Rajkumar Santosh is an Indian screenwriter, dialogue writer, producer and Bollywood film director who has written and directed many superhit films such as Ghayal, Ghatak and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani. He has won many awards for his films and is considered one of the best directors in Bollywood.
Wiki/Biography
Rajkumar Santosh was born on Tuesday 17 July 1956 (age 66; as of 2022) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. His zodiac sign is Cancer. He came to Mumbai at the age of 5 when his father returned to Mumbai. He dropped out of school after the 11th grade and worked as a paid assistant to his father until his father’s death in 1978. After that, he took responsibility for the family and started working more seriously.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′8″
Weight (approx): 75 kg
Hair color: black (semi-bald)
Eye Color: Black
family
parents and siblings
His father’s name is Pyarelal Santoshi aka PL Santoshi and his mother was of Tamil origin. His father was a famous writer and director for Bollywood films known for Khidki and Barsaat Ki Raat and died on 7 September 1978 of kidney failure at KEM Government Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra. His mother was PL Santoshi’s second wife and she died of cancer in 2010. He has an elder step-brother Anand Santosh, who worked as an assistant director and chief sound recordist at Radiowani. She has 2 younger sisters and one of her sisters named Padmini married Sunil Srivastava in December 1992.
Rajkumar Santoshi’s father PL Santoshi
wife and children
His wife’s name is Manila Santosh. He has a son named Ram Kumar Santosh and a daughter named Tanisha Santosh who made her Bollywood debut with the Raj film Gandhi Godse Ek Yudh in 2023.
Rajkumar Santosh with his wife Manila Santoshi
Rajkumar Santosh’s daughter Tanisha Santosh
Career
Director’s assistant
He assisted filmmaker Rabindra Dharmaraj in the film Chakra. He later began assisting Indian producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra in production; However, he did not like the work and left the job. After that he worked with filmmaker Govind Nihalani for 5 films and his name spread in Bollywood due to his meticulous work. He left his chief assistant to work independently.
Writer, screenwriter, producer and director
After leaving the senior assistant job, he struggled for a year. He then met his father’s friend P Subbarao, a producer from the southern film industry. Subbarao agreed to produce one film for Rajkumar. Raj had already written Gayaal and convinced Indian actor Sunny Deol to star in the film; However, Subbarao backed out and Sunny’s father and Indian actor Dharmendra produced Raj’s first film as a writer and director, Gayali, which tells the story of a man whose brother goes missing, and he undertakes a mission to find his brother. Gayal also starred Indian actress Meenakshi Sheshadri and Indian actor Amrish Puri and became very popular after its release in 1990. Rajkumar won many awards for Gayal. She wrote and directed her second film Damini about the status of women in Indian society, starring Sunny Deol, Meenakshi Sheshadri and Indian actor Rishi Kapoor. Damini became very popular after its release in 1993 and won many awards for the film. In 1994, he wrote and directed the comedy film Andaz Apna Apna starring Indian actors Aamir Khan and Salman Khan and Indian actresses Karima Kapoor and Raveena Tandon. In 1995, he wrote and directed the romantic action drama Barsaat, which was the debut film of Indian actor and Sunny Deol’s brother Bobby Deol and Indian actor and Indian actor Rajesh Khanna’s daughter Twinkle Khanna. In 1996, he wrote the story and screenplay and produced and directed the action film Ghatak starring Sunny Deol and Meenakshi Sheshadri. In 1998, he wrote the story and screenplay and produced and directed the action film China Gate, which featured the famous song Chamma Chamma. In 1998, he also wrote the action film Vinashak starring Indian actor Suniel Shetty and directed by Indian director Ravi Dewan. In 1999, he wrote the screenplay for the romantic film Janam Samjha Karo starring Salman Khan. In 2000, he wrote the story, screenplay and dialogues and directed the film Pookkar based on the Indian Army and the court-martial, starring Indian actor Anil Kapoor and Indian actress Madhuri Dixit. In 2001, he wrote and directed the film Lajja, based on gender equality, starring Indian actors Manisha Koirala, Rekha, Madhuri Dixit and Mahima Chaudhry. The film flopped at the Indian box office; However, it became successful abroad. In 2002, he wrote and directed Indian freedom fighter Bhagat Singh’s biopic Legend of Bhagat Singh, starring Indian actor Ajay Devgn as Bhagat Singh. In 2004, he wrote and directed the action thriller film Khakee, starring Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar and Indian actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. In 2006, he wrote and directed the action thriller Family starring Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar, which was a box office hit. In 2008, he wrote and directed the biopic Halla Bol of social activist Safdar Hashmi, starring Ajay Devgn and Indian actress Vidya Balan. In 2009, he wrote and directed the romantic comedy Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, starring Indian actor and Rishi Kapoor’s son Ranbir Kapoor and Indian actress Katrina Kaif. In 2013, he wrote and directed the action comedy film Phata Poster Nikla Hero with Indian actor Shahid Kapoor and Indian actress Ileana D’Cruz. In 2020, he announced that he was directing the romantic comedy Bad Boy starring Indian actor Namashi Chakraborty and Indian actor Amreen Qureshi; However, it has been delayed due to COVID-19 and is scheduled for release in 2023. In 2023, he wrote and directed the film Gandhi Godse Ek Yudh, which depicts the fictional story of Indian freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi who survived an assassination attempt by Nathuram Godse. The film stars Indian actor Deepak Antani as Mahatma Gandhi and Chinmay Mandlekar as Nathuram Gode. It is also the debut film of his daughter Tanisha Santosh.
