I. S. Johar

I. S. Johar
Born	Inder Sen Johar February 16, 1920(1920-02-16) Talagang, British India
Died	March 10, 1984 (aged 64) Mumbai, India
Occupation	actor , director, producer, writer
Years active	1931- 1984
Spouse(s)	Ramma Bans (divorced) Sonia Sahni

Inder Sen Johar, (16 February 1920 - 10 March 1984),^[1] better known as I. S. Johar was an Indian actor, writer, producer and director.

Early life

He was born in Talagang (now in Pakistan) during the British Raj. He did his Bachelor of Arts at F.C. College, Lahore where he became interested in film. "Bollywood" at the time was located in major film studios in Lahore, making both Hindi and Punjabi films, and Johar had the usual "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" apprenticeship, as production assistant, screenwriter and finally director's assistant and an actor in front of the camera.

Career

Partition of India marked the migration of many established luminaries of Indian Cinema, like Prithviraj Kapoor, immigrated to Bombay (now known as Mumbai). In 1947 during the Partition of India, he was visiting Patiala with his family for a wedding, when riots broke out back home in Lahore, he could never go back, thereafter he worked in Jalandhar for a while, and his family remained in Delhi,^[2] eventually he moved to Bombay, where he made his acting debut with Roop K Shorey’s, Ek Thi Ladki (1949).^[3]

He acted in numerous Hindi films from the 1950s through to the early 80s, and played cameos in international films such as Harry Black (1958), North West Frontier (1959), Lawrence of Arabia (1962) ^[4] and Death on the Nile (1978), besides acting in Maya (1967), a US TV series. He also acted in a few Punjabi films like, Chaddian Di Doli (1966), Nanak Naam Jahaaz Hai (1969) with Prithviraj Kapoor and Yamla Jatt with Helen ^[5]

I. S. Johar also wrote and directed films some of which included Johar Mehmood in Goa and Johar Mehmood in Hong Kong in which he co-starred with comedian Mehmood. These were inspired by comedy films of the Bob Hope-Bing Crosby style Road to... series.^[6] That being said, Johar was a unique and idiosyncratic individual, a lifelong liberal ( if not a Libertine : he had 5 marriages - an extraordinary number by Indian standards, both then and now ) who poked fun at all forms of institutionalized self-satisfied smugness - an attitude which did not endear him to the essentially hierarchical and conservative Indian establishment, and might have contributed to being relegated to making B-grade movies all his life, due to a lack of finding financing for his highly individual and quirky screenplays. Many of his films, both in which he directed and acted in, had his 3rd wife Sonia Sahni as a heroine, most notably in Aaj Ki Taaza Khabar, 1970.

He also starred in films with his own surname in the title such as Mera Naam Johar,^[7] Johar in Kashmir and Johar in Bombay, which is a testament both to his immense egotism, as well as his popularity with the common masses - for whom a movie with the Johar moiker was a sure-fire guarantee of easy laughs, as well as subtle ironic or frankly sarcastic jibe at Indian customs, mores, superstitions and institutions. His film Nasbandi (trans. Vasectomy) was a spoof on Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's failed policy of population control by coerced vasectomies during the period of Emergency - and was "banned" when it was first released. Yash Chopra started his film career as an assistant director with I.S. Johar.

He died in Maharashtra, India in 1984 at the age of 64.^[1]

Personal life

He married Ramma Bans in 1943 in Lahore, and the couple had a son and a daughter before they divorced.^[2][8] He had four more marriages after that. He has another daughter Ambika Johar,^[1] also appeared in some films in the late 1970s, including his own movie, Nasbandi (1978).^[9] His son, Anil Johar, appeared in 5 Rifles and Nasbandi.^[10]

Awards and nominations

• 1971: Filmfare Best Comedian Award: Johny Mera Naam
• BAFTA Best Actor nomination for Harry Black^[1]

Filmography

Actor

• Teesri Aankh (1982)
• Gopichand Jasoos (1982)
• Raaz (1981)
• Trimurti (1980)
• Death on the Nile (1978)
• Nasbandi (1978)
• Mazdoor Zindabaad (1976)
• Banarasi Babu
• Ganga Ki Saugandh
• Tangewala (1972)
• Dastaan
• Safar
• Johar Mehmood In Hong Kong (1971)
• Johny Mera Naam (1970)
• Pavitra Paapi
• Chhoti Bahu
• [(Shagird)] (1967)
• Chaddian Di Doli (1966)
• Main Wohi Hoon (1966)
• Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya (1966)
• Maya (1966)
• Johar Mehmood In Goa (1965)
• Kali Yug: Goddess of Vengeance (1963)
• Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
• Mr. India (1961)
• Bewaqoof (1960)
• North West Frontier (1960)
• Harry Black (1958)

Director

• Nasbandi (1978)
• 5 Rifles (1974)
• Jai Bangladesh (1971)
• Johar in Kashmir (1966)
• Johar-Mehmood in Goa (1965)
• Bewaqoof (1960)
• Kitna Badal Gaya Insaan (1957)
• Miss India (1957)
• Ham Sab Chor Hain (1956)
• Shri Nagad Narayan (1955)
• Nagin (1954)
• Nastik (1954)
• Shrimati Ji (1952)

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} I. S. Johar at the Internet Movie Database
2. ^ ^{a b} Survival fittest Times of India, 2 June 2002.
3. ^ A serious satirist Indian Express, 25 July 1997.
4. ^ Filmography New York Times.
5. ^ In search of a bigger role The Tribune, 19 May 2007.
6. ^ IS Johar Biography Rottentomatoes.
7. ^ I. S. Johar at the Internet Movie Database
8. ^ Ramma Bans THIS ABOVE ALL, Khushwant Singh, The Tribune, 6 March 2004.
9. ^ Nasbandi - 1978 Bollywood24.com. Retrieved on 27 December 2008
10. ^ Amil Johar Internet Movie Database.

External links

• I. S. Johar at Find a Grave

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