Raj Khosla, the Authorised Biography
By Amborish Roychoudhury with Anita Khosla and Uma Khosla Kapur
Hachette India
ISBN: 978-9357317702
368pp.

What connects the rise of Dev Anand in the 1950s, the glamorous reign of Sadhana in the 1960s, and the cinematic spark that helped shape Sholay? Who stood quietly behind the debuts of Sanjay Dutt and Sunny Deol, extending a hand not for profit but purely out of friendship? And who, trained first as a singer, ended up weaving unforgettable melodies into his movies — songs such as ‘Ae dil mushkil hai jeena yahan’, ‘Lag jaa galay’, ‘Hai apna dil tau awaara’, ‘Jhumka gira re’, and ‘Bindiya chamkegi’?

The answer to all these questions lies in one name: Raj Khosla — a filmmaker of immense talent and vision, yet one who rarely gets mentioned in the same breath as his contemporaries Guru Dutt, Raj Kapoor or Bimal Roy.

In his meticulously researched book, Raj Khosla: The Authorised Biography, National Award-winning author Amborish Roychoudhury peels back the layers of one of Hindi cinema’s most versatile yet under-appreciated directors. Drawing from rare interviews, archival research, and close collaboration with Khosla’s daughters — Anita Khosla and Uma Khosla Kapur — Roychoudhury presents not merely a career, but the man himself: a director who shaped the destinies of stars, supported his friends, and infused cinema with a musical sensibility rivalled only by another “Raj” (Raj Kapoor).

Before plunging into his films, the book begins with the story of the Khosla family. Born Deshraj Khosla, he became “Raj” as he stepped into the world of cinema. His education at Anjuman-i-Islam school in Bombay (now Mumbai) honed his command of Urdu, sparking a lifelong love for poetry and lyrical expression. Initially drawn to singing, he began his career in radio, his velvet voice hinting at a future in playback. But destiny charted another course.

A biography of director and producer Raj Khosla is an enriching narrative about a multi-talented filmmaker who deserves far more recognition than he received in his lifetime

Khosla’s early career was a mixture of resilience and serendipity. Though he possessed a fine singing voice, rejection as a playback singer was inevitable in an industry crowded with stalwarts such as Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar. Yet, what could have been a dead-end became an opportunity. Through Dev Anand’s recommendation, Khosla apprenticed under Guru Dutt. His first major credit was as an assistant on Baazi (1949), the stylish crime thriller that cemented Guru Dutt’s reputation.

Working under Guru Dutt gave Khosla a masterclass in visual storytelling, dramatic tension, and the fine balance between style and substance. But unlike many protégés, Khosla refused to live in his mentor’s shadow. He absorbed, adapted and then fashioned a voice of his own. His debut directorial venture, Milap (1955), bore the optimism and morality of Frank Capra, whom Khosla admired deeply, while the taut suspense of Alfred Hitchcock would later shape his thrillers.

Roychoudhury recounts how Khosla nearly directed Dev Anand’s dream project Guide (1965), only to lose it due to creative friction with one of Guru Dutt’s leading actresses. The project went to Vijay Anand but, rather than sulking over the loss, Khosla pressed forward, building a repertoire that remains unmatched in its diversity.

Few filmmakers could switch genres with the ease Khosla displayed. His career is a panorama of Hindi cinema: crime thrillers such as C.I.D. (1956), the stylish classic that introduced Waheeda Rehman; romantic sagas such as Do Badan (1966), steeped in pathos and unforgettable melodies; suspense thrillers such as Woh Kaun Thi? (1964) and Mera Saaya (1966), forming a trilogy of intrigue around Sadhana; family dramas such as Do Raastay (1969) and Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978), tugging at emotional bonds; and action spectacles such as Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971), which pioneered the dacoit-thriller template later magnified in Sholay.

This versatility set him apart from his peers. Where others specialised, Khosla experimented. He could create haunting suspense one year and an earthy dacoit drama the next. His adaptability kept him relevant across three turbulent decades of Indian cinema.

One of Khosla’s recurring motifs was the “woman in white” — a trope rooted in gothic literature and Western cinema, but transformed in his hands. In Woh Kaun Thi? and Anita (1967), heroines embodied contrasting identities, symbolising both purity and mystery. This duality heightened dramatic tension, forcing the hero — and by extension the audience — to navigate love, doubt and fear.

Khosla became a producer in the 1960s, and repeatedly worked with Sunil Dutt and Manoj Kumar. The 1970s saw Vinod Khanna emerge as his favoured leading man, with as many as five collaborations, the earliest being Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971), where Dharamendra was pitted against Vinod Khanna as Jabbar Khan. Mera Gaon Mera Desh laid the foundation for the Hindi “curry Western” — bandits, horses, guns and dusty landscapes — which Sholay then expanded into an epic. By the early 1980s, Khosla directed Yash Johar’s Dostana (1980), with Amitabh Bachchan and Shatrughan Sinha.

Khosla’s training as a singer shaped his filmmaking in profound ways. Roychoudhury illustrates this through anecdotes: Asha Bhosle recalling the ecstatic response to ‘Achha ji main haari’, with musicians dancing behind the recording booth; or the folk origins of ‘Jhumka gira re’, a tune passed down from Khosla’s grandmother. His films were not merely stories with songs, they were stories told through songs.

Working with maestros such as Madan Mohan, O.P. Nayyar and Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Khosla curated soundtracks that still resonate. The haunting ‘Lag jaa galaxy’ from Woh Kaun Thi? remains an eternal anthem of longing, while ‘Bindiya chamkegi’ and ‘Hai apna dil tau awaara’ showcase his instinct for blending narrative with melody.

Roychoudhury’s biography is not just about cinema, it is about context. Across 21 chapters and 334 pages, the book maps not only Khosla’s career but also the shifting tides of Bollywood — who was rising, which genres were ascendant and how industry dynamics evolved. These details enrich the narrative, situating Khosla within the currents of his time.

The book also reveals his generosity. He directed (uncredited) some portions of Sanjay Dutt’s Rocky (1981), as his friend Sunil Dutt was mostly away in the US, taking care of his ailing wife Nargis, who was suffering from cancer. Raj Khosla also directed Sunny (1984) that was supposed to be Sunny Deol’s debut, however Betaab (1983) came earlier. Khosla’s later films got mixed reactions, but he continued to make films until Naqab (1989).

And yet, despite a career spanning three decades and films that became landmarks, Raj Khosla never received the recognition he deserved. Roychoudhury attempts to correct this, weaving in voices of legends such as Lata Mangeshkar, Dharmendra, Manoj Kumar, Sharmila Tagore and Mahesh Bhatt.

One of the book’s most innovative features is its use of QR codes, allowing readers to instantly access iconic film sequences. This blend of print and digital bridges the gap between text and experience, enabling readers not just to imagine but to relive the magic of Khosla’s creations.

Raj Khosla’s story is one of talent, resilience and understated brilliance. He passed away in June 1991, after spending his final years with fewer projects and a quieter presence in the industry. For decades, his artistry shaped Hindi cinema — his songs, thrillers, family sagas and romances quietly becoming part of our lives. Amborish Roychoudhury’s biography reclaims Raj Khosla’s legacy, granting him in memory the recognition that eluded him in life.

The reviewer writes on old films and music and loves reading books. X: @suhaybalavi

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, September 28th, 2025