A collage of Rajkumar Santosh movie posters
confrontations
Mamta Kulkarni’s allegations on the couch
Indian actress Mamta Kulkarni, who starred in Raj’s film China Gate in 1998, gave an interview after the film’s release and accused Raj of asking her for sexual favors during the filming of the film. She claimed that when she objected to Raj’s sexual advances, she reduced her screen time in the film.
Mamta Kulkarni
Fighting with Firoz Nadiadwala
In August 2013, she filed a police complaint against Indian film producer Firoz Nadwala for trespassing at his house. He also accused Firoz of threatening to kill him and sued Firoz for Rs 10.24 crore. Raj said that he signed a 3-film deal for Power, Babajaan and an untitled film with Firoz for 45 crores and received Rs. 4.25 crore for Power, Rs. 91.5 lakhs for Babajaan and Rs. 25 GEL for an untitled film. He said he has evidence to prove that the project was shelved because of Firoz.
The drawee of the check was sentenced to 1 year in prison
On March 31, 2022, he was sentenced to 1 year in prison and required to pay 22.5 million GEL within 60 days, otherwise the prison term would be extended by another 1 year. He borrowed some money from appellant Anil Jethan for the development of his business. For repayment, he gave Anil 3 checks amounting to 22.50 GEL, which later bounced due to insufficient funds in the account. Anil sent a legal notice to Raj through his lawyer; However, when no response was received, Anil filed 2 complaints of Rs 17.5 lakh and Rs 5 lakh against him in the Rajkot court under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act. The case was heard in the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate NHVasveliya, Rajkot. Rajkumar said that he has already paid the money and said that he is paying the celebrity price. In an interview, he said about the situation:
I pay the price of being famous. We are easy targets. I believe in the judicial system and we will file a complaint in court. We will get justice.”
Protest by the crew of Gandhi Godse Ek Yudh
In May 2022, some crew members of his film Gandhi Godse Ek Yudh staged a protest in Mumbai over non-payment of dues. He assured the employees that he would pay the money in a few days.
A crew member protesting with a poster of Rajkumar Santosh
ᐯildo
- 1991: Won the Filmfare Award for Best Story for the film Ghayal
- 1991: Won the Filmfare Award for Best Director for the film Ghayal
- 1994: Won the Filmfare Award for Best Director for Damini
- 1995: Nominated for Filmfare Award for Best Director for Andaz Apna Apna
- 1997: Won Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay for Ghatak
- 1997: Nominated for Filmfare Award for Best Director for Ghatak
- 1999: Won Filmfare Award for Best Dialogue Screenplay for China Gate
- 2000: Won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration for Pukar.
- 2003: Won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi for The Legend of Bhagat Singh
- 2003: Won the Zee Cine Award for Best Dialogue Screenplay for The Legend of Bhagat Singh
- 2005: Nominated for Filmfare Award for Best Director for Khakee
- 2005: Nominated for Zee Cine Award for Best Dialogue Script for Khakee
- 2005: Nominated for Zee Cine Award for Best Screenplay for Khakee
- 2009: Won ITA Scroll of Honor (Entertainment) for Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani
- 2009: Nominated for Dream Director at Stardust Awards for Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani
- 2009: Nominated for Best Dialogue Writer at the Producers Guild Film Awards for Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani
Facts/Trivia
- The original producer of his film Ghayal P Subbarao suggested Indian actor Sanjay Dutt’s name for his first directorial venture Ghayal; However, Rajkumar wanted only Kamal Haasan or Sunny Deol to star in the film. He later chose Sunny’s role and thought of asking through Sunny’s father and Indian actor Dharmendra; However, he later decided to approach Sunny Deol through Sunny’s assistant, Jatin Rajguru.
- Sunny Deol asked 18 lakhs for the film Ghayal; However, producer P Subbarao agreed to release only Rs 12 lakh and Rs 6 lakh when the film reaches its silver jubilee. Rajkumar convinced Sunny that the film would be a silver jubilee and he agreed to act in the film.
- He worked as an actor in only one film, the Indian film Halo in 1996.
- His film China Gate was made in 1998 with a budget of 20 crores, which was the most expensive film at that time.
- Rajkumar was in love with Indian actress Meenakshi Sheshadri and wanted to marry her; However, his proposal was rejected.
Meenakshi Sheshadri
- He was engaged to Indian actress Tanushree Kaushal; However, he moved to the southern film industry after he failed to find good work in Bollywood.
- His real surname is Srivastav and Santosh was his father’s surname which he inherited from his father.
- In January 2015, a producer, identified as Jain, hijacked Rajkumar’s Mercedes car along with its driver. Raj owed Jain 15 lakhs and Jain went to Raj’s Juhu office to collect the money. When he did not find Raj at the office, he told Raj’s driver to drop him in Andheri and later traded his seat with the driver. When Raj realized his car was missing, he went to the police, who found the car with the driver, and Raj made a deal with Jain to return the money.
- In December 2020, he announced that he had opened a film academy in Madhya Pradesh, India.
Categories: Bollywood
Source: dienchau2.edu.vn
