Jayant Desai
{{Short description|Indian film director and producer (1909–1976)}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jayant Desai
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = Jayantilal Jhinabhai Desai
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1909|02|28|df=y}}
| birth_place = Surat, Gujarat, India
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1976|04|19|1909|02|28|df=y}}
| death_place = Mumbai, India
| other_names =
| occupation = Film director
| known_for =
}}
Jayant Desai (born Jayantilal Jhinabhai Desai, 28 February 1909 – 19 April 1976) was an Indian film director and producer.{{cite book|author1=Ashish Rajadhyaksha|author2=Paul Willemen|author3=Professor of Critical Studies Paul Willemen|title=Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SLkABAAAQBAJ&pg=PA84|accessdate=6 April 2015|date=10 July 2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-135-94318-9|pages=84–}} After graduating from the University of Bombay Desai joined Ranjit Studios in 1929 where he directed numerous films including Toofani Toli (1937), Tansen (1943), Har Har Mahadev (1950) and Amber (1952). Tansen was the second highest grossing Indian film of 1943. Besides film direction he also acted in several films. In 1943 he left Ranjit Studios to found his own production company, Jayant Desai Productions. In 1960s he founded Jupiter Films and Hemlata Pictures.
Biography
Desai was born in Surat on 28 February 1909. He had graduated from University of Bombay.{{cite book|author=Sanjit Narwekar|author-link=Sanjit Narwekar|title=Eena Meena Deeka: The Story of Hindi Film Comedy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KbSbAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT62|date=2012|publisher=Rupa Publications|isbn=978-81-291-2625-2|pages=61–64}}
= Ranjit film company =
In 1929 Desai joined Ranjit Film Company, where he initially worked as an assistant director for Chandulal Shah's Rajputani and Nandlal Jaswantlal's Pahadi Kanya. His first independent directorial work was the 1930 film Noor-e-Watan (Translation: Glory of the nation). A few films he had directed while working as an assistant director at Ranjit Film company were Do Badmash (1932), Char Chakram (1932) and Bhutio Mahal (1932) featuring Ghory and Dixit who were called the Indian Laurel and Hardy. One of his films Toofani Toli (1937) was a commercial success and earned him reputation as a director of comedy films. His 1938 film Billi was loosely based on Damsel in Distress. He had directed the 1943 historical film Tansen based on the life of classical musician Tansen{{cite web|last1=Singh |first1=Prashant |title=Vivek & Ash won't team up for Tansen |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/Vivek+&+Ash+won%E2%AC%22t+team+up+for+Tansen/1/39732.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140716102157/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/Vivek+&+Ash+won%E2%AC%22t+team+up+for+Tansen/1/39732.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 July 2014 |work=India Today |accessdate=16 July 2014 |date=1 May 2009 }} who was one of the navratnas in the court of Mughal emperor Akbar. The film was the second highest grossing Indian film of that year.{{cite web|title=Top Earners – 1943 |url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=148&catName=MTk0Mw== |publisher=Box Office India |accessdate=14 July 2014 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016213838/http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=148&catName=MTk0Mw%3D%3D |archivedate=16 October 2013 |url-status=dead }}
= Later career =
By 1943, Desai was one of the leading directors of Ranjit Studios and had starred in many mythological films like Veer Babruwahan (1934) with Eddie Bilimoria in the lead role. In the same year he left Ranjit studios and started his own production company; Jayant Desai Productions.{{cite book|author=Sanjit Narwekar|author-link=Sanjit Narwekar|title=Directory of Indian film-makers and films|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UYUjAQAAIAAJ|year=1994|publisher=Flicks Books|page=86|isbn=9780948911408 }} The 1944 film Manorama was his first film under his own production banner. He had directed the 1952 Raj Kapoor and Nargis starrer film Amber.{{cite book|author=Ritu Nanda|title=Raj Kapoor: Speaks|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FnyaW9L6cKYC&pg=PT13|year=2002|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-670-04952-3|page=13}} and the 1950 blockbuster hit Hindu mythological film Har Har Mahadev featuring Trilok Kapoor as Shiva and Nirupa Roy as Parvati.