JHAMU SUGHAND

PROFILE

At a time when Indian cinema was at crossroads, one man with vision realized the potential and seized the opportunity.

Jhamu Sughand entered films with Mani Ratnam's Bombay, a hard-hitting film that scrutinized the riots in Bombay in the aftermath of the demolition of the Babri Masjid by Hindu Fundamentalists. It went on to become one of the most controversial and widely discussed films of its time. Needless to say, it was also a big commercial success.

Thus was established the acumen of a visionary who married aesthetics and commercial viability with unparalleled success. His knack of recognizing potential in otherwise risky projects resulted in such gems like Lagaan, 1947 Earth, Astitva, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Chachi 420 and the likes.

Rubbing shoulders with Indian film industry stalwarts like Deepa Mehta, Kamal Haasan, Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Aamir Khan, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Ram Gopal Verma, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Mahesh Manjrekar and many more, Jhamu Sughand went on to be associated with the best of Indian Cinema.

• Lagaan (2001)
  An epic film that appealed to audiences word wide. The film was an endearing story of a team of village simpletons taking on the mighty British Empire and beat them at their own game. It went to become the Highest Grosser of the year and was Nominated in the 'Best Foreign Film Category' for the Academy Award in the year 2001.

• 1947 Earth (2000)
  Internationally acclaimed director Deepa Mehta's film is a poignant tale in the backdrop of India-Pakistan partition. Based on the book "Ice Candy Man" by Pakistani writer Bapsi Sidhwa, the film won the International Jury Prize for Best Film at the Verona International Film Festival in Italy, October 1997.
  
  

• Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (2000)
  A visual extravaganza, the film celebrated the Indian spirit of love and sacrifice. Jhamu Sughand's vision combined with auteur Sanjay Leela Bhansali's craft catapulted this lyrical oeuvre to the Indian Cinema Hall of Fame. At a time when Indian music scene was rife with western derivatives, the soundtrack of the film with heavy classical grounding came as a breather and became a huge hit. The film itself swept the box office and the award functions alike.
  
  

• Astitva (2000)
  A critically acclaimed film that took a bold look at an asserting Indian housewife who dares to carve a world beyond her husband and immediate household. The path breaking film won its leading lady Tabu, Best Actress (Critic) Filmfare award, aka Indian Oscars.
  
  

• Chachi 420 (1997)
  Genius Kamal Hassan joined hands with Jhamu Sughand to produce a laugh-riot that stormed out of niche Children film's market and became a universal hit.
  
  

• Rangeela (1995)
  A musical that brought verve and funk to Indian film music scene and introduced composer A R Rehman to rest of the world.
  
  

• Swapner Din - (Chased By Dreams)
  Directed by Buddhadeb Dasgupta starring Bengali superstar Prosenjit, Rimi Sen & Raima Sen, was selected for the 'Masters' section at the Toronto Film Festival, 2004. The film was also invited at reopening of The Museum of Modern Arts at New York, and holds the laurel of being the second Indian's work to be showcased at the Museum after the great Satyajit Ray. It was also a special entry to the 28th Sao Paulo International Film Festival at Brazil. The film went on to win the National Award for Best Director - 2005.
  
  

• Janmadata
  A family drama directed by Swapan Saha starring Ranjit Mullik, A Razzak, Jishu Sengupta, Rachana Banerjee and others . This film was produced in collaboration with IDEAS, the production house of Bengali Superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee.
  
  

• Kaalpurush
  A Bengali film, written and directed by Buddhadeb Dasgupta starring Mithun Chakravorthy, Rahul Bose, Sameera Reddy, etc. The film was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, 2005. The film was also invited for Rotterdam International Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival & Melborne International Film Festival. Icing on the cake was National Award for Best Film in 2006.
  
  

• Filhaal (2003) - (Dir. Meghna Gulzar)
  Filmfare Award, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Sushmita Sen
  
  
• Lagaan (2002) - (dir. Ashutosh Gowariker)
  Nomination, Academy Award, Best Foreign Language Film (India) National Film Award, Golden Lotus Award , Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment
  
  
• Astitva (2001) - (Dir. Mahesh Majrekar)
  Filmfare Award, Best Actress Tabu (Nomination)
  Filmfare Award, Best Actress - Critics Tabu
  National Film Award, Silver Lotus Award, Best Regional Film (Marathi),
  Jhamu Sughand (producer), Mahesh Manjrekar (director)
  
  
• Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (2000) - (Dir. Sanjay Leela Bhansali)
  
  Awards of the International Indian Film Academy
  
  • Award for Artistic Excellence
  • Actress in a Leading Role, Aishwarya Rai
  • Best Picture
  • Best Story, Pratap Karvat, Sanjay Leela Bhansali
  • Direction, Sanjay Leela Bhansali
  • Male Playback Singer , Udit Narayan (For the song "Chand Chhupa")
  • Award for Technical Excellence
  • Best Choreography, Saroj Khan For the song "Nimbooda".
  • Best Cinematography, Anil Mehta
  • Best Dialogue, Amrik Gill
  • Best Screenplay, Sanjay Leela Bhansali
  • Best Sound Re-Recording, Suresh Kathuria v
  • Best Sound Recording, Jitendra Chaudhary
  
  
  
  Filmfare Awards
  
  • Best Actress, Aishwarya Rai
  • Best Background Score, Anjan Biswas
  • Best Director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali
  • Best Film, Sanjay Leela Bhansali
  • Best Playback Singer , Male Udit Narayan For "Chand Chupa...".
  • Best Actor, Ajay Devgan (Nomination)
  • Best Actor, Salman Khan (Nomination)
  
  
  
  National Film Awards, India
  
  • Silver Lotus Award, Best Choreography, Sameer Tanna & Arsh Tanna (For the song "Dholi taro dhol baaje")
    
    
• CHACHI 420 (1998) - (Dir. Kamal Haasan)
  
  Filmfare Award
  
  • Best Actor, Kamal Hassan (Nomination)
  • Best Comedian/Comedienne, Om Puri (Nomination)
  • Best Comedian/Comedienne, Paresh Rawal (Nomination)
  
  
  
• RANGEELA (1995) - (Dir. Ram Gopal Verma)
  
  Filmfare Award
  
  • Best Music Director, A.R. Rahman
  • Best Supporting Actor, Jackie Shroff
  • Best Actress, Urmila Matondkar (Nomination)