Atma Ram Padukone (1930–94) was Hindi film and TV director born in Calcutta. He was the younger brother of legendary film maker Guru Dutt.[1] [2] [3]
His father Shivshankar Padukone was a clerk at Burmah Shell and his mother was a teacher. He grew up with his three brothers – Guru Dutt (filmmaker), Devi Dutt (producer) and Vijay (advertising) - and his sister Lalitha Lajmi.[4]
He studied at the University of Bombay (1952).
After doing some clerical work he joined the Socialist Party (1948–50).He was an active trade unionist and secretary of the Press Workers’ Union. He worked for a while in London (1958–61) directing films produced by Stuart Legg and Arthur Elton for the Shell Film Unit; also scripted documentaries for James Beveridge for India’s Shell Film Unit (1955–62).
Umang was his first independent Atma Ram Films production,with the then unknown Subhash Ghai as actor. His Yeh Gulistan Hamara, for Guru Dutt Films, is a nationalist movie in which Dev Anand, on behalf of the Indian government, quells the North Eastern frontier tribals with love.
The Saira Banu and Vinod Khanna hit Aarop addressed corruption in journalism. He also made advertising films with his younger brother, Devi Dutt.