याद गली वो कौन था!

1925

 

में जन्मे राज खोसला ने करियर की शुरुआत गुरु दत्त के मार्गदर्शन में की थी। प्रशिक्षित शास्त्रीय गायक राज खोसला का फिल्म जगत में प्रवेशसहायक निर्देशक के रूप में हुआ। उनके शुरुआती कार्यों में गुरु दत्त का प्रभाव स्पष्ट है, लेकिन जल्द ही राज खोसला ने अपनी शैली विकसित की, जोतकनीकी कुशलता, मनोवैज्ञानिक गहराई, और भावनात्मक प्रभाव के साथ विशिष्ट थी!

 

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राज खोसला को अपने थ्रिलर्स में ऐसा दृश्यगत तनाव उत्पन्न करने में महारत हासिल थी, जो हालीवुड के नाइर और भारतीय भावना दोनों से प्रेरित थी।जरा याद करें कि किस तरह ‘वो कौन थी?’ की डरावनी ध्वनि और भुतहा महिला चेहरा सिनेमा के सस्पेंस जोनर में एक मानक बन गया। प्रकाश औरछाया के खेल, पात्रों की धीमे-धीमे खुलती पहचान और संगीत के प्रभावशाली उपयोग ने उनकी फिल्मों को सिनेमा की स्थायी विरासत में बदल दिया!

 

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तीन

 

दशकों तक विस्तृत राज खोसला के करियर के दौरान सिनेमा की रुचि और राजनीति में बड़ा बदलाव आया। इस कालखंड के प्रारंभ में नेहरू युग कीआशावादिता दिखती है तो उत्तरार्ध में स्वप्न भंग और विद्रोही नायक का उदय। राज खोसला इन परिवर्तनों के साथ समग्रता से जुड़े रहे। बीसवींशताब्दी के आठवें दशक में फार्मूला एक्शन फिल्मों का उदय राज खोसला के सिनेमा की लोकप्रियता में कमी का कारण बना।

 

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याद गली

 

वो कौन था!

 

फिल्मी दुनिया में वो अपने समकालीन निर्माता-निर्देशकों की तरह कलात्मक नहीं माने गए, फिर राज खोसला इतने महत्वपूर्ण क्यों हैं भारतीय सिनेमाके लिए। राज खोसला के जन्म शताब्दी वर्ष पर संदीप भूतोड़िया का आलेख...

 

फिल्म निर्माता-निर्देशक राज खोसला का शताब्दी वर्ष उनकी सिनेमा विरासत के पुनरीक्षण और मूल्यांकन का उपयुक्त अवसर है। हिंदी जगत केसबसे प्रभावशाली फिल्मकारों में से एक राज खोसला ने न केवल बीसवीं शताब्दी के उत्तरार्ध में लोकप्रिय हिंदी फिल्मों का विशिष्ट कथानक औरशैलीगत संदर्भ निर्मित किया, बल्कि महिलाओं को केंद्र में रखने वाली कहानियों, रोमांचक अपराधकथाओं और संगीतमय फिल्मों का वह वातावरणरचा, जो आज भी फिल्मकारों को प्रभावित करता है।

 

राज खोसला की सबसे बड़ी खासियत थी विभिन्न शैलियों में बिना टाइप्ड हुए काम कर सकने की क्षमता। वह अपराध-रोमांच से भरी ‘सीआईडी’, ‘काला पानी’ अथवा ‘वो कौन थी?’ हो या ‘मैं तुलसी तेरे आंगन’ की सरीखा कोर्टरूम ड्रामा; संगीतात्मक प्रेमकहानी ‘दो बदन’ हो या फिर क्रूर बदले कीकहानी ‘कच्चे धागे’, उनकी हर फिल्म में शैलीगत सटीकता और विषय की गहराई का समावेश था।

 

राज खोसला की फिल्मों का एक उल्लेखनीय पहलू था नायिकाओं का सशक्त चित्रण। उस समय जब हिंदी फिल्में मुख्य रूप से नायक केंद्रित थीं,  राज खोसला ने अपनी नायिकाओं को न केवल अधिक स्थान बल्कि जटिल और भावनात्मक उतार-चढ़ाव भी दिए। अपनी महिला-केंद्रित त्रयी, ‘वोकौन थी?’, ‘मेरा साया’ और ‘अनीता’ ( इन सभी में अभिनेत्री के रूप में साधना थीं) में उन्होंने महिला पात्रों को रहस्य, प्रेम और मनोवैज्ञानिक आघात केबीच फंसे हुए दर्शाया।

 

इसी प्रकार ‘मैं तुलसी तेरे आंगन की’ में  उन्होंने नैतिकता और सामाजिकता के द्वंद्व को उजागर किया, जिसमें नूतन और आशा पारेख की प्रेरकप्रस्तुतियां थीं। उनकी फिल्में महिलाओं को केवल सजावट के रूप में प्रस्तुत नहीं करती थीं, बल्कि उनकी उपस्थिति कहानी को आगे बढ़ने और इसकेसमाधान का अभिन्न अंग थीं। यहां तक कि संगीतमय रोमांटिक फिल्मों में भी नायिका का भावनात्मक विकास अक्सर फिल्म का मुख्य हिस्सा होताथा। उन्होंने साधना, नूतन, आशा पारेख, वहीदा रहमान और हेमा मालिनी के साथ शानदार फिल्में दीं। जिनके माध्यम से राज खोसला ने प्रेम, बलिदान, मानसिक अवसाद और सामाजिक उपेक्षा सरीखे विषयों को समानुभूति और दृश्यकला के साथ उठाया।