{{cite book|author1=Gulazāra|author2=Govind Nihalani|author3=Saibal Chatterjee|title=Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8y8vN9A14nkC&pg=PT187|year=2003|publisher=Popular Prakashan|isbn=978-81-7991-066-5|page=187}} In the film Ambar, Tanuja played the role of Nargis' character's childhood.{{cite web|last1=Vijayakar|first1=Rajiv|title=2 States of stardom – When child stars grow up!|url=http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/features/type/view/id/6443|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140418105947/http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/features/type/view/id/6443|archivedate=18 April 2014|website=Bollywood Hungama|accessdate=6 July 2014|date=17 April 2014}} During the shooting of one of his films Bansuri, singer Mukesh met Raj Kapoor, who was the film's assistant director. This meeting helped establish the career of Mukesh.{{cite web|last1=Sethi|first1=Patanjali|title=The 'One-Show' Chance Paid Off|url=http://www.singermukesh.com/articles_files/sethi.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101029180754/http://www.singermukesh.com/articles_files/sethi.htm|archivedate=29 October 2010|accessdate=2 July 2014}} Desai had directed the 1940 film Diwali.{{cite web|title=Diwali stops crackling in Hindi movies?|url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/bollywood/diwali-stops-crackling-in-hindi-movies_99030.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140707073159/http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/bollywood/diwali-stops-crackling-in-hindi-movies_99030.html|archivedate=7 July 2014|publisher=Zee News|accessdate=2 July 2014|date=25 October 2011}} As an independent producer, he founded Jupiter Films and Hemlata Pictures in the early 1960s. He had directed the 1945 historical film Samrat Chandragupta (translation:Emperor Chandragupta) based on the life of Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Mauryan Empire,{{cite book|author=Ravi Vasudevan|title=The Melodramatic Public: Film Form and Spectatorship in Indian Cinema|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kXfFAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA145|date=2011|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-0-230-11812-6|pages=145–}} and the Kundan Lal Saigal musical film Tadbir (1945) in which Shashi Kapoor (then 7 years old) acted as a child artist. He had directed the 1935 film College Girl.{{cite book|author1=Meheli Sen|author2=Anustup Basu|title=Figurations in Indian Film|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gadEAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA140|date=2013|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-1-137-34978-1|pages=140–}}
Filmography
As Director
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
- Noor-E-Watan (1930)
- Jawan Mard (1930)
- Joban Na Jadu (1930)
- Vilasi Atma (1931)
- Vijay Lakshmi (1931)
- Mukti Sangram (1931)
- Katil Katari (1931)
- Banke Sawariya (1931)
- Sipahsalar (1932)
- Lal Swar (1932)
- Fauladi Pahelwan (1932)
- Do Badmash (1932)
- Char Chakram (1932)
- Bhutio Mahal (1932)
- Krishna Sudama (1933)
- Bhool Bhulaiyan (1933)
- Bhola Shikar (1933)
- Veer Babruwahan (1934)
- Toofan Mail (1934)
- Sitamgarh (1934)
- Nadira (1934)
- Noor-E-Watan (1935)
- College Kanya (1935)
- Rangila Raja (1936)
- Raj Ramani (1936)
- Matlabi Duniya (1936)
- Laheri Lala (1936)
- Zameen Ka Chand (1937)
- Toofani Toli (1937)
- Mitti Ka Putla (1937)
- Prithvi Putra (1938)
- Billi (The Cat) (1938)
- Ban Ki Chidiya (1938)
- Sant Tulsidas (1939)
- Diwali (1940)
- {{Lang|hi-latn|Aaj Ka Hindustan}} (1940)
- Shaadi (1941)
- Beti (1941)
- Fariyaad (1942)
- Chandni (1942)
- Zaban (1943)
- Tansen (1943)
- Bhaktaraj (1943)
- Bansari (1943)
- Manorama (1944)
- ''Lalkar (1944)
- Tadbir (1945)
- Samrat Chandragupta (1945)
- Maharana Pratap (1946)
- Veer Bhimsen (film)|Veer Bhimsen (1950)
- Shaan (1950)
- Har Har Mahadev (1950)
- Shri Ganesh Janma (1951)
- Dasavtaar (1951)
- Shiv Shakti (1952)
- Nishan Danka (1952)
- Amber (1952)
- Naya Raasta (1953)
- Manchala (1953)
- Hazaar Raaten (1953)
- Shiv Ratri (1954)
- Miss Mala (1954)
- Sati Madalasa (1955)
- Hamara Watan (1956)
- Basant Panchami (1956)
- Lakshmi Pooja (1957)
- Zamana Badal Gaya (1961)
{{div col end}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|0220820}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Desai, Jayant}}
Category:20th-century Indian people
Category:Film producers from Gujarat