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. Patel moved to London to study film making and graduated from the London Film School. Patel then moved to California at the age of 21.
Career In 1984, he teamed up with his father and at the age 23 he produced the Tom Hanks-starrer Bachelor Party. 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. 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. In 1996 he produced The Adventures of Pinocchio. 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. In 2003 he was an executive producer on the film 11:14. Patel co-produced the Bollywood film Kaante which stars Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt and was directed by Sanjay Gupta. Patel also worked with pop singer Michael Jackson and Mark Damon to set up the film company Neverland Pictures. In 1996 Patel was honoured with membership to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
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.
Filmography He was producer for all films unless otherwise noted.
Film Year Film Credit Notes Other notes 1984 Bachelor Party 1993 Cyborg 2 1994 The Jungle Book 1996 The Adventures of Pinocchio 1997 The Second Jungle Book: Mowgli & Baloo 1999 The New Adventures of Pinocchio Direct-to-video 2002 Kaante 2003 11:14 Executive producer Final film as a producer 2008 Bachelor Party 2: The Last Temptation Direct-to-video Posthumous release
As director
Year Film 1985 In the Shadow of Kilimanjaro
Thanks
Year Film Role 1989 Jurrat Thanks: For co-operation during the shooting in Los Angeles 2005 Wah-Wah With special thanks to 2006 Zinda In loving memory of
References
External links