Remembering Chetan Anand on his birth anniversary (03/01).

Remembering Chetan Anand on his birth anniversary (03/01). Chetan Anand was a film producer, screenwriter, and director, whose debut film, Neecha Nagar, was awarded the Palme d’Or (Best Film) award at the first-ever Cannes Film Festival in 1946.

In the early 1940s, he was a history teacher and wrote a script about King Ashoka. He showed it to director Phani Majumdar in Bombay. He didn’t pass the Indian Civil Service exams in London, but Majumdar gave him a leading role in the Hindi movie “Rajkumar” in 1944. He joined the Indian People’s Theatre Association in Bombay too.

He directed “Neecha Nagar,” which won an award at Cannes in 1946, the first Indian movie to be internationally recognized. It was also the first movie for Kamini Kaushal and the debut of Pandit Ravi Shankar.

In the 1950s, he and his brother Dev Anand created Navketan Productions in Bombay. Their first movie, “Afsar,” had moderate success. He directed more films like “Taxi Driver” and “Aandhiyan.”

He continued acting while directing, appearing in “Humsafar” in 1957 and directing and acting in “Arpan” and “Anjali” the same year. He acted and directed several more films like “Kala Bazar” and “Hindustan Ki Kasam.”

He formed Himalaya Films and worked with a team to create memorable Hindi movies like “Haqeeqat” and “Heer Raanjha.”

Anand “discovered” Rajesh Khanna through an acting competition and cast him in “Aakhri Khat,” which was known for its music and locations. He directed Khanna again in “Kudrat.”

He’s also known for directing the television serial “Param Vir Chakra,” which aired in 1988.

Anand Brothers: #DevAnand, Chetan Anand and #VijayAnand