Burjor K Karanjia, renowned film journalist and former chairman of National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), popularly known as BK, passed away late Friday evening in Pune, a family friend said. He was 92 and is survived by two daughters and a son. Born and bred in Quetta, now in Pakistan, the Karanjia family moved to India after partition. BK had named his south Mumbai residence as ‘Quetta Bungalow’, which stood a short distance away from the historic Jinnah House.
Karanjia’s younger brother, Russy K Karanjia, also a well-known journalist, died five years ago. While Russy pursued investigative journalism, Karanjia pursued entertainment and film journalism. Karanjia qualified for the Indian Civil Services. He avoided film parties and had a strong distaste for them. After doing stints as a reporter, he went on to become the editor of Filmfare, Screen, Cine Voice, Movie Times and authored several books on the entertainment industry. Karanjia was the founder of the trend-setting Films Financing Corporation. He later became the NFDC chairman and set a precedent to finance high quality, low-budget movies for new and talented filmmakers, instead of doling out aid to big filmmakers or banners.Click here to read more