The beautiful land of Uttarakhand is full of many talented personalities who have lionized its name in the entire world. One of these prominent names is Brij Mohan Shah, the very famous face of Uttarakhand. He is known for his unparalleled direction in the industry.
Brij Mohan Shah was born in Nainital in 1933. He joined the National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi in 1960, and got trained under Ibrahim Alkazi. Later completed his graduation in 1962. Eventually, he developed his interest in the field of direction and playwright. Moreover, he successfully became a theatre director and playwright.
The audience and loved his plays. He is still remembered for his plays ‘Tughlaq’, ‘Ghasiram Kotwal,’ ‘Hayavadana,’ and ‘Do KashtiKeSawar.’ His most famous play was the satirical play ‘Trishanku’ which was released in the year 1967. He also directed plays for BharatenduNatya Academy (BNA) located in Lucknow, and the Shri Ram Center for Performing Arts Repertory Company.
During his early life, he was also a renowned Sanskrit teacher at St. Columbia’s School, Delhi, for many years before he became the director of the National School of Drama, New Delhi.
He has also acted in two Hindi films, ‘Yeh Woh Manzil To Nahi’, which was released in 1987, under the direction of Sudhir Mishra, followed by ‘Dil Se’ in 1998 by Mani Ratnam. He also worked in a documentary film, ‘Post Master.’ Shah was honored with the revival of theatre in Uttarakhand along with Mohan Upreti. He was awarded the ‘Sangeet Natak Academy Award’ in 1979 when he was the director of BharatenduNatyaAkademi (BNA).
His glorious career continued to shine. Though he faced many ups and downs in his career, he is remembered today for his notable contributions.
On 5th June 1998, B M Shah took his last breath in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. On his death, the ‘BM Shah Award’ was instituted by the ‘Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Academy,’ which is given every year for outstanding contributions in theatre. Moreover, an auditorium was named after him as BM Shah auditorium at Gomti Nagar in BNA Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.