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{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Shakti Samanta
|image = Shakti Samanta (1926 – 2009).jpg
|caption =
| native_name_lang = bn
|birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1926|1|13}}
|birth_place = [[Bardhaman|Burdwan]], [[Bengal Presidency]], [[British India]]
|death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2009|4|9|1926|1|13}}
|death_place = [[Mumbai]], [[Maharashtra]], [[India]]
|spouse =
|occupation= Film director, Film producer, Founder "Shakti Films" (1957)
|years_active = 1955–2002
}}

'''Shakti Samanta''' (13 January 1926 – 9 April 2009) was an Indian film director and producer, who founded Shakti Films in 1957, which is most known for films such as ''[[Howrah Bridge (film)|Howrah Bridge]]'' (1958), ''[[Insan Jaag Utha]]'' (1959), ''[[China Town (1962 film)|China Town]]'' (1962), ''[[Kashmir Ki Kali]]'' (1964), ''[[An Evening in Paris]]'' (1967), ''[[Aradhana (1969 film)|Aradhana]]'' (1969), ''[[Kati Patang]]'' (1971), and ''[[Amar Prem]]'' (1972).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.screenindia.com/news/Reinventing-itself/396722/|title=Reinventing itself|date=12 December 2008|publisher=Screen|access-date=1 April 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120909084353/http://www.screenindia.com/news/Reinventing-itself/396722/|archive-date=9 September 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

He received [[Filmfare Award]]s for [[Filmfare Best Film Award|Best Film]] for ''[[Aradhana (1969 film)|Aradhana]]'' (1969), ''[[Anuraag (1973 film)|Anuraag]]'' (1973) and ''[[Amanush]]'', which was also made in Bengali, a language in which he made six films, including an Indo-Bangladesh joint production in 1984.

== Early life and education ==
He was born in the village of Bokra (post office: Raina), in the district of [[Purba Bardhaman district|Purba Bardhaman]], in the [[Bengal Presidency]] of [[British India]]. He received his education at [[Dehradun]], staying with his uncle. He graduated in 1944 from [[Calcutta University]].

== Career ==
After completing his education he wanted to become an actor in the [[Hindi film industry]] at Bombay, so moved closer to the city. He took a school teacher's job in [[Dapoli]], about 200 kilometres from Mumbai.<ref name=gold/> He eventually joined the film industry in 1948 as an assistant director starting with Satish Nigam in [[Raj Kapoor]] starrer ''Sunhere Din'', subsequently he worked with directors like [[Gyan Mukherjee]], and [[Phani Majumdar]] at [[Bombay Talkies]], in ''Tamasha'', ''Baadbaan'' and '' Dhobi Doctor''.

Eventually he got his break as an independent director when Samanta directed his first feature film, ''Bahu'' in 1954, starring Karan Dewan, Usha Kiron, Shashikala and [[Pran (actor)|Pran]]<ref name=gold>[http://www.screenindia.com/news/Golden-banner/333458/ Golden banner] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110129052828/http://www.screenindia.com/news/Golden-banner/333458/ |date=29 January 2011 }} Rajiv Vijayakar. ''[[Screen (magazine)|Screen]]'', 11 July 2008.</ref> and after the success for his next few films, ''[[Inspector (1956 film)|Inspector]]'' (1956), ''Sheroo'' (1956), ''Detective'' (1957) and ''Hill Station'' (1957), he started his own production company, ''Shakti Films'', in 1957, and the first release of his independent banner was the murder-mystery ''[[Howrah Bridge (film)|Howrah Bridge]]'', with [[Ashok Kumar]] and [[Madhubala]] as the lead, with its crooning number 'Aaiye Meherbaan' with music by [[O. P. Nayyar]], sung by [[Asha Bhosle]] in a notable [[Geeta Dutt]] style, and picturised on Madhubala became a rage, and the film a breakthrough hit; this was a turning point.<ref name=five>[http://www.screenindia.com/story.php?id=396722&pg=-1 Five decades of Shakti Films] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090415003610/http://www.screenindia.com/story.php?id=396722&pg=-1 |date=15 April 2009 }} ''[[Screen (magazine)|Screen]]'', 12 December 2008.</ref><ref>[http://www.hinduonnet.com/2000/09/01/stories/09010225.htm Turning the pages of film history] ''[[The Hindu]]'', Friday, 1 September 2000.</ref> With ''[[Insaan Jaag Utha]]'' (1959) starring [[Sunil Dutt]] and [[Madhubala]], he wanted to shift to making films on social themes, but when it was unsuccessful, he shifted back to making entertainers for another decade, for returning to social themes, with ''Aradhana'' (1969).<ref name=hin/>

