Prayag Raj (1935-2003) was an Indian writer, director and actor. He has produced many popular Bollywood films, including Coolie (1983), Gail Kanuni (1989) and Pongal Pandit (1975). In addition to acting, he also directs, sings, and writes songs. He passed away at his residence in Bandra on September 23, 2023 due to age-related illnesses.
Wiki/Biography
Prayag Raj Sharma was born in Allahabad (now Prayagraj) in 1935 (age 88 years; time of death). Prayag’s father passed away when he was very young, after which he moved to Mumbai. He went to school locally in Mumbai. Along with his formal education, he started working as a theater child actor at Prithvi Theatre. He was nine years old at the time and took the job to support his family. He worked in the theater for sixteen years, writing and directing many plays.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′ 9″
Hair color: gray
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
Prayag’s father’s name is Ram Das Azad. He is a popular poet. Prayag died at a very young age.
wife and children
Prayag’s husband Pushpa Raaj, a writer, died in 2008. His wife’s real name is Rabiya Khatoon. He has two sons: Aditya Raaj (assistant director) and Rahul Raaj (dubbing artist).
Profession
writer
Prayag made his debut as a screenwriter in 1963 by writing dialogues for the film Phool Bane Angaare.
Movie “Pool Bane Angaare” poster (1963)
He has worked as a screenwriter on more than 100 films. He co-wrote the screenplay for the film Juaari (1968). In the same year, he wrote additional dialogues for the film Jhuk Gaya Aasman. He began playing backup for producer duo Ismail Merchant and James Ivory. His first film with them was 1963’s “The Head of the House.” He wrote the dialogues for the Hindi version of the film. Afterwards, with them in 1965 he created the script for the film “Shakespeare-Walla”. He worked with the pair on a long-term basis on the films In Custody (1994) and Cotton Mary (1999). Other film scripts he wrote include “Bhai Ho To Aisa” (1972), “Roti” (1974), “Parvarish” (1977), “Desh Premee” (1982) and “Allah-Rakha” (1986).
Director and Assistant Director
In 1972, he started working as a director in the film Kundan. The film didn’t get much recognition, but Prayag said in an interview that the film made three times the amount of money invested.
Movie “Kundan” (1972) poster
He is best known for directing the 1983 film Coolie.
Prayag Raj (centre) and Amitabh Bachchan during the filming of the film Coolie
Other films he directed include “Paap Aur Punya” (1974), “Ponga Pandit” (1975), “Chor Sipahee” (1977), “Hifazat” (1987), “Gair Kaanooni” (1989) and “Oonch Neech Beech” 》 (1989). In 1965, he worked as an assistant director in the film Jab Jab Phool Khile. He was the second unit director on the film Cotton Mary (1999).
actor
Prayag made his acting debut in 1948 with the film Aag.
Movie “Aag” poster (1948)
In 1951, he starred in the movie “Awara”. He had small roles in many films, including The Professor (1962), The Master (1969), Sacha Jutta (1970), My Love (1970), Bombay Talkies ( 1970) and Prateeksha (1993).
singer
In the film “Shakespeare-Wallah” (1965), he composed and composed the song “Dil Dhadke”. He received special credit on the album for this song. His songs include “Yahoo” in the movie Junglee (1961), Affu Khuda in the song “HumKo Tumpe Pyar Aaya” in the movie “Jab Jab Phool Khile” (1965), “Coolie” (1983) Allahrakha in “Accident Ho Gaya” etc. He created CDs of tunes from Prithvi Theater plays of the 1940s by re-creating the tunes, scores and interludes. The CD is titled Songs of Prithvi Theatre.
die
Prayag, who had been battling heart disease and age-related issues for a long time, passed away on September 23, 2023, at his residence in Bandra. After news of his death broke, actors Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor and Shabana Azmi took to social media to express their condolences. Anil Kapoor shared a photo with Prayag from the sets of the film Hifazat on the X website and wrote:
I am very saddened by the death of late Prayag Raj. It was an honor to work with him on Hifazat. May his soul rest in peace. ”
I am very saddened by the death of late Prayag Raj. It was an honor to work with him on “Hifazat”. May his soul rest in peace. 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/Al4RP7poFb
— Anil Kapoor (@AnilKapoor) September 24, 2023
Facts/Trivia
- While working in theatre, he became close friends with actor Shashi Kapoor, who was Prayag’s same age.
- Prayag has been seen in different dramas on screen and also worked off screen. He was also a theater understudy for Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor. After practicing drama during the day, he often practiced at night under the guidance of film producers M.Sadiq and Lekh Tandon.
- After appearing in many films, he decided to write films because he was more interested in writing and filmmaking. He first got the chance to work as a screenwriter on a project with Lekh Tandon and Shammi Kapoor, but the film never saw release.
- In an interview, while talking about his passion for singing, he mentioned that he initially wanted to pursue it but ultimately decided to quit as he realized that he would have to face a lot of difficulties in the industry.
- He has worked with famous stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna, Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth Actor collaboration.
- The last film Prayag worked on was 2021’s Zamanat: Justice for All. However, the film was never released.
Movie Zamaanat And Justice for All (2021) Poster
- His name is also spelled as Prayag Raaj Sharma.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education