Chetan Anand (3 January 1921 – 6 July 1997) 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. Later he co-founded Navketan Films with his younger brother Dev Anand in 1949.
He was the eldest brother of the Anand family as he was the elder brother to Hindi film actor-directors, Dev Anand and Vijay Anand. His younger sister, Sheel Kanta Kapur, is the mother of Hindi and English film director Shekhar Kapur.
Anand was born on 3 January 1921, in Lahore, to well-to-do advocate Pishori Lal Anand. He went to Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya to study Hindu scriptures and graduated in English from Government College Lahore. He remained a member of Indian National Congress in the 1930s, subsequently worked for the BBC and taught at the Doon School, Dehradun for a while, before coming down to Bombay to sell a film script.
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. Anand failed to qualify for the Indian Civil Service (ICS) exams in London. As luck would have it, Phani Majumdar cast him as a lead in his Hindi film, Rajkumar, released in 1944. He also became associated with Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) in Bombay present day Mumbai.
He soon took to film direction with the well-acclaimed movie Neecha Nagar which won the Palme d’Or (Best Film) award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1946. It was the debut film for Kamini Kaushal and became the first Indian film to gain international recognition and was the debut of Pandit Ravi Shankar.
By the early 1950s, he and his younger brother Dev Anand had set up Navketan Productions in Bombay. 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 in Kala Bazar, Kinare-Kinare, Aman, Kanch Aur Heera and Hindustan Ki Kasam, which he directed too.
Later on Anand started his own production banner called Himalaya films and teamed up with photographer Jal Mistry, music director Madan Mohan, lyrics writer Kaifi Azmi and actress Priya Rajvansh. Together they gave some of most memorable and unique films in Hindi cinema like Haqeeqat, Heer Raanjha, Hanste Zakhm, and Hindustan Ki Kasam.
Anand is known to be the film-maker who ‘discovered’ Rajesh Khanna from an acting competition. Khanna as a result got his first break and was cast by Anand in the film Aakhri Khat, although G.P.Sippy’s ‘Raaz’ introducing Rajesh Khanna and Babita was the first ‘released’ film for Rajesh Khanna. Aakhari Khat is known for its beautiful locations, songs penned by Kaifi Aazmi, composed by Khayyam, the beautiful lady Indrani Mukherjee and the child star ‘Bunty’. Actually Bunty and the music were the main attractions of this film. Anand later directed Rajesh Khanna in the film Kudrat, based on the theme of reincarnation, which helped the latter arrest a slide in popularity, allowing Rajesh Khanna make a temporary comeback with this hit film.
Apart from 17 feature films he is also known for the acclaimed television serial, Param Vir Chakra, which was aired Doordarshan in 1988.
In 1943, Anand married Uma Anand The couple became the parents of at least two sons, Ketan Anand and Vivek Anand. However, they separated within a few years of marriage because of incompatibility. Divorce remains a very great taboo in India, for religious and cultural reasons, and until 1976, the law did not even permit divorce by mutual consent. Therefore the couple never got divorced. Anand fell in love with Priya Rajvansh, who had made her debut as heroine of his film Haqeeqat. The two fell in love during the making of this film and their relationship lasted all their lives. Priya Rajvansh worked in every single film made by Anand beginning with Haqeeqat, and more surprisingly, she did not work in a single film made by anyone else. Anand remained married to Uma, who refused to grant him a divorce because of the taboo and opprobrium attached to it and because divorce is utterly antithetical to the Hindu religion. Therefore Anand was unable to formalize his relationship with Priya Rajvansh even to his death, and they had no children together.
Anand died on 6 July 1997, at the age of 76 in Mumbai.
List of his films as an actor are: Hamsafar, Arpan, Anjali, Kala Bazaar, Kinarey Kinarey, Aman, Kaanch Aur Heera, Hindustaan Ki Qasam and Qudrat.
List of his films as Director are: Neecha Nagar, Afsar, Aandhiyan. Taxi Driver, Juru Ka Bhai, Fantoosh, Arpan, Anjali, Kinarey Kinarey, Haqeeqat, Aakhri Khat, Heer Ranjha, Hindustaan Ki Qasam, Hanstey Zakham, Jane Man, Sahib Bahadur, Qudrat, Hum Rahe Na Hum, Haath Ki Lakeeren and Paramveer Chakra (only 1st Episode)
He Produced 7 films: Juru Ka Bhai, Arpan, Haqeeqat, Akhri Khat, Hanstey Zakham, Sahib Bahadur, and Haath Ki Lakeeren.
He has written 9 films: Afsar, Taxi Driver, Arpan, Kinarey Kinarey, Aakhri Khat, Haqeeqat, Heer Ranjha, Jane Man, and Qudrat.
