K. D Mehra

K.D. Mehra, also known as Krishna Dev Mehra, is a prominent director who was born on July 3rd, 1907, in Hisar, a small city in Punjab, India. He was famously known as Dada Saheb Phalke of Punjabi Cinema and had the desire to make Punjabi films in that era of Indian cinema. His brother M.M. Billoo Mehra started his film career at the age of 16 under the guidance and direction of his elder brother late Sh. K. D. Mehra in Punjabi Films. K.D. Mehra went to Mumbai with his dream to make Punjabi films, where his idea was loved by many, but people were reluctant to produce a pure Punjabi film. After many setbacks, he started working for Calcutta-based Madan Theatre film company, where his dream of making a Punjabi film came true.

His first film came out in 1935 which was inspired by the story of Heer Ranjha Heer Ranjha is a Punjabi language serial on Zee Pu >> Read More... and was titled Pind Di Kudi and was named Sheila for non-Punjabi audiences. The film starred prominent actors such as Noor Jehan Noor Jehan is a singer of two countries India and >> Read More... , Mubarak, Pushpa Rani, Haidar Bandi, and Eidan Bai. The film was a huge success and the chief guest then was the Governor of Punjab at the film premiere and great actor Prithviraj Kapoor One of the most notable names in the Indian film i >> Read More... announced that “Punjabi cinema has been born today” on occasion. Some other films of Krishna Dev Mehra are Surdas in 1939, Posti in 1951, and Nikki in 1958. He was summoned by the President to Delhi and honored as the first Punjabi filmmaker and was also awarded as the Father of Punjabi film by the Punjab Government.