Filmfare Award-winning writer-director Govind Moonis died on May 5 of throat cancer at 5 pm. He was 81 years old.
Born on January 2, 1929 in the village Pasakhera in Unnao district to Pt. Shriram Dwivedi, Govind Moonis was educated at Kanpur. He started his literary career in 1947 when his first short story was published in the Sunday edition of Dainik Veerbharat of Kanpur. Thereafter, scores of his articles, short stories and translations from Bengali appeared in many newspapers and periodicals of repute.
In April,1952 he went to Kolkata, met Ritwik Ghatak and joined him as an assistant director in his first directorial assignment Bedeni (Bengali) which unfortunately could not be completed. Then Moonis assisted him in Nagarik.
In November 1953, coming to Mumbai with Satyen Bose, Moonis had been associated in almost all the films that Bose directed. First as an assistant to him, then a dialogue and screenplay writer and occasionally a lyricist.
Their films together include Jagriti (1955), Bandish (1955), Masoom (1960), Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1957), Dosti (1964) for which Govind Moonis got Filmfare Award as Best Dialogue writer, Aasra (1966), Mere Lal (1966), Raat Aur Din (1968), Aansoo Ban Gaye Phool (1969), and Jeewan Mrityu (1971).
Besides Satyen Bose’s films, he has also wrote dialogues for Uphaar (1971) and some other films for Rajshri Productions, who then gave Moonis the opportunity to direct their Nadiya Ke Paar (1982).
Before that Moonis had directed one Bhojpuri film, Mitwa, for Mattu Productions which was exempted from Entertainment Tax in U.P. and Bihar (released in 1965-66).
Thereafter he directed Nirmal Pictures’ Sasural, Amit Films Bandhan Baahon Ka (exempted from Entertainment Tax in U.P.), Rajshri’s Babul, and Shree Charbhuja Productions’ Raag Anuraag (later titled Saajan Ka Dard). Moonis has also written for Children’s Film Society’s Anmol Tasveer.
For TV, he has written the screenplay of a telefilm Don for DD, Mumbai, Do Akele for ZeeTV’s series Rishtey , Chandan Ki Chita for the series Gubbare and Ramleela for Star TV’s series Bestsellers.
His last film as dialogue writer is Dil Churaya Apne, which is yet to be released. The last film directed by Govind Moonis is a Bhojpuri film, Ganga Jaisan Pawan Piritiya Hamar for producer Rajkumar Shahabadi’s RKS Fils.
Besides his professional callings, Moonis had been associated with social and cultural activities and theatre. He was one of the founder members and president of Pragati – a social and cultural organisation, founded in 1962. It is registered under Societies Registration Act,1860 and Bombay Public Trust Act,1950. It runs a well-stocked Bengali Library, as well as music classes, a charitable Homeopathic dispensary, Bengali language classes under the aegis of Banga Bhasha Prasar Samity, Kolkata, a drama unit and organises Bengali festivals like Sri Durga Puja, Sri Lakshmi Puja, Sri Saraswati Puja, and cele-brates Bengali New Year (Poila Baisakh), Rabindra Jayanti and carries on many other charitable activities.
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