Jag Mundhra
Encyclopedia
Jagmohan "Jag" Mundhra was an India
n filmmaker best known for his early career as an American
exploitation film
writer-director and his later career as maker of such issue-oriented films as Bawandar
and Provoked
.
, and grew up in a Marwari locality in Calcutta, in a conservative family where films were frowned upon. He nevertheless nurtured a secret ambition to become a filmmaker. His childhood as of other Indians of his generation, was a tough one, counting pennies for the tram that rode to the other, affluent side of the city, and withstanding his family's strict traditions.
Says Mundhra, “The family was very conservative and my grand mother was very strict and we were allowed to see maybe a couple of films a year and that too of the Har Har Mahadev variety. As a child I never saw myself as a young Marwari boy but a lot beyond that. In those days, the word global citizen was not there, but inside I felt like one". He died on 4 September 2011 as a result of internal bleeding".
Mundhra wrote his marketing thesis on motion pictures. He did a comparative study of marketing practices in Hollywood and Bollywood. The study led him to visit the Bombay film industry and meet people. After finishing his PhD he taught for a year at California State University. His stay in California brought him closer to Hollywood. In 1979 he resigned and decided to become a full time filmmaker.
and erotic thriller
movies for theatrical distribution and direct to video, including The Jigsaw Murders (1988), Halloween Night (1988), Night Eyes
(1990), L.A. Goddess (1993), Sexual Malice (1994), Tales of The Kama Sutra : The Perfumed Garden
(2000) and Tales of The Kama Sutra 2 : Monsoon
(2001).
Beginning with Bawandar
(2000), which he directed under the name Jagmohan, Mundhra was back to issue-oriented films. Bawander is about the fight of a poor woman for justice and was based on the sad story of a woman in the state of Rajasthan, Bhanwari Devi
. After the film's release Ashok Gehlot, the chief minister of Rajasthan called him and said, "Aapke bawandar ne bada bawander machaya hai." He gave Rs 50,000 and land for Bhanwari Devi and also money for her son's education. To Mundhra, "It's not a movie about rape, but the empowerment of a woman. This character could be fictitious and yet the story would have had the same powerful message". In his own words, Kamla, Bawander and Provoked are his trology of strong women centric films.
At the time of his death he was working on a film based on the life of Sonia Gandhi
. Mundhra was also a life member of International Film And Television Club of Asian Academy Of Film & Television
.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n filmmaker best known for his early career as an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
exploitation film
Exploitation film
Exploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. These films then need something to exploit, such as a big star, special effects, sex,...
writer-director and his later career as maker of such issue-oriented films as Bawandar
Bawandar
Bawandar is a 2000 Indian film, based on the true story of Bhanwari Devi, a rape victim from Rajasthan, India. The film depicts the personal trauma, public humiliation and legal injustice that Bhanwari Devi went through, while pursuing justice in the Indian courts.- Plot :Bawandar is based on the...
and Provoked
Provoked (film)
Provoked is a 2007 UK based English language film, directed by Jag Mundhra. It stars Aishwarya Rai, Naveen Andrews, Miranda Richardson, Robbie Coltrane, Nandita Das and Steve McFadden. The film is loosely based on the true story of Kiranjit Ahluwalia who killed her abusive husband.Cinematography...
.
Early life
Mundhra was born at NagpurNagpur
Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...
, and grew up in a Marwari locality in Calcutta, in a conservative family where films were frowned upon. He nevertheless nurtured a secret ambition to become a filmmaker. His childhood as of other Indians of his generation, was a tough one, counting pennies for the tram that rode to the other, affluent side of the city, and withstanding his family's strict traditions.
Says Mundhra, “The family was very conservative and my grand mother was very strict and we were allowed to see maybe a couple of films a year and that too of the Har Har Mahadev variety. As a child I never saw myself as a young Marwari boy but a lot beyond that. In those days, the word global citizen was not there, but inside I felt like one". He died on 4 September 2011 as a result of internal bleeding".
