Bollywood on Saturday got a very unfortunate news of veteran director Kundan Shah’s death. He died at his Mumbai home on Saturday. He was 69. Shah passed away after suffering a heart attack. Kundan Shah was best known for the dark comedy “Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro”. Released in 1983, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro earned praises as a movie; its rating on IMDb is 8.5. Here are some must-know facts about Kundan Shah:-
– He had studied direction at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune.
– He made his feature film debut in 1983 with the cult classic “Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro” (1983). The film did not become a box office success but Shah received his first and only National Award – Indira Gandhi Award for Best First Film of a Director – for the movie which went on to become one of the most celebrated dark satirical comedies in the history of Indian cinema.
– Shah returned the award during the student protest in his alma mater FTII in 2015.
– He made his directorial debut on television in 1986 with the popular series “Nukkad”.
– In 1988, he directed the sitcom, “Wagle Ki Duniya”, based on cartoonist R K Laxman’s character, the common man.
– The director made his Bollywood comeback in 1993 with Shah Rukh Khan-starrer “Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa”.
– His next film was “Kya Kehna” (2000). Starring Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan and Chandrachur Singh, the movie became a surprise hit.