In all, Samanta directed 43 feature films, including 37 [[Hindi cinema|Hindi]], and 6 [[Cinema of West Bengal|Bengali]] films. His best known films include ''Howrah Bridge'', ''China Town'', ''Kashmir Ki Kali'', ''Sawan Ki Ghata'' and ''An Evening in Paris''. He is credited for starting the trend of making double version films in [[Hindi]] and [[Bengali language|Bengali]] with ''Amanush'' in 1974, and also made the first co-produced film between [[India]] and [[Bangladesh]] in 1984.

Samanta was among the directors who worked with [[Shammi Kapoor]] in the late 1950s and up to the mid '60s, then with [[Sharmila Tagore]], [[Rajesh Khanna]], creating a number of classics such as ''[[Aradhana (1969 film)|Aradhana]]'', ''[[Kati Patang]]'', ''[[Anurodh]]'' and ''[[Amar Prem]]''. However, his movies with [[Amitabh Bachchan]] were not major hits.<ref>[http://buzz18.in.com/features/movies/top-10-filmmakers-out-of-job/80211/0 Shakti Samanta – Films as director: 43] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090415004507/http://buzz18.in.com/features/movies/top-10-filmmakers-out-of-job/80211/0 |date=15 April 2009 }}</ref>

On some of his films, his brother and wife were producers. He also produced some of the films that his son, [[Ashim Samanta]], directed.<ref>[http://www.screenindia.com/old/fullstory.php?content_id=9854 Great Gambler] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215152817/http://www.screenindia.com/old/fullstory.php?content_id=9854 |date=15 February 2009 }} ''[[Screen (magazine)|Screen]]''.</ref> In 1985, Shakti Films established 'Aradhana Sound Service', a digital audio post-production facility which works both for [[Bollywood]] as well as Hollywood films.<ref name=five/>

Samanta died of cardiac arrest at his suburban [[Santacruz, Mumbai|Santa Cruz]] residence at approximately 5pm on 9 April 2009, while undergoing physiotherapy.<ref>[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mumbai/Veteran-film-maker-S-Samanta-passes-away/articleshow/4382407.cms Veteran film-maker S Samanta passes away] ''[[The Times of India]]'' Friday, 10 April 2009.</ref> He was recovering from a stroke he had suffered two months ago.<ref name=hin>{{cite news |title=Bollywood will miss wizard of entertainment Shakti Samanta|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/009200904101732.htm |work=The HIndu |date=10 April 2009 |access-date=4 May 2013}}</ref>

==Legacy==

Three of his classics, ''Howrah Bridge'', ''Aradhana'' and ''[[Barsaat Ki Ek Raat]]'', starring Amitabh Bachchan and Raakhee, are to be turned into animation films by '[[Pritish Nandy]] Communications'<ref>[http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?tp=on&autono=26630 PNC to remake 3 classics in animated form] ''[[Business Standard]]'' Reporter / Mumbai ''17 August 2007''.</ref>

== Awards and recognition ==
Samanta received [[Filmfare Award]]s for "[[Filmfare Best Film Award|Best Film]]" for ''[[Aradhana (1969 film)|Aradhana]]'', ''[[Anuraag (1973 film)|Anuraag]]'' and ''[[Amanush]]''.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0759662/awards Awards] ''[[Internet Movie Database]]''.</ref> He has also received several Lifetime Achievement awards, including the [[Zee Cine Award for Lifetime Achievement]] in 2002 and several other awards from [[Zee TV|Zee]] and other Indian organisations. Some of his films have been shown at international festivals in [[Berlin]], [[Tashkent]], Moscow, [[Cairo]] and [[Beirut]].

