Amit Khanna

Amit Khanna is an Indian film producer, director, writer, and journalist. He was the founder chairman of Reliance Entertainment, former president of the Producers Guild of India, and the founder trustee of the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image. He is credited with having coined the term Bollywood. Khanna has also won three National Film Awards as a producer and lyricist.

Background He completed his higher education from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. He has been involved with media since his school days at St. Columba's School, Delhi and has worked in theatre, radio, television, journalism, and films. Khanna began his career as an executive producer with actor-producer Dev Anand’s Navketan Films in 1971 and subsequently produced films such as Man Pasand, Sheeshay Ka Ghar and Shesh. He has also written over 400 film and non-film songs and several film scripts. He began actively working in television as a producer-director in the eighties and set up Plus Channel in 1990 which was India’s first entertainment conglomerate and the largest independent producer of TV programmes. He left Plus as its Managing Director to launch Reliance Entertainment. His other achievements include editing the magazines Tempus and Take-2 and writing in various magazines and newspapers. He has served on the Central Board of Film Certification and the Film Import Selection Committee, as a vice president of the Film Producers Guild of India and has been on the committees of the Indian Broadcasting Foundation, Indian Music Industry and Film Federation of India. He helped found the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image.

Organisations Amit Khanna is the only permanent member of the Council of Management of the Producers Guild of India (the two others were V. Shantaram and Raj Kapoor). He has participated as a keynote speaker for Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), NASSCOM, Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), and ECO, and served on over 50 international government committees and trade organizations and institutions.

Year Title Organisation Notes Ref 1981 EC memberFilm Federation of India (FFI) Apex body of the Indian film industry. 1982 Member Radio & TV Advertising Practitioners Association 1984 Member Indian Documentary Producers Association (IDPA) 1985–2000 Vice President Association of Motion Picture & TV Program Producers For 17 years. 1988–1990 Governing Council member Film and Television Institute of India, Pune 1988–1990 Film Import Selection Committee memberGovt. of India 1989–2000 Managing Director & Group Editor PLUS Channel India’s first integrated media entertainment conglomerate. 1990–1994 Western Panel member Central Board of Film Certification 1990–1994 Appraisal Committee member Ministry of Environment & Forest, Govt. of India 1992–1995Director DSJ Communications 1994–1996 Governing Council member Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata 1997–2000 Advisory group member Ministry of I&B, Govt. of India 1999 Export Forum member Ministry of I&B 1999–2000 Member Indian Broadcasting Foundation 1999–2003 Advisory board director Whistling Woods International film school, Mumbai 1999–2003 National EC member, Entertainment Committee FICCI 1999–2010 US-India Business Alliance 2000–2010 Chairman, Convergence Committee FICCI 2000–2012 Media committee member US-India Business Council 2000–2015 Chairman Reliance Entertainment 2001 Member Indian Performing Rights Society 2001–2004 All India Film Producers Council 2001–2015 President Earth Communications Office India Association An environmental NGO. 2002Member, Expert Group of GATS Ministry of Commerce, Govt. of India 2005 Member, Prime Minister's Committee Information, Communication & Entertainment (ICE) 2005–2013 EC member National committee of Media & Entertainment, CII 2005–2015 Director Reliance Big TV 2005–2015 Director Reliance MediaWorks Indo European Centre Founder trustee Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image Service Council member Forum d'Avignon, Paris President Producers Guild of India For three terms.

Writings Presently retired from all film activities and organisational responsibilities, Amit Khanna devotes all his time solely to writing.

1969–1971

1982

1987–1989

1990–1992

1990–1992

1990–1992

1990–2000

1995–1997

1998–2015

1993–1997

1997–2000

1999–2000

2002–2010

Jan 2013

Dec 2019

2017–present

2018–present

2018–present

a television programming house, and joined it as managing director and Group Editor. Under his tenure, the organization expanded its role to produce movies and music, and provide event management services. Several films created under the Plus Films banner went on to win National Film Awards. In 1996 Khanna won two awards as film producer at the 44th National Film Awards: Best Feature Film in Hindi for Gudia and Best Feature Film in Urdu for Sardari Begum. Plus Channel produced India's earliest audio books in both prose and verse. It also pioneered business news shows on Indian television.

