999), was an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, and Lyricist of Hindi films.[1] While he had great success as a director of movies including Neel Kamal (1947), Bawre Nain (1950) and Jogan (1950), he is most remembered for starting the acting careers of popular Bollywood actors like Madhubala, Geeta Bali, Raj Kapoor, Mala Sinha, Bharat Bhushan and Tanuja.[2]

Early life and education

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Kidar Sharma was born in a Punjabi brahmin family[3] in Narowal in what was then the Punjab region of India and grew up in a life of poverty. Two brothers, Ragunath and Vishwa had died as infants and his sister, Taro, died of Tuberculosis at an early age. A younger sister Guro survived as did a younger brother, Himmat Rai Sharma, who would later work with Kidar on films before establishing himself as a successful Urdu poet. Kidar attended the Baij Nath High School in Amritsar where he became interested in philosophy, poetry, painting and photography. Upon completion of high school, he ran away from home to pursue a career in cinema in Mumbai but was unsuccessful in gaining employment. He returned to Amritsar and attended the Hindu Sabha College where he founded a College Dramatic Society which would later give him his first break in film.[4]

Career

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The head of a local Temperance movement would attend one of Kidar's plays and hired him to produce a silent film depicting the evils of alcohol. Using the money he earned from this project he would receive his master's degree in English at Khalsa College, Amritsar before joining a local theatre group that earned him limited acting success in 1931. He was married in 1932 and painted to earn income. Upon seeing an early talkies film Puran Bhagat (1933) by film director Debaki Bose, he left for Calcutta hoping to get his big break at New Theatres Studios, where Debaki Bose worked. After many months of unemployment he managed to meet a then-unknown actor of New Theatres, Prithviraj Kapoor (where he would meet Prithviraj's eight-year-old son for the first time, Raj Kapoor). Prithviraj Kapoor introduced Kidar to his neighbour, then-unknown Kundan Lal Saigal, who through an acquaintance allowed Kidar to meet Debaki Bose. Debaki Bose hired Kidar initially to become the Movie stills photographer for the film Seeta (1934) but would give Kidar his first part in the creation of film with that of a backdrop screen painter and a poster painter for the film Inquilab (1935) where Kidar also had a bit part.[5] Kidar would continue to work with New Theatres on films such as Dhoop Chhaon (1935) and Pujarin (1936) but a big break would come when Kidar was asked to write the dialogue and lyrics for the 1936 adaptation of Devdas starring his friend Kundan Lal Saigal. Devdas was not only a hit, but songs from the film such as Balam Aaye Baso Moray Man Mein and Dukh Ke Ab Din Beetat Naahi became feverishly popular throughout the country, giving Kidar Sharma acclaim by the press and public. Kidar would later say, "Both Bimal Roy and I got our first big break in Devdas. He as the cameraman and I as the writer."[4]

Kidar's big directing break came in 1940 when asked to complete the film Tumhair Jeet. Upon its completion he was given the opportunity to direct his own screenplay for Aulad / Dil Hi to Hai, which met with some success. He was then asked to direct Chitralekha (1941) which became a smash hit and gave Kidar credibility as a director. He would go on to begin producing his own movies, casting Raj Kapoor and Madhubala in their first film Neel Kamal. He would also cast Geeta Bali in her first movie, Sohag Raat (1948) and later he would team her with Raj Kapoor for the film Bawre Nain (1950). That same year he directed Jogan starring Nargis and Dilip Kumar. In the late 1950s Jawaharlal Nehru who had heard Sharma's lyrics, summoned him and asked him to become director-in-chief of the Children's Film Society. Kidar Sharma would work on many movies for the Children's Film Society, including the film Jaldeep which would go on to receive international acclaim.[6] In 1958, he would work for one year directing movies in Singapore for Shaw Brothers Studio.

An outstanding poet, Sharma wrote some of the most memorable songs including Balam aayo baso more man mein, Dukh kay ab din beetat nahi, Khayalon Mein Kisike (Bawre Nain), Kabhi Tanhaiyon Mein Bhi (Hamari Yaad Aayegi) and Teri duniya mein dil lagta nahi.[7] Kidar would continue to contribute as a lyricist and to write and direct films through the 1990s. Ironically, many Indian film critics and historians argued that he deserved the highest cinema award from the government of India but he died a day before he was to receive the Raj Kapoor Award, named in honour of the actor he helped make a success.

