Nostalgic Nuggets: The man who made 'Mother India'

It would be incredible if one says that the Telugu flick ' Manasantha Nuvve' released in 2001 was inspired by a 1946 film ' Anmol Ghadi'. Yet, it is true. That film was made by Mehboob Khan (1907-1964), who was a trendsetter and one of the most glorious personalities to have been in the Hindi film industry in the 1940s and 50s.

His 1957 blockbuster ' Mother India' was a filmi counterattack on an American author Katherine Mayo's book which defiled Indian culture. It was not just a colossal hit but was the first Indian film to be nominated for Oscar Awards.

Khan began his film production company in 1945, at the age of 38. In that era when film banners were known to have their own studios too, his Mehboob Studios came up in 1954.

He introduced Nargis into Hindi cinema and also established the careers of many more – from Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Raaj Kumar, Rajendra Kumar, Nimmi etc. His 56th death anniversary falls today.