Raju Patel

Raju Patel
Born1960 (1960)
DiedOctober 9, 2005(2005-10-09) (aged 44–45)
OccupationFilm producer
SpouseDimple Kumar
Children3
RelativesRajendra Kumar (father-in-law)
Kumar Gaurav (brother-in-law)

Raju Patel (1960–October 9, 2005) was a Hollywood film producer and director. He has produced films like Bachelor Party and The Jungle Book.

Early life

Patel was born in Kenya. His father Sharad Patel was in the film business and had produced and directed the film Rise and Fall of Idi Amin.[1] Patel moved to London to study film making and graduated from the London Film School.[2] Patel then moved to California at the age of 21.[3]

Career

In 1984, he teamed up with his father and at the age 23 he produced the Tom Hanks-starrer Bachelor Party.[3] It was one of Hanks' first films in a comedic role. The film went on to be a financial success: made on a budget of US$6 million, it grossed over US$40 million at the box-office.[2] In 1985 Patel decided to try his hand at direction and directed the film In the Shadow of Kilimanjaro. In 1994 he teamed up with Walt Disney Studios to produce Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book.[3] In 1996 he produced The Adventures of Pinocchio.[3] In 1997 he teamed up with Mark Damon to produce The Second Jungle Book: Mowgli & Baloo. In 1999 he produced The New Adventures of Pinocchio.[2] In 2003 he was an executive producer on the film 11:14. Patel co-produced the Bollywood film Kaante[3] which stars Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt and was directed by Sanjay Gupta.[1] Patel also worked with pop singer Michael Jackson and Mark Damon to set up the film company Neverland Pictures.[4] In 1996 Patel was honoured with membership to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.[2]

Personal life

Patel was married to Dimple Kumar, the daughter of actor Rajendra Kumar, and the couple had two children.

Death

Patel died on October 9, 2005, at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center in Long Beach after a two-year battle with colon cancer.[1][3][5][6]

Filmography

He was producer for all films unless otherwise noted.

Film

Year Film Credit Notes Other notes
1984Bachelor Party
1993Cyborg 2
1994The Jungle Book
1996The Adventures of Pinocchio
1997The Second Jungle Book: Mowgli & Baloo
1999The New Adventures of PinocchioDirect-to-video
2002Kaante
200311:14Executive producerFinal film as a producer
2008Bachelor Party 2: The Last TemptationDirect-to-videoPosthumous release
As director
Year Film
1985In the Shadow of Kilimanjaro
Thanks
Year Film Role
1989JurratThanks: For co-operation during the shooting in Los Angeles
2005Wah-WahWith special thanks to
2006ZindaIn loving memory of

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Raju Patel". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Lall, Bhuvan (2 November 2005). "A pioneer producer". Business Standard. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Hollywood Producer Patel Dies". The Washington Post. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  4. ↑ "Raju Sharad Patel Hollywood Film Producer". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  5. ↑ III, Harris M. Lentz (2006-05-04). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2005: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland. ISBN 9780786452101.
  6. ↑ "Archives". Los Angeles Times.