Manhar Desai and Meena Kumari in Madhosh (1951) - Publicity Still

Manhar Desai

Lady Luck, Manhar Desai insists, has to be thanked for a good deal of his success in films. Hailing from a Gujerathi Christian family of Ahmedabad, the actor’s real name is Malcolm Desai. From an early age he had a passion for acting, but his first acquaintance with the profession (he was required to double for the hero in riding sequences) sent him back to college disillusioned. After graduating, Manhar handled a variety of jibs before a hero’s role was thrown straight into his lap. “Toofani” and “Sawar” were among his earliest films. Then came “Gunsundari,” the Gujerathi runaway hit, and Manhar Desai became a star. A series of success­ful films, including “Mangalphera,” “Naseebdar” and “Gada No Bel,” followed. His debut in Hindi films came in Wadia’s “Madhosh,” (1951) opposite Meena Kumari. Among his most popular films are “Naya Rasta,” “Anand_ Bhuvan,” “Hazaar Raaten” and the mythological, “Nag Panchmi.” February, 1956