 

वे अपने समकालीन निर्माता-निर्देशकों गुरु दत्त, बिमल राय और ऋषिकेश मुखर्जी की तरह कलात्मक भले ही न माने गए हों मगर राज खोसला कीसिनेमाई भाषा उनकी तीव्र दृष्टि, सजीवता और माहौल बनाने में निपुणता पर निर्भर थी। ‘वो कौन थी?’ में वह भयावह कुहासा,  ‘दो बदन’ का प्रेमाकुलविषाद, या ‘कच्चे धागे’  की धूल भरी धरती,  वो कहानी की भावनात्मक बनावट के अनुरूप सिनेमाई दुनिया का सृजन करना जानते थे। वे प्रतीकात्मकप्रतिमाओं, विपरीत प्रकाश व्यवस्था  और परावर्तक सतहों (जैसे दर्पण और जल) का प्रयोग करते थे, जो द्वैतता, आंतरिक संघर्ष या अनसुलझे टकरावका संकेत देते थे। उनके दृश्य केवल सुंदर ही नहीं थे, बल्कि अत्यंत अर्थपूर्ण थे। मनोवैज्ञानिक उपपाठ को दृश्य भाषा में बदलने की उनकी क्षमता उन्हेंऐसे फिल्मकारों की कतार में रखती है, जो सिनेमा को केवल कथा कहने का माध्यम नहीं, बल्कि एक समर्पित कला मानते थे।

 

राज खोसला की विरासत की चर्चा उनके अद्भुत संगीत प्रयोग के बिना अधूरी है। ओपी नैयर, मदन मोहन और लक्ष्मीकांत-प्यारेलाल जैसे संगीतकारोंके साथ उनका दीर्घकालिक सहयोग हिंदी सिनेमा की कुछ सबसे प्रसिद्ध सांगीतिक स्मृतियों को रचता है। शास्त्रीय गायक होने की उनकी पृष्ठभूमि औरइससे प्राप्त अनुभव उन्हें ऐसे गीतों के निष्पादन में सहायक रहा, जो मात्र गुनगुनाने के लिए नहीं, बल्कि कथानक को विस्तार देने के लिए थे। ‘लग जागले’, ‘ नैना बरसे रिमझिम’, ‘तू जहां जहां चलेगा’, ‘है अपना दिल तो आवारा’, ‘ बिंदिया चमकेगी’ जैसे गीत न केवल संगीत के अनमोल रतन हैं, बल्कि फिल्म के मूड को बढ़ाते हैं, सस्पेंस को तेज़ करते हैं या पात्रों की भावनात्मक अवस्थाओं को रेखांकित करते हैं।

 

राज खोसला की छाप हिंदी सिनेमा पर अपनी फिल्मोग्राफी से कहीं अधिक है। उन्होंने उस शिल्प वैशिष्ट्य को रचा, जहां कला और व्यवसाय दोनों कासंतुलन हो सकता है। उनके थ्रिलर ने मुख्यधारा में ‘साइको सस्पेंस’ फिल्मों के द्वार खोले। यश चोपड़ा, राज कपूर  और बाद में रमेश सिप्पी औरसुभाष घई जैसे निर्देशकों ने उनकी कथा शैली से तत्वों को उधार लिया, चाहे वह रहस्य हो, मेलोड्रामा या संगीत!

 

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The Legacy of Raj Khosla As We Celebrate His Centenary

 

As Indian cinema marks the centenary of filmmaker Raj Khosla, it offers an opportune moment to revisit and re-evaluate the legacy he left behind. A visionary director who straddled multiple genres with remarkable ease, Raj Khosla remains one of Hindi cinema’s most influential auteurs. His work shaped not only the narrative and stylistic grammar of popular Hindi films in the 1950s through the 1980s but also carved enduring spaces for women-centric stories, noir thrillers, melodramas, and musicals that continue to influence contemporary filmmakers.

 

Born in 1925, Khosla began his career under the mentorship of Guru Dutt, another master of stylised storytelling. Initially a trained classical singer, Khosla’s entry into the film world as an assistant director marked the beginning of an illustrious journey. While Dutt’s influence is perceptible in his early work, Khosla rapidly developed a voice and visual language uniquely his own, marked by technical finesse, psychological depth, and emotional resonance.

 

A Genre-bending Auteur

Khosla’s most defining attribute was his ability to traverse diverse genres without being constrained by them. Whether it was the noir-tinged thrillers like CID (1956), Kala Pani (1958), and Woh Kaun Thi? (1964); the courtroom drama of Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978); the musical romance of Do Badan (1966); or the action-packed revenge saga of Kuchche Dhaage (1973) — each Khosla film bore the stamp of stylistic precision and thematic depth.

