Gulshan Rai

1924–2004

Gulshan Rai was a distributor before he was a producer, which shaped what he made: he had spent years watching which films returned their money in which territories. He founded Trimurti Films and produced through the 1970s and 1980s, usually in partnership with directors who were already established rather than taking chances on new ones.

Deewaar was his biggest success and the start of a run with Yash Chopra that continued through Trishul (1978) and Vijay (1988). His son Rajiv Rai directed several later Trimurti productions, including Tridev and Mohra.