Sohrab Modi

Sohrab Merwanji Modi (2 November 1897 – 28 January 1984) was an Indian stage and film actor, director and producer. His films include Khoon Ka Khoon, a version of Shakespeare's Hamlet, Sikandar, Pukar, Prithvi Vallabh, Jhansi ki Rani, Mirza Ghalib, Jailor and Nausherwan-E-Adil. His films always carried a message of strong commitment to social and national issues.

Early life

Sohrab Merwanji Modi was born 2 November 1897 in Bombay. His father was an Indian civil servant. He spent his childhood in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh where he developed a liking for Hindi and Urdu languages.

Sohrab began as a Parsi theatre actor with some experience in silent films. He earned quite a reputation as a Shakespearean actor, travelling throughout India with his brother's theatrical company and enjoying the tremendous sense of fulfillment every time the curtain came down and the audience applauded. However, with the advent of the sound film in 1931, theatre was declining. To rescue this dying art, Modi set up the Stage Film Company in 1935. His first two feature films were adapted from theatre plays. Khoon Ka Khoon (1935) was an adaptation of Hamlet and marked Naseem Bano's acting debut. The second, Said-e-Havas (1936) was based on Shakespeare's King John. Both films failed at the box office. who settled in the UK in 1967, where he would later found the British arthouse DVD label Second Run. Mehtab had a son, Ismail from her first marriage, who lived with them.

Filmography

As director Khoon Ka Khoon (1935) Said-e-Havas (1936) Atma Tarang (1937) Khan Bahadur (1937) Jailor (1938) Phir Milenge (1942) Prithvi Vallabh (1943)

As actor Film Year RoleKhoon Ka Khoon 1935 HamletSaid-e-Havas 1936 Kazal Beg (Hubert)Jailor 1938 JailorMeetha Zahar 1938 Pukar 1939 Sardar Sangram Singh Sikandar 1941 King Porus Prithvi Vallabh 1943 Munja Sheesh Mahal 1950 Thakur Jaspal SinghJhansi Ki Rani 1952 Raj Guru Kundan 1955 Kundan Raj Hath 1956 Raja Babu Nausherwan-E-Adil alias Farz Aur Mohabbat 1957 Sultan-e-Iran Nausherwan-e-Adil Yahudi 1958 Ezra, the Jew Jailor 1958 Dilip Pehli Raat 1959 Woh Koi Aur Hoga 1967 Noor Jahan 1967 KaziJwala 1971Ek Nari Ek Brahmachari 1971 Raisaheb Surajbhan ChaudharyRazia Sultan 1983 Vazir-e-Azam