Samanta was President of the Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association for 5 years,<ref>[http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/ie/daily/19980930/27350124.html Shakti Samanta elected IMPPA president] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090415092452/http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/ie/daily/19980930/27350124.html |date=15 April 2009 }} ''[[Indian Express]]'', Wednesday, 30 September 1998.</ref> Chairman of the [[Central Board of Film Certification]] ([[Central Board of Film Certification|CBFC]]) for 7 years and was Chairman of the [[Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute]], [[Kolkata]] for 2 years.

== Filmography ==
;Director
* ''Bahu'' (1955)
* ''[[Inspector (1956 film)|Inspector]]'' (1956)
* ''Hill Station'' (1957)
* ''Sheroo'' (1957)
* ''[[Howrah Bridge (film)|Howrah Bridge]]'' (1958)
* ''[[Detective (1958 film)|Detective]]'' (1958)
* ''[[Insan Jaag Utha]]'' (1959)
* ''[[Jaali Note]]'' (1960)
* ''[[Singapore (1960 film)|Singapore]]'' (1960)
* ''[[Isi Ka Naam Duniya Hai]]'' (1962)
* ''[[Naughty Boy (film)|Naughty Boy]]'' (1962)
* ''[[China Town (1962 film)|China Town]]'' (1962)
* ''Ek Raaz'' (1963)
* ''[[Kashmir Ki Kali]]'' (1964)
* ''[[Sawan Ki Ghata]]'' (1966)
* ''[[An Evening in Paris]]'' (1967)
* ''[[Aradhana (1969 film)|Aradhana]]'' (1969)
* ''[[Kati Patang]]'' (1970)
* ''[[Pagla Kahin Ka]]'' (1970)
* ''[[Jaane-Anjaane]]'' (1971)
* ''[[Amar Prem]]'' (1971)
* ''[[Anuraag (1972 film)|Anuraag]]'' (1972)
* ''[[Charitraheen]]'' (1974)
* ''[[Ajanabee (1974 film)|Ajanabee]]'' (1974)
* ''[[Amanush]]'' (1975)
* ''[[Mehbooba (1976 film)|Mehbooba]]'' (1976)
* ''[[Anurodh]]'' (1977)
* ''[[Anand Ashram]]'' (1977)
* ''[[The Great Gambler]]'' (1979)
* ''[[Khwaab]]'' (1980)
* ''[[Barsaat Ki Ek Raat]]'' (1981)
* ''[[Ayaash]]'' (1982)
* ''[[Awaaz]]'' (1984)
* ''[[Alag Alag]]'' (1985)
* ''[[Aar Paar (1985 film)|Aar Paar]]'' (1985)
* ''Anyay Abichar'' (1985){{Citation needed|date=October 2020}}
* ''[[Andha Bichar]]'' (1990)
* ''[[Dushman (1990 film)|Dushman]]'' (1990)
* ''[[Geetanjali (1993 film)|Geetanjali]]'' (1993)
* ''[[Devdas (2002 Bengali film)|Devdas]]'' (2002)

;Producer
* ''[[Balika Badhu (1976 film)|Balika Badhu]]'' (1976)
* ''[[Achena Atithi (1997 film)|Achena Atithi]]'' (1997)<ref>[http://www.upperstall.com/people/shakti-samanta Shakti Samanta – Filmography] ''Upperstall.com''.</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{IMDb name|id=0759662|name=Shakti Samanta}}
* [http://www.indianauteur.com/july_auteur_2.php Shakti Samanta Panorama] at ''Indian Auteur''
* {{cite news |title=Shakti Samanta his Aradhana came true |url=http://www.mid-day.com/specials/2009/apr/120409-Shakti-Samanta-bollywood-filmmakers-sad-demise-Aaradhana-Kashmir-Ki-Kali-Mumbai-Play.htm |publisher=[[MiD DAY]] |date=11 April 2009 }}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samanta, Shakti}}
[[Category:1926 births]]
[[Category:2009 deaths]]
[[Category:Bengali film directors]]
[[Category:Filmfare Awards winners]]
[[Category:Hindi-language film directors]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian film directors]]
[[Category:Film producers from West Bengal]]
[[Category:People from Purba Bardhaman district]]
[[Category:University of Calcutta alumni]]
[[Category:Indian male screenwriters]]
[[Category:Bengali Hindus]]
[[Category:Bengali people]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian film directors]]
[[Category:Film directors from West Bengal]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian screenwriters]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian male writers]]

Shakti Samanta - Revision history

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