Life at IIT Bombay
A key influence on Mundhra was his admission to the highly competitive and prestigious IIT Bombay http://www2.iitbombay.org/sfbay/ypanels_June_7_bios.htm. In his words, "I had studied in a Hindi medium school up to 9th grade and always admired people who spoke English fluently. IIT taught me a lot of humility. In my wing, there were students who were from different states, and as far as English went, this person from Bihar who couldn’t speak English to save his life outshone everyone else with his brilliance. I did well, but realized very early on while in IIT that engineering was not for me. I would be very unhappy if I was to live my life being an engineer, but I stuck it out because I didn’t want to let my parents down". He then started an MS abroad in electrical engineering, in Michigan, but after one semester, switched to marketing.Mundhra wrote his marketing thesis on motion pictures. He did a comparative study of marketing practices in Hollywood and Bollywood. The study led him to visit the Bombay film industry and meet people. After finishing his PhD he taught for a year at California State University. His stay in California brought him closer to Hollywood. In 1979 he resigned and decided to become a full time filmmaker.
Professional career
After his first dramas, Suraag, and the socially-relevant film, Kamla, Mundhra directed, in the late 1980s and the 1990s, a string of horrorHorror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
and erotic thriller
Erotic thriller
The erotic thriller is a film and literary sub-genre which consists of a mixture between erotica and thriller. The genre increased in North American popularity from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s, before declining in marketability.-1980s:...
movies for theatrical distribution and direct to video, including The Jigsaw Murders (1988), Halloween Night (1988), Night Eyes
Night Eyes
Night Eyes is a 1990 erotic thriller film written by Tom Citrano and Andrew Stevens. It stars Andrew Stevens, Tanya Roberts, Cooper Huckabee, and Warwick Sims.-Synopsis:...
(1990), L.A. Goddess (1993), Sexual Malice (1994), Tales of The Kama Sutra : The Perfumed Garden
Tales of The Kama Sutra : The Perfumed Garden
Tales of The Kama Sutra : The Perfumed Garden is a 2000 American drama film directed by Jag Mundhra, with original soundtrack by Tor Hyams. The film takes its title from the ancient Indian text, the Kama Sutra, but this only serves as a common link between the characters. The film is touted as a...
(2000) and Tales of The Kama Sutra 2 : Monsoon
Tales of The Kama Sutra 2 : Monsoon
Tales of The Kama Sutra 2 : Monsoon is a 2001 American drama film directed by Jag Mundhra, with original soundtrack by Alan DerMarderosian. The film takes its title from the ancient Indian text, the Kama Sutra, but this only serves as a common link between the characters...
(2001).
Beginning with Bawandar
Bawandar
Bawandar is a 2000 Indian film, based on the true story of Bhanwari Devi, a rape victim from Rajasthan, India. The film depicts the personal trauma, public humiliation and legal injustice that Bhanwari Devi went through, while pursuing justice in the Indian courts.- Plot :Bawandar is based on the...
(2000), which he directed under the name Jagmohan, Mundhra was back to issue-oriented films. Bawander is about the fight of a poor woman for justice and was based on the sad story of a woman in the state of Rajasthan, Bhanwari Devi
Bhanwari Devi
Bhanwari Devi is an Indian woman, whose alleged gang rape in 1992 and the subsequent court case attracted widespread media attention nationally and internationally.- Biography :...
. After the film's release Ashok Gehlot, the chief minister of Rajasthan called him and said, "Aapke bawandar ne bada bawander machaya hai." He gave Rs 50,000 and land for Bhanwari Devi and also money for her son's education. To Mundhra, "It's not a movie about rape, but the empowerment of a woman. This character could be fictitious and yet the story would have had the same powerful message". In his own words, Kamla, Bawander and Provoked are his trology of strong women centric films.
At the time of his death he was working on a film based on the life of Sonia Gandhi
Sonia Gandhi
Sonia Gandhi is an Italian-born Indian politician and the President of the Indian National Congress, one of the major political parties of India. She is the widow of former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi...
. Mundhra was also a life member of International Film And Television Club of Asian Academy Of Film & Television
Asian Academy of Film & Television
The Asian Academy of Film & Television is a film school located in India's Noida Film City in India's Capital region, NCR. It is affiliated with the International Film & Television Research Center and the Marwah Films & Video Studios....
.