Manmohan Desai
- March 1, 1994
- 57 years
About Manmohan Desai
Manmohan Desai, 57, Indian film producer and director.
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Full Biography
|Manmohan Desai (26 February 1937 – 1 March 1994) was an Indian film producer and director. He was one of the most successful filmmakers of the 70s and 80s. Desai was an influential and sought-after film director of Bollywood and a pioneer of making Masala films. His most successful films are Amar Akbar Anthony, Dharam Veer, Chacha Bhatija, Parvarish, Suhaag, Naseeb, Coolie and Mard.
Family background
Manmohan Desai was of Gujarati ancestry. His father, Kikubhai Desai, was an Indian film producer and owner of Paramount Studios (later Filmalaya) from 1931 to 1941. His productions, mainly stunt films, included Circus Queen, Golden Gang, and Sheikh Challi. Manmohan Desai's elder brother, Subhash Desai, became a producer in the 1950s and gave Manmohan his first break in the Hindi film Chhalia (1960). Subhash later went on to produce Bluff Master, Dharam Veer, and Desh Premee with Manmohan as the director.
His wife was Jeevanprabha Desai. She died in April 1979. He was engaged to actress Nanda from 1992 until the time of his death in 1994. He had one son Ketan Desai who is still involved in the film industry. Ketan is married to Kanchan Kapoor, daughter of actor Shammi Kapoor and actress Geeta Bali.
On 1 March 1994, as per news Manmohan Desai fell from the balcony in Girgaon and died. There are doubts that he jumped to his death due to health issues
Career
Manmohan Desai was known for his family-centered, action-song-and-dance films which catered to the tastes of the Indian masses and through which he achieved great success. His movies defined a new genre called masala films. A common theme in his films were the lost and found plot where family members would be separated and reunited.
Filmography
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Articles & News
- "Obituary: Manmohan Desai"independent.co.uk
- "When Manmohan Desai called Amar Akbar Anthony 'least favourite film' of his career, was sure 'it would flop': 'It was a fluke hit' "indianexpress.com
Reported coverage of Manmohan Desai; each link opens the original article on the publisher's own site.
Books & Media
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manmohan_Desai
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Manmohan Desai's archived record and the sources above.
1.What was the profession of Kanchan Kapoor's mother, Geeta Bali?
- A.Studio owner
- B.Director
- C.Actresscorrect
- D.Producer
Geeta Bali was an actress and mother of Kanchan Kapoor.
Source: family background
2.On what date did Manmohan Desai die?
- A.1 April 1994
- B.26 February 1994
- C.1 March 1994correct
- D.15 March 1994
Manmohan Desai died on 1 March 1994.
Source: family background
3.Where did Manmohan Desai die?
- A.Girgaoncorrect
- B.Paramount Studios
- C.Bollywood
- D.Gujarati province
Manmohan Desai died after falling from a balcony in Girgaon.
Source: family background
4.Which film was produced by Subhash Desai and directed by Manmohan Desai?
- A.Golden Gang
- B.Sheikh Challi
- C.Circus Queen
- D.Desh Premeecorrect
Subhash Desai produced Desh Premee with Manmohan Desai as the director.
Source: family background
5.What was the ancestral background of Manmohan Desai?
- A.Gujaraticorrect
- B.Punjabi
- C.Hindi
- D.Marathi
Manmohan Desai was of Gujarati ancestry.
Source: family background
6.On what date was Manmohan Desai born?
- A.26 February 1939
- B.15 March 1938
- C.1 March 1937
- D.26 February 1937correct
Manmohan Desai was born on 26 February 1937.
Source: biography header
7.Who was Manmohan Desai's father?
- A.Shammi Kapoor
- B.Ketan Desai
- C.Subhash Desai
- D.Kikubhai Desaicorrect
Kikubhai Desai was the father of Manmohan Desai.
Source: family background
8.What was the name of the studio owned by Kikubhai Desai between 1931 and 1941?
- A.Desai Productions
- B.Bollywood Studios
- C.Paramount Studioscorrect
- D.Masala Studios
Kikubhai Desai owned Paramount Studios from 1931 to 1941.
Source: family background
9.Which film marked Manmohan Desai's directorial debut?
- A.Chhaliacorrect
- B.Amar Akbar Anthony
- C.Naseeb
- D.Coolie
Manmohan Desai's elder brother Subhash Desai gave Manmohan his first break in the Hindi film Chhalia in 1960.
Source: family background
10.Who was Manmohan Desai's wife who passed away in 1979?
- A.Geeta Bali
- B.Jeevanprabha Desaicorrect
- C.Kanchan Kapoor
- D.Nanda
Manmohan Desai's wife was Jeevanprabha Desai, who died in April 1979.
Source: family background
11.What is the name of Manmohan Desai's son?
- A.Ketan Desaicorrect
- B.Kikubhai Desai
- C.Subhash Desai
- D.Shammi Kapoor
Manmohan Desai had one son named Ketan Desai.
Source: family background
12.With which actress was Manmohan Desai engaged from 1992 until his death?
- A.Jeevanprabha Desai
- B.Geeta Bali
- C.Kanchan Kapoor
- D.Nandacorrect
Manmohan Desai was engaged to actress Nanda from 1992 until the time of his death.
Source: family background
13.What genre of filmmaking was Manmohan Desai considered a pioneer of?
- A.Stunt films
- B.Romantic comedies
- C.Historical dramas
- D.Masala filmscorrect
Manmohan Desai was a pioneer of making Masala films.
Source: biography header
14.What was the common theme found in many of Manmohan Desai's films?
- A.Scientific discovery
- B.Political corruption
- C.Historical war stories
- D.Lost and found plotcorrect
A common theme in Manmohan Desai's films was the lost and found plot where family members would be separated and reunited.
Source: career section
15.Which of these films was NOT directed by Manmohan Desai?
- A.Coolie
- B.Circus Queencorrect
- C.Amar Akbar Anthony
- D.Dharam Veer
Circus Queen was a production of Kikubhai Desai, not Manmohan Desai.
Source: family background
16.Who is Ketan Desai married to?
- A.Jeevanprabha Desai
- B.Geeta Bali
- C.Kanchan Kapoorcorrect
- D.Nanda
Ketan Desai is married to Kanchan Kapoor.
Source: family background
People who died on March 1
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