Veteran Overseas distributor Suryakant Savani passed away on 16th November in Pune. He helped turn Bahrain into a launchpad for Indian cinema. He was 86 and used to live in Bahrain.
After moving to the kingdom, Savani built Bahrain into the base for a far-reaching distribution network which catered to cinema owners across the Middle East, Africa, Europe and South America. Suryakant Savani was soft-spoken and very fair in his dealings.
The Savani patriarch, Mohanlal Kala Savani, had started the business of Indian film distribution in Mombasa (Kenya) in 1923. Suryakant was one of the six sons of Mohanlal Savani, and the brother of Overseas distributor Manu Savani (Gala Films Ltd., New York).
