Krishna Shah obit

Krishna Shah, Director of ‘Hard Rock Zombies,’ Dies at 75

 He was not on the list.

Indian filmmaker Krishna Shah, a familiar figure at the American Film Market who wrote, directed and produced genre films such as “Hard Rock Zombies,” died Oct. 13 in Mumbai, India. He was 75 and had been ill since suffering a stroke last year.

Besides 1985’s “Hard Rock Zombies,” other horror or comedy films he produced were “Evil Laugh” (1986) and 1991’s “Ted & Venus.” He also directed the comedy “American Drive-In.”

Shah started his career directing Cicely Tyson, James Earl Jones and Lou Gossett Jr. in an adaptation of the play “The River Niger” in 1976. He wrote, directed and produced Bollywood pic “Shalimar,” starring Dharmendra and Zeenat Aman, in 1978 and a documentary on Indian movies, “Cinema Cinema” in 1979.

A graduate of UCLA and Yale, the Indian-born Shah co-wrote with Alan Paton and directed the short-lived South African play “Sponano” on Broadway in 1964.  Off Broadway he adapted Rabindranath Tagore’s “The King of the Dark Chamber,” which won two Obies and ran almost a year. Other legit credits include directing Athol Fugard’s “Bloodknot” as well as Milton Hood Ward’s “Kindly Monies” in London.

In TV he wrote episodes of “The Flying Nun,” “Six Million Dollar Man” and “The Man From UNCLE,” among other shows.

After making an animated version of Hindu epic “Ramayana” in 1992 he started producing other Indian films including Nagesh Kukunoor’s debut “Hyderabad Blues.” He was working on “Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor” in 2012.

Shah ran his own production company Double Helix Films, a production, distribution and foreign sales company called MRI and later was a topper at Carnegie Film Group.

A member of the Writers Guild, he was assistant secretary in the Directors Guild and a member of the Academy.

Survivors include his wife, Diane, and a son.

Director

Dance India Dance Doubles

6.2

TV Series

Director

2011

 

American Drive-in (1985)

American Drive-in

4.6

Director

1985

 

Hard Rock Zombies (1984)

Hard Rock Zombies

4.5

Director

1984

 

Cinema Cinema (1979)

Cinema Cinema

6.7

Director

1979

 

Rex Harrison in Shalimar (1978)

Shalimar

6.3

Director

1978

 

James Earl Jones, Louis Gossett Jr., Cicely Tyson, Jonelle Allen, and Glynn Turman in The River Niger (1976)

The River Niger

6.0

Director

1976

 

Raymond Burr and Barbara Sigel in Ironside (1967)

Ironside

6.9

TV Series

Director

1974

1 episode

 

Love, American Style (1969)

Love, American Style

6.8

TV Series

Director

1973

2 episodes

 

Rivals (1972)

Rivals

5.4

Director

1972

 

Writer

American Drive-in (1985)

American Drive-in

4.6

written by

1985

 

Hard Rock Zombies (1984)

Hard Rock Zombies

4.5

written by (as Kirshna Shah)

1984

 

Cinema Cinema (1979)

Cinema Cinema

6.7

writer

1979

 

Rex Harrison in Shalimar (1978)

Shalimar

6.3

dialogue

screenplay

story

1978

 

Lee Majors in The Six Million Dollar Man (1973)

The Six Million Dollar Man

7.1

TV Series

written by

1974

1 episode

 

Rivals (1972)

Rivals

5.4

screenplay

1972

 

Sally Field in The Flying Nun (1967)

The Flying Nun

6.5

TV Series

story

1968

1 episode

 

Robert Vaughn, Leo G. Carroll, and David McCallum in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964)

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

7.7

TV Series

writer

1966

1 episode

 

Producer

Gary Busey, Fred Williamson, and Vanity in South Beach (1993)

South Beach

3.9

producer

1993

 

Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor (1992)

Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor

1.6

Video

producer

supervising producer

1992

 

Ted & Venus (1991)

Ted & Venus

4.7

executive producer

1991

 

Ashlyn Gere and Myles O'Brien in Evil Laugh (1986)

Evil Laugh

4.8

executive producer

1986

 

American Drive-in (1985)

American Drive-in

4.6

producer

1985

 

Hard Rock Zombies (1984)

Hard Rock Zombies

4.5

producer

1984