 

In his thrillers, Khosla introduced a form of visual tension that drew from both Hollywood noir and the Indian ethos. Woh Kaun Thi?, with its haunting soundtrack and ghostly female figure, became a benchmark in the suspense genre. The interplay of light and shadow, the psychological undercurrents of characters grappling with identity and memory, and a compelling use of music turned his suspense dramas into enduring classics.

 

Champion of the Woman’s Voice

One of the most enduring aspects of Khosla’s cinema is his focus on female protagonists. At a time when Hindi films were largely centred on male heroes, Khosla gave his heroines not just screen time but agency, complexity, and emotional arcs. His so-called ‘woman-centric trilogy’ comprising Woh Kaun Thi?, Mera Saaya (1966), and Anita (1967), all featuring Sadhana, explored women caught between mystery, love, and psychological trauma.

 

In Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki, he brought out the nuanced conflict between a courtesan and a matriarch, anchored by riveting performances from Nutan and Asha Parekh. These films did not merely showcase women as ornamental figures but as central to the narrative’s progression and resolution. Even in his romantic musicals, the emotional evolution of the heroine often formed the film’s core.

 

His collaborations with actresses like Sadhana, Nutan, Asha Parekh, Waheeda Rehman and Hema Malini demonstrate his keen understanding of female subjectivity. Through them, Khosla explored themes of love, sacrifice, mental illness, and social oppression with empathy and visual flair.

 

A Visual Storyteller

Khosla’s cinematic language was rooted in a keen visual sensibility. He was a master at creating mood and atmosphere. Be it the haunting fog in Woh Kaun Thi?, the romantic melancholy of Do Badan, or the dusty terrains of Kuchche Dhaage, Khosla knew how to frame a world visually in tune with the story’s emotional texture.

 

He often used symbolic imagery, contrast lighting, and reflective surfaces (like mirrors and water) to suggest duality, inner turmoil, or unresolved conflict. His visuals were never just beautiful, they were meaningful. This ability to translate psychological subtext into visual language placed him in the league of filmmakers who understood cinema as more than just storytelling — it was an art of immersion.

 

The Music of Raj Khosla

Any discussion of Khosla’s legacy is incomplete without reference to his extraordinary use of music. His background as a classical singer likely contributed to the care with which he handled songs — not as interludes but as narrative extensions. His long-standing collaboration with composers like OP Nayyar, Madan Mohan, and Laxmikant-Pyarelal resulted in some of the most iconic soundtracks in Hindi cinema.

 

Songs like ‘Lag ja gale’, ‘Naina barse rimjhim’, ‘Tu jahan jahan chalega’, ‘Hai apna dil to awara’, ‘Bindiya chamkegi’, the songs of C.I.D., Kala Paani, Do Badan, and other films are not only musical gems but also heighten the film’s mood, intensify the suspense, or underscore the emotional states of characters. Khosla had a way of blending visuals with melodies to create cinematic moments that were both poetic and plot-driven. 

 

Navigating the Changing Times

Khosla’s career spanned across three decades, during which the tastes and politics of cinema evolved significantly. The optimism of the Nehruvian 1950s gave way to the more cynical, action-heavy narratives of the 1970s and 1980s. Khosla, while adapting to these changes, did not lose his emotional core.

 

Films like Kuchche Dhaage and Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki showcased his ability to blend the rugged and the refined. While the former was a tale of dacoits with underlying themes of brotherhood and redemption, the latter dealt with societal hypocrisies regarding women’s morality, all the while maintaining his signature melodramatic pitch.

 

However, with the rise of formulaic action films in the late 1980s, Khosla’s brand of cinema saw a decline in popularity. Yet, even his later works reflected a certain sincerity and polish that many of his contemporaries struggled to retain.

 

Legacy in Retrospect

Khosla’s imprint on Hindi cinema goes beyond his own filmography. He helped define the contours of commercial cinema that could be both artistically satisfying and commercially viable. His success with thrillers opened the gates for more psychological suspense films in the mainstream space. Directors like Yash Chopra, Raj Kapoor, and later Ramesh Sippy and Subhash Ghai, borrowed elements from Khosla’s narrative style, be it in their use of mystery, melodrama, or music.

 

In the annals of Indian cinema, Khosla remains somewhat under-celebrated compared to contemporaries like Guru Dutt, Bimal Roy or Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Yet his contribution is no less significant. He offered a blueprint for balancing style and substance in mainstream films. 

 

As we celebrate his centenary, retrospectives and renewed viewings of his films provide a chance to appreciate the breadth of his vision. Whether it’s the pulse-pounding suspense of C.I.D., the romantic agony of Do Badan, the poetic elegance of Mera Saaya, or the mother-son drama of Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki, Raj Khosla’s cinema speaks to the human condition in all its contradictions.

 

In a cinematic culture increasingly defined by rapid editing, high-octane action, and flashy aesthetics, Khosla’s patient, immersive, and emotionally intelligent films offer a much-needed counterpoint. They stand as a testament to a filmmaker who believed in the art of storytelling, in the power of a haunting melody, and in the depth of human emotion.