Chetan Anand was a Hindi film producer, Screenwriter and director from India, whose debut film, Neecha Nagar, was awarded the Grand Prix Prize (Now Golden Palm) at the first ever Cannes Film Festival in 1946.

In the early 1940s, while he was teaching History, he wrote a film script on King Ashoka, which he went on to show to director Phani Majumdar in Bombay. Phani Majumdar cast him as a lead in his Hindi film, Rajkumar, released in 1944. He also became associated with Indian People’s Theater Association (IPTA) in Bombay.

Needham Nagar (Lowly City) is a 1946 film, directed by Chetan Anand. It was a pioneering effort in social realism in Indian Cinema. It was based on a Hindi story, Neecha Nagar, written by Hayatullah Ansari, which in turn was inspired by Russian writer Maxim Gorky’s The Lower Depths. It took an expressionistic look at the golf between the rich and poor in society. Neecha Nagar became the first Indian Film to gain recognition at the Cannes Film Festival, after it shared the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film (Best Film) Award at the first Cannes Film Festival in 1946 with eleven of the eighteen entered feature films. It’s the only Indian Film to do ever awarded a Palme d’Or.

By the early 1950s, he and his younger brother Dev Anand had set up Navketan Production in Bombay present day Mumbai. Afsar, starring Dev Anand and Suraiya, was the first film made by Navketan, which turned out to be a moderate success. It was followed by Taxi Driver and Andhiyan, both of which he directed for the Navketan banner.

While he made his reputation as a director, Anand kept on acting too occasionally. He appeared in Humsafar made in 1957. In 1957 he directed two movies Arpan and Anjali, in which he played lead roles too. He went on to act Kala Bazar, Kinare-Kinare, Aman, Kanch Aur Heera and Hindustan Ki Kasam, which he directed too.

Anand started his own production banner called Himalaya Films and teamed up with Photographer, Jal Mistry, music director Madan Mohan, and lyrics writer Kaifi Azmi. Together they gave some of most memorable and unique films in Hindi Cinema like Haqeeqat, Heer Raanjha, Hanste Zakhm, and Hindustan Ki Kasam.

Haqeeqat (Reality) is a 1964 war-drama directed and produced by Chetan Anand. The film is based on the events of the 1962 Sino-Indian War about a small platoon of soldiers in Ladakh pitched against a much larger adversary. The film was constructed around the battle of Rezang La in Ladakh and showcases fictionalised version of the last stand of Ahir Company, 13 Kumaon led by Major Shaitan Singh. However the film is not only a representation of war, but a dramatic retelling of the impact war has on the common sildier. Chetan Anand dedicated the film to Jawaharlal Neharu and the soldiers in Ladakh. The film is widely considered one of India’s greatest black and white war-films. Haqeeqat won the National Film Award for Second Feature Film in 1965. The film was screened retrospective on 12 August 2016 at the Independence Day Film Festival jointly presented by the Indian Directorate of Film Festivals and Ministry of Defense, commemorating the 70th Indian Independence Day.

Anand is known to be the film-maker who ‘discovered’ Rajesh Khanna from an acting competition. Khanna as a result got his fiitrst break and was cast by Anand in the film “Aakhri Khat”. Aakhri Khat is known for its beautiful locations, songs penned by Kaifi Aazmi, composed by Khayyam. Anand later directed Rajesh Khanna in the film Kudrat, based on the theme of reincarnation.

Apart from 17 feature films he is also known for the acclaimed television serial, Param Vir Chakra, which was aired Doordarshan in 1988.

Photos courtesy Google. Excerpts taken from Google.