His autobiography, The One and Lonely Kidar Sharma was published posthumously in 2002, edited by his son Vikram Sharma.[2]

Awards and nominations

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International honours and recognitions

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National honours and recognitions

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Filmography

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Year Title Director Writer Lyricist Actor Misc
1935 Inquilab Yes Set Painter
1935 Dhoop Chhaon Yes Assistant Manager
1936 Pujarin Yes
1936 Karodpati a.k.a. Millionaire Yes Yes
1936 Devdas Yes Yes Dialogue and lyrics
1937 Vidyapati Yes
1937 Anath Ashram Yes
1939 Jawani Ki Reet Yes Dialogue
1939 Badi Didi Yes Yes
1939 Tumhai Jeet Yes (film directed by Ranjit Sen).[10]
1939 Dil Hi Toh Hai Yes Yes [11][12]
1940 Zindagi Yes
1940 Aulad Yes
1941 Chitralekha Yes
1942 Armaan Yes
1942 Gauri Yes
1944 Mumtaz Mahal Yes
1945 Dhanna Bhagat Yes
1945 Chand Chakori Yes
1946 Duniya Ek Sarai Yes
1947 Neel Kamal Yes Yes Producer
1948 Suhaag Raat Yes
1949 Neki Aur Badi Yes Yes
1949 Thes Yes
1950 Bawre Nain Yes Yes producer
1950 Jogan Yes
1953 Gunah Yes
1954 Chora-Chori Yes
1956 Rangeen Raaten Yes Yes producer
1956 Jaldeep (Light House) Yes Yes CFSI Film
1957 Ganga Ki Lahren Yes Yes CFSI Film
1957 Bachchon Se Bate (Talking To Children) Yes Yes CFSI Film
1958 Haria Yes CFSI Film
1958 Gulab Ka Phool (The Rose Among Flowers) Yes Yes CFSI Film
1959 26 January (India's Republic Day) Yes Yes CFSI Film
1959 Ekta (In Unison) Yes Yes CFSI Film
1959 Guru Bhakti (Devotion) Yes CFSI Film
1959 Panchtantra Ki Ek Kahani (A Story From The Panchantra) Yes CFSI Film
1959 Yatra (Journey) Yes CFSI Film
1960 Dilli Ki Kahani (The Story of Delhi City) Yes CFSI Film
1960 Chetak Yes Yes CFSI Film
1960 Meera Ka Chitra (Portrait of Meera) Yes Yes CFSI Film
1960 Nyaya ( Justice) CFSI Film, Camera
1961 Hamari Yaad Aayegi Yes Yes
1961 Mahateerth (Great Pilgrimage) Yes Yes CFSI Film
1964 Fariyad Yes
1964 Chitralekha Yes Yes
1965 Kaajal Yes Yes
1981 Pehla Kadam Yes
1983 Khuda Hafiz (Goodbye) Yes Yes Yes CFSI Film

He's Filmography list is incomplete need to done more work.

Children's Film Society of India Contributions

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  • Jaldeep (Light House) (1956), writer, director
  • Ganga Ki Lahren (1957), writer, director
  • Bachchon Se Bate (Talking To Children) (1957), writer, director
  • Haria (1958), writer
  • Gulab Ka Phool (The Rose Among Flowers) (1958), writer, director
  • 26 January (India's Republic Day) (1959), writer, director
  • Ekta (In Unison) (1959), writer, director
  • Guru Bhakti (Devotion) (1959), writer
  • Panchtantra Ki Ek Kahani (A Story From The Panchantra) (1959), writer
  • Yatra (Journey) (1959), writer
  • Dilli Ki Kahani (The Story of Delhi City) (1960), writer
  • Chetak (1960), writer, director
  • Meera Ka Chitra (Portrait of Meera) (1960), writer, director
  • Nyaya ( Justice) (1960), Camera
  • Mahateerth (Great Pilgrimage) (1961), writer, director
  • Aise Log Bhi Hote Hain Telefilm
  • Khuda Hafiz (Goodbye) (1983), writer, director, lyricist

Bibliography

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  • The One and Lonely Kidar Sharma (an anecdotal autobiography), ed. Vikram Sharma. Bluejay Books, 2002. ISBN 8187075961.

References

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  1. ^ IMDB Entry for Kidar Sharma
  2. ^ a b "Life of a producer-director-script writer and lyricist". The Tribune. 2 June 2002.
  3. ^ https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/kidar-sharma. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ^ a b Sharma, Kidar (2002). The One and Lonely Kidar Sharma.
  5. ^ IMDB Inquilab Movie Details
  6. ^ a b c Children's Film Society of India, Film: Jaldeep Archived 7 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine Children's Film Society of India
  7. ^ Kidar Sharma Biograpjhy Archived 11 September 2012 at archive.today Radio City.
  8. ^ "4th National Film Awards". International Film Festival of India. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  9. ^ "4th National Film Awards (PDF)" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  10. ^ "Tumhari Jeet". citwf.com. Alan Goble. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  11. ^ "Kidar Sharma- Director". planetradiocity.com. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  12. ^ "Kidar Sharma-Filmography". citwf.com. Alan Goble. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
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