Kundan Shah

Kundan Shah 19 October 1947 7 October 2017 was an Indian film director and writer known for his influential contribution to satirical comedy in Hindi cinema and television Born into a Gujarati family he studied film direction at the Film and Television Institute of India FTII Pune During his time at FTII he developed a strong interest in socially relevant storytelling blended with humor and satire which later became the hallmark of his filmmaking style Shah made his directorial debut with the cult comedy film Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro 1983 which he also cowrote The film introduced a sharp form of satirical comedy in Indian cinema and later achieved cult status He subsequently moved into television and directed several popular series including Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi Nukkad with Saeed Akhtar Mirza Manoranjan and Wagle Ki Duniya the latter based on cartoonist R K Laxmans iconic character The Common Man These shows became widely popular for their humorous yet realistic portrayal of everyday life After a brief break from films Shah returned to cinema with Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa 1993 starring Shah Rukh Khan for which he also wrote the screenplay The film received critical acclaim and won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film He later directed films such as Kya Kehna 2000 starring Preity Zinta which addressed the social issue of single parenthood as well as Hum To Mohabbat Karega 2000 Dil Hai Tumhaara 2002 and Ek Se Badhkar Ek 2004 Shah also received the National Film Award for Best Debut Film of a Director for Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro and he remains remembered for blending satire humor and social commentary in Indian cinema and television TMDB mini biography by Ashvin Borad