One of Hindi cinema's legendary directors Shakti Samanta passed away on April 9. He gave us some of the most beautiful films, but the younger generations may not realise his immense contribution.
When Chief Correspondent Syed Firdaus Ashraf met him at a film function five years ago, no one even recognised the great man.
He was one of the first directors who discovered Europe's beauty in An Evening In Paris long before Yash Chopra made Switzerland a popular tourist destination.
We take a look at his best movies -- reasons why Shakti Samanta will always be missed.
Howrah Bridge, 1958
A murder mystery, starring Ashok Kumar and Madhubala, the film reminds you of the Hollywood classic Casablanca in the way it was shot.
O P Nayyar made some brilliant music for it -- like Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu, picturised on Helen, and Aaye Mehrbaan, on Madhubala. Item numbers, if you can call it that, didn't look half as sexy as Helen's naughty dance in this film.
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