In 2000 Khanna resigned from Plus Channel to join Reliance Entertainment where he served as chairman for 15 years. Under his guidance, Reliance Entertainment became a major player in Hollywood. In May 2008 the company signed deals to produce and develop movies with prominent Hollywood actors such as Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Jim Carrey and Nicolas Cage. In September 2008 Reliance Entertainment formed a joint venture with Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks SKG named DreamWorks Studios via an equity investment of $325 million. In August 2009 Reliance Entertainment signed an $825 million production and distribution deal with DreamWorks Studios.

Films

Year Title Role Notes References 1973 Shareef Budmaash Executive producer Heera Panna production executive 1974 Ishq Ishq Ishq Executive producer 1976 Bullet Business executive and production controller Chalte Chalte Lyricist Jaaneman Business executive and production controller 1977 Swami Lyricist 1978 Des Pardes Executive producer and lyricist 1980 Man Pasand Producer and lyricist Lootmaar Executive producer Saboot Lyricist, EP and lyricist Guest House Lyricist 1982 Shiv Charan Lyricist Star Lyricist 1984 Sheeshay Ka Ghar Director, writer Saaransh Dialogue Purana Mandir Lyricist Teri Baahon Mein Lyricist 1986 Aashiana Director Avinash Lyricist 1988 Shesh Director 1990 Awwal Number Lyricist 1994 1942: A Love Story Script consultant 1996 Aur Ek Prem Kahani Producer Bhairavi Producer Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin Executive producer Laalchee Producer Sardari Begum Executive producer Papa Kahte Hain Producer 1997 Do Rahain Producer Gudgudee Executive producer Saaz Producer Gudia Producer Agnichakra Lyricist Chakkar Pe Chakkar Story 2007 Hattrick Lyricist 2010 Malik Ek Lyricist

TV series Year Title Role Notes References1986 Buniyaad Executive producer Chhapte Chhapte Executive producer Apne Aap Executive producer 1995 A Mouthful of Sky Producer India's first English soap opera Zameen Aasmaan Producer 1995–97 Swabhimaan Producer Episodes #1.1 to 1.498 1996 Badalte Rishte Producer Mumkin Producer 1997 Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh Producer Paltan Producer Kabhie Kabhie Producer Sab Golmaal Hai Producer

As a lyricist he has penned over 200 Hindi film songs, working mainly with music directors like Bappi Lahiri, Rajesh Roshan and Laxmikant–Pyarelal. He also composed lyrics for around 200 songs released in music albums by singers Nazia and Zoheb Hassan, Sharon Prabhakar, Salma Agha, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Mahendra Kapoor and Shafqat Ali Khan. In 1984 he directed three music videos for Nazia Hassan's music album Young Tarang. He was the lyricist for the opening theme song of ten Indian television series, including Buniyaad (1986), Dekh Bhai Dekh (1993) and Swabhimaan (1995).

Other Year Title Role Programme /episode References 1985 Young Tarang Director TV show Rock music 1996 Century of Cinema Self Docu 'And the Show Goes On: Indian Chapter'

Awards and honours Time, Newsweek, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter have mentioned him as one of the global leaders of film and television. He has been a guest lecturer at New York University and the University of Southern California. He was on the selection panel of the Indian Panorama (Western region) thrice (1985, 1989, and 1993). and was the first Indian to serve on the International Emmys jury.

Year Award Organiser /festival Notes Ref 1976 Uttar Pradesh Film Journalist Association Award UP Film Journalist Association 1979 Cinegoers Award 1980 Bengal Film Journalists' Association AwardBengal Film Journalists Association 1981 Uttar Pradesh Film Journalist Association AwardUP Film Journalist Association 1986 Lions Club AwardLions Club 1987 Lifetime Achievement Award for TelevisionUptron 1995 Leadership Award Indian Film Festival of Houston 1996 National Film Award - Best Lyrics Govt. of India For Bhairavi 1996 National Film Award - Best Hindi Film Govt. of India For Gudia 1997 National Film Award - Best Urdu Film Govt. of India For Sardari Begum 1997 TV Personality of the Year Award Time magazine 2010 Leadership Award Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) 2010 Masterbrand Lifetime Achievement Award CMO Council 2015 Lifetime Achievement award for contribution to film and television Norway Bollywood Festival 2017 Film Critics Council Lifetime Award 2017 PR Council of India Lifetime