Saawan Kumar Tak (1936-2022) was an Indian filmmaker, scriptwriter, producer, and songwriter. He worked mainly in the Hindi film industry and is best known for directing the superhit films such as Saajan Bina Suhagan, Souten, Souten Ki Beti, Sanam Bewafa, and Bewaffa Se Waffa. He was credited for directing over nineteen films in Bollywood. On 25 August 2022, he died after suffering a heart attack at Kokilaben Ambani Hospital in Mumbai.
Saawan Kumar Tak during the promotion of the film Sanam Bewaffa
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Saawan Kumar Tak was born on Sunday, 9 August 1936 (age 86 years; at the time of death) in Jaipur, Jaipur State, British India. His zodiac sign was Leo.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 6″
Hair Colour: Salt and Pepper
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Sawan Kumar Tak has three sisters and one brother.
Wife & Children
He was married to Usha Khanna, and she is a music director in the Bollywood film industry.
The ex-wife of Saawan Kumar Tak, Usha Khanna
The couple got separated after a few years of marriage and had no children.
Relation with Meena Kumari
According to Saawan Kumar, he was in love with veteran Indian actress Meena Kumari when he was in the early days of his career in the Bollywood film industry. He was then in his early twenties. In an interview with a media house, he disclosed that he closely experienced the life tragedies of Meena Kumari in her last days of life. He said,
Roses and handsome men could not take away her tragedies.”
In the same discussion, Saawan Kumar added that he had grown attached to her. He said that once, she took him to her bedroom and told mimic stories of her life, and he couldn’t stop laughing all night. He said,
But I had grown attached to her. One night she took me to her bedroom. She had the image of a tragedy queen but was in fact a great mimic. I couldn’t stop laughing at the stories she narrated. She then spread rose petals on her bed and went to sleep. I sat on the carpet and slept resting my head on the bed. When I came out of the room next morning, Khursheed Apa asked me satirically, “Did you sleep well?”
Saawan Kumar continued by saying that Meena Kumari was suffering from cirrhosis of the liver, and he nursed her by taking the blood vomiting in his hand, wiping her face, and putting her to sleep. Meena Kumari was also noticing all his love and care, and once, she told Saawan Kumar that he was like a God to her. Meena Kumari said,
You are the first person in whom I have seen God. You collect the blood I vomit in your hands. Not once do you show displeasure. Nobody has ever done this for me.”
Sawan Kumar Tak, then an aspiring director, offered emotional succour to Meena, while she went to the extent of selling her bungalow to finance his film
According to some media sources, Meena Kumari and her husband got separated in 1960 and divorced in 1964 due to some men in her life including the filmmaker Saawan Kumar Tak. He was one of these men who drifted Meena Kumari toward them during her late thirties. She got attracted to him when he was in his early twenties, and she was in her late thirties.
Saawan Kumar Tak with Meena Kumari
Career
Director
Saawan Kumar Tak was the one who launched the veteran Indian actors Sanjeev Kumar and Mehmood Junior aka Naeem Sayyed in the Indian film industry. Once, he saw the performance of Sanjeev Kumar in a theatre and promised him that he would launch him in his first film. In 1967, he directed his first film Naunihal, which starred Sanjeev Kumar in the lead role. In the same year, this film won several awards and accolades from the Maharashtra government. Saawan Kumar was the one who gave the name Sanjeev Kumar to the actor Harihar Jethalal Jariwala. He then released the film Gomti Ke Kinare in 1972 which was started in 1968. The film featured the veteran actresses Meena Kumari and Mumtaz. The songs of the film were composed by music director, R D Burman. The long delay in the release of the film was due to the untimely death of Meena Kumari. This was her last film and was released after her death.
Sawan Kumar, Agha and Meena Kumari on the sets of Gomti Ke Kinare
In 1983, he directed the film Souten, whcih was a platinum jubilee hit at the box office. The film was picturised by Saawan Kumar in Mauritius starring Rajesh Khanna, Tina Munim, and Padmini Kolhapure.
Musician
He used to write and compose songs for his films. In his film Souten, the famous song “Zindagi Pyar Ka Geet Hai” was composed by him. He is known for composing famous Hindi songs such as “Barkha Rani Zara Jamke Barso” for the 1973 film ‘Sabak,’ which starred veteran actors Shatrughan Sinha and Poonam Dhillon in the lead roles. Later, he wrote the popular songs “Hum Bhool Gaye” from the film Souten Ki Beti and “Yeh Dil Bewafa Se Wafa” from the film Bewaffa Se Waffa and the legendary Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar lent her voice to these songs. In the 2000s, he was acclaimed for composing songs for the superhit films Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai and Dev. He was a close friend of Indian actor Salman Khan and worked with him in the films – ‘Sanam Bewafa’ in 1991 and ‘Chand Ka Tukda’ in 1994.
An old picture of Saawan Kumar Tak with Salman Khan and Sridevi
Awards
In 1967, his film Naunihal was honoured with the Presidential award by the Government of Maharashtra.
Death
Saawan Kumar Tak died on 25 August 2022 at the age of 86 Years in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India due to prolonged illness. Soon after his death, his PRO Mantu Singh announced in a media interview that Saawan Kumar Tak was suffering from a heart problem for two days. Mantu Singh said,
Sawan ji was 86 years old. He was not married. He was having heart problem for two days. After which he was admitted to Kokilaben Ambani Hospital. He died of a heart attack around 4 pm today.”
Facts/Trivia
- According to Saawan Kumar Tak, he shifted to Mumbai from Jaipur, Rajasthan in 1967 with the desire to become an actor in the Bollywood film industry. However, he was rejected by two or three film studios in Mumbai and was disappointed with the same. This motivated him to shift to another side of the entertainment industry and decided to work as a producer. He then asked his sister to lend Rs. 25,000 to him so that he could produce his own film, but she refused him to lend the money. Thereafter, he was helped by his brother-in-law, who arranged some money for him to start his career in Bollywood.
Saawan Kumar Tak in the early years of his career
See more: Anjali Tendulkar Wiki
Anjali Arora Wiki
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn