Utpal Dutt ( utpôl dôtto (help·info)) (29 March 1929 – 19 August 1993) was an Indian actor, director, and writer-playwright. He was primarily an actor in Bengali theatre, where he became a pioneering figure in Modern Indian theatre, when he founded the 'Little Theater Group' in 1947, which enacted many English, Shakespearean and Brecht plays, in a period now known as the 'Epic theater' period, before immersing itself completely in highly political and radical theatre. His plays became apt vehicle of the expression for his Marxist ideologies, visible in socio-political plays like, Kallol (1965), Manusher Adhikar, Louha Manob (1964), Tiner Toloar and Maha-Bidroha. He also acted over 100 Bengali and Hindi films in his career spanning 40 years, and remains most known for his roles in films like Mrinal Sen’s Bhuvan Shome (1969), Satyajit Ray’s Agantuk (1991), Gautam Ghose’s Padma Nadir Majhi (1993) and Hrishikesh Mukherjee's breezy comedies such as Gol Maal (1980) and Rang Birangi (1983).^[1][2][3][4]

He received National Film Award for Best Actor in 1970 and three Filmfare Best Comedian Awards. In 1990, the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance and Theatre, awarded him its highest award the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship for lifetime contribution to theatre.

Early life and education[link]

His father was Girijaranjan Dutt. Utpal Dutt was born on March 29, 1929 in Hindu kayastha faimily in Barisal. He studied initially at St. Edmunds School, and later completed his Matriculation in 1945 from St. Xavier's Collegiate School, Kolkata. In 1949, he graduated with English Literature Honours from the St. Xavier's College, Calcutta, University of Calcutta.^{[citation needed]}

Career[link]

Though he was active primarily in Bengali theatre, he started his career in English theatre. As a teenager in the 1940s, he developed his passion and craft in English theatre, which resulted in the establishment of 'The Shakespeareans', in 1947. Its first performance was a powerful production of Shakespeare's Richard III, with Dutt playing the king, this so impressed Geoffrey Kendal and Laura Kendal (parents of the actress Jennifer Kendal), who led the itinerant 'Shakespeareana Theatre Company', that they immediately hired him and he did two year-long tours with them across India and Pakistan, enacting Shakespeare's plays, first 1947–49 and later 1953–54; and was acclaimed for his passionate portrayal of Othello. After the Geofferys left India for the first time in 1949, Utpal Dutt renamed his group as 'Little Theatre Group' (LTG), and over the next three years, continued to perform and produce in plays by Ibsen, Shaw, Tagore, Gorky and Konstantin Simonov. The group later decided to exclusively stage Bengali plays, to eventually evolve into a production company as it produced several Bengali movies. He also remained an active member of Gananatya Sangha, which performed through rural areas of West Bengal.^[5]

He was also a founding member of Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA), an organization known for its leftist leaning, but left it after a couple of years, when he started his theatre group. He wrote and directed what he called "Epic Theatre", a term he borrowed from Bertolt Brecht, to bring about discussion and change in Bengal. His Brecht Society formed in 1948, was presided by Satyajit Ray. He became one of the most influential personalities in the Group Theater movement. While he accepting Brecht's belief of audience being "co-authors" of the theatre, he rejected orthodoxies of 'Epic theatre' as being impractical in India.^[6] He also remained a teacher of English at the South Point School in Kolkata.

Soon he would turn to his native Bengali producing translations of several Shakespearean tragedies and the works of Russian classicists into Bengali. Starting 1954, he wrote and directed controversial Bengali political plays, and also Maxim Gorky`s Lower Depths in Bengali in 1957. In 1959, the LTG secured the lease of Minerva Theatre, Kolkata, where most notably Angar (Coal) (1959), based on the exploitation of coal-miners was showcased. For the next decade the group staged several plays here, with him as an impresario, and still remembered as one last pioneering actor-managers of Indian theatre. He also formed groups like Arjo Opera and Bibek Yatra Samaj.^[7]

Meanwhile, his transition to films happened when while they were performing role of Othello, which famous filmmaker Madhu Bose happened to watch and gave him the lead in his film, Michael Madhusudan (1950), based on the life of the Indo-Anglian poet Michael Madhusudan Dutt. Later, he himself, wrote a play on the fragmented colonial psyche and Michael Madhusudan Dutt, and the ambivalence of swaying between "colonial" admiration and "anti-colonial" revolt. He went on to act in many Bengali films, including many films by Satyajit Ray.^[2]

Dutt was also an extremely famous comic actor in Hindi cinema, though he acted only in a handful of Hindi cinemas. He acted in the comedy movies, most notable ones being Guddi, Gol Maal, Naram Garam, Rang Birangi and Shaukeen. He received Filmfare Best Comedian Award for Golmaal, Naram Garam and Rang Birangi. In Bengali cinema, he appeared in Bhuvan Shome for which he was awarded the National Film Award for Best Actor, Ek Adhuri Kahani and Chorus, all by Mrinal Sen; Agantuk, Jana Aranya, Joy Baba Felunath and Hirak Rajar Deshe, by Satyajit Ray; Paar and Padma Nadir Majhi, by Gautam Ghose; Bombay Talkie, The Guru, and Shakespeare Wallah, by James Ivory; Jukti Takko Aar Gappo, by Ritwik Ghatak; Guddi, [(Gol Maal)], [(Kotwal Saab)] by Hrishikesh Mukherjee; Shaukeen, "[( Priyatama)]", "[(Hamari Bahu Alka)] directed by Basu Chatterjee and Amanush & "[(Anand Ashram)], "Barsat Ki Ek Raat" by Shakti Samanta.

He balanced successful parallel careers as an extremely serious theatre playwright and director in Bengal alongside doing hilariously comic roles in Hindi cinema. He is the greatest dramatist in progressive Bengali theatre of 20th century.

Dutt was also a lifelong Marxist and an active supporter of the Communist Party of India (Marxist),^[8] and his leftist "Revolutionary Theater" was a phenomenon in the contemporary Bengali theater. He staged many street dramas in favour of the Communist Party. He was jailed by the Congress government in West Bengal in 1965 and detained for several months, as the then state government feared the subversive message of his play Kallol (Sound of the Waves), based on the Royal Indian Navy Mutiny of 1946, which ran packed shows at Calcutta's Minerva Theatre, might provoke anti-government protests in West Bengal, the play turned out to be his longest-running play at the Minerva. Manusher Adhikare (Of People's Rights) in 1968, staged as documentary drama was new genre in Bengali theatre before, though it turned out to be his last production of the group at the Minerva, as they soon left the theatre. Thereafter, the group was given the name, 'People's Little Theatre' as it took on yet another new direction, his work came closer to people, and this phase played an important role in popularizing Indian street theatre, as he started performing at street-corners or `poster` plays, in open spaces without any aid or embellishment before enormous crowds. The year also marked his transition into Jatra or Yatra Pala, a Bengali folk drama form, performed largely across rural West Bengal. He started writing Jatra scripts, produced and acted in them, even formed his own Jatra troupe. His jatra political dramas, were often produced on open-air stages and symbolized his commitment to communist ideology and today form his lasting legacy.^[9]

Through the 1970s three of his plays, Barricade, Dusswapner Nagari (City of Nightmares), Ebaar Rajar Pala (Enter the King), drew crowds despite being officially banned.^{[1][7][10][11]}

He wrote Louha Manab (Iron Man), 1964 while still in jail, based on a real trial against a pro-Stalin, ex-Politburo member by supporters of Nikita Khrushchev in Moscow of 1963. First staged at Alipore Jail in 1965, by People’s Little Theatre. His stay in jail unleashed a new period of rebellious, and politically charged plays, including Tiner Toloar (The Tin Sword), partially based on Pygmalion, Dushapner Nagari (Nightmare City), Manusher Odhikare (Rights Of Man), based on the Scottsboro Boys case, protests against the racial discrimination and injustice of the Scottsborough trial of 1931, Surya-Shikar (Hunting the Sun) (1978), Maha-Bidroha (The Great Rebellion) (1989), and Laal Durgo (Red Fort) (1990) (The Red Goddess of Destruction) about the demise of Communism, set in a fictitious East European country, and Janatar Aphim (Opiate of the People), (1990) lamented on Indian political parties exploiting religion for gain.^[4] In all, he wrote twenty-two full-length plays, fifteen poster plays, nineteen Jatra scripts, acted in thousands of shows, and directed more than sixty productions., apart from writing serious studies of Shakespeare, Girish Ghosh, Stanislavsky, Brecht, and revolutionary theatre, and translating Shakespeare and Brecht.

He also directed a number of films like, Megh (1961) a psychological thriller, Ghoom Bhangar Gaan (1965), Jhar (Storm) (1979) based on the Young Bengal movement, Baisakhi Megh (1981), Maa (1983) and Inquilab Ke Baad (1984).

Dutt died in Calcutta, West Bengal on 19 August 1993.^[7]

Legacy[link]

Forty years after the staging of classic play Kallol which entails the story as the mutiny of Indian sailors against the British on the Arabian Sea, for which he was even imprisoned, was revived in 2005, as Gangabokshe Kallol, part of the state-funded 'Utpal Dutt Natyotsav' (Utpal Dutt Theatre Festival) on an off-shore stage, by the Hooghly River in Kolkata.^[12]

The Last Lear, the 2007 English film based on his play Aajker Shahjahan on an eccentric Shakespearean actor, and directed for the screen by Rituparno Ghosh, later won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in English.

Personal life[link]

In 1960, Dutt married theatre and film actress Shobha Sen. Their only daughter, Dr. Bishnupriya Dutt, is a professor of theatre history in the School of Arts and Aesthetics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.^[13]

Awards and recognition[link]

• 1990 Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship for lifetime contribution to theatre
• National Film Award for Best Actor – Won
  1970 Bhuvan Shome – Bhuvan Shome
  

• Filmfare Best Comedian Award – Won
  1980 Gol Maal – Bhawani Shankar
  1982 Naram Garam – Bhavani Shankar
  1987 Rang Birangi – Police Inspector Dhurandhar Bhatawdekar
  
• Bengal Film Journalists' Association Award:Best Actor Award – Won
  1993 Agantuk – Manomohan Mitra
  
• Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award – Nominated
  1980 Gol Maal – Bhawani Shankar
  1986 Saaheb – Badri Prasad Sharma
  

Filmography[link]

This is an incomplete filmography of Utpal Dutt.

Plays[link]

• Mirkassim
• Tiner Talowar
• Ferari Fauj
• Boniker Rajdando
• Barricade
• Chayanat
• Kangor Karagare
• Kallol
• Aajker Shahjahan

Works[link]

• Girish Chandra Ghosh. Sahitya Akademi Publications. 1992. ISBN 81-7201-197-0. Excerpts
• The Great Rebellion, 1857 (Mahabidroha), Seagull Books, 1986. ISBN 81-7046-032-8.
• On Theatre, Seagull Books. 2009. ISBN 81-7046-251-7.
• Towards A Revolutionary Theatre. Seagull Books, 2009. ISBN 81-7046-340-8.
• On Cinema. Seagull Books, 2009. ISBN 81-7046-252-5.
• Rights Of Man (Manusher Adhikare). Seagull Books, 2009. ISBN 81-7046-331-9.
• 3 Plays. Seagull Books, 2009. ISBN 81-7046-256-8.

Further reading[link]

• Representation and class politics in the theatre of Utpal Dutt, by Himani Bannerji. Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, 1988.

References[link]

• Popular theatre: a sourcebook, Worlds of performance, by Joel Schechter. Routledge, 2003. ISBN 0-415-25830-8. Theatre As Weapon: Utpal Dutt

External links[link]

• Utpal Dutt at the Internet Movie Database
• Profile at Calcuttaweb.com

Avtar Kishan Hangal (born 1 February 1917), popularly known as A. K. Hangal, is an Indian character actor in Hindi language films. His most notable roles are as the Inder Sen in Shaukeen, as Bipinlal Pandey in Namak Haraam, as Rahim Chacha in Sholay and as Ram Shastri in Aaina (1977). He has acted in around 225 Hindi films in a career spanning from 1966 to 2005.

Early life[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2012)

Born into a Kashmiri Pandit family, he spent his childhood in Peshawar, where he had performed in theatre for some major roles. His father's name was Pandit Hari Kishan Hangal. However, his primary occupation for the early part of his life was that of a tailor. He was an active participant in the Indian freedom struggle. Following his father's retirement, the family moved from Peshawar to Karachi. He moved to Bombay after the Partition of India in 1949 after 3 years in prison in Pakistan. He was involved with the theatre group IPTA along with Balraj Sahni and Kaifi Azmi, both of whom had Marxist leanings.

Hindi cinema career[link]

He started his Hindi film career at the very late age of 50 with Basu Bhattacharya's Teesri Kasam in 1966 and Shagird, and went on to play as the man of principles playing the on-screen father or uncle of the leading men/women in the films in the 70's 80's 90's or sometimes the quintessential meek and oppressed old man. His pivotal roles in the films like Namak Haraam, Shaukeen (1981), Sholay, Aaina (1977), Avtaar, Arjun, Aandhi, Tapasya, Kora Kagaz, Bawarchi, Chhupa Rustam, Chitchor, Balika Badhu, Guddi, Naram Garam are considered to be among his best. He, as a character actor, always was part of the most of the films with Rajesh Khanna as the lead hero like Aap Ki Kasam, Amar Deep, Naukri, Thodisi Bewafaii, Phir Wohi Raat, Kudrat, Aaj Ka M.L.A. Ram Avtar, Bewafai till Sautela Bhai in 1996. His best performances in his later years was in Shararat (2002) his character roles in Tere Mere Sapne (1997) and Lagaan. In movies he has played a very large number of character roles, mostly positive. He has acted in 225 films so far.

On 8 February 2011, Hangal 'walked' the ramp in a wheelchair for fashion designer Riyaz Ganji for his summer line in Mumbai.^[1]

Awards[link]

The Government of India awarded him the prestigious Padma Bhushan for his contribution to Hindi Cinema in 2006.

Old age problem[link]

Hangal, who has more than 200 films to his credit in a career that spanned nearly five decades, due to his old age post 2007 found it difficult to meet his medical expenses. His son Vijay, a retired cameraman and former Bollywood photographer, himself is 75 and has not had a full-time job since 2001.With just a gap of 20 years between Vijay and Hangal it was difficult for them to manage their day to day expenses. Earlier, Vijay would take up small jobs but now, he can't do that either because of a back problem. Post 2007 A.K.Hangal has been suffering from a disease and has run into financial troubles in garnering money for treatment (he and his son have to spend 15000 rupees a month on medicines). So income stopped coming into the house from all quarters. When this plight of the veteran 95-year-actor was highlighted by the media and newspapers on 20 January 2011, many filmstars and directors promised to help the 95-year-actor financially. Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan pledged to give him Rs 50,000.

Jaya Bachchan, who worked with Hangal in several films including Guddi, Anamika, Bawarchi, Abhimaan, Kora Kagaz, Doosri Sita, Jawani Diwani, Parichay and Sholay, on getting to know about his condition, said: "Please tell Hangal saab that his daughter was not aware of his condition and I am really sorry about it. My office will be taking care of all his hospital expenses.^[2]

Mithun Chakraborty from the Cine and TV Artists Association (CINTAA) asked the association to release funds for the senior actor. On 21 January 2011, Dharmesh Tiwari, the president of CINTAA concurred and said the association has helped Hangal in the past and will continue to do so and that they sending a cheque of RS 50,000. On 21 January 2011 Salman Khan contacted Tiwari on Thursday to pledge his support. Director Samar Khan used then a popular social networking site to spread the word, and by 22 January 2011 evening friends and fans had pledged about Rs 1 lakh. Tiwari said, "If the government can allot some land, we can use it as Hangal saab has suggested to build an old age home for artistes. Mumbai, which is the birthplace of Bollywood, is not paying any heed to us."

Then Ranjan Thakur, the personal secretary to I&B minister Ambika Soni said, "The minister has spoken to Ramesh Sippy and the Film Federation and has asked them to keep us updated on the funds collected for A K Hangal. We are looking at the possibility of a long-term health insurance program for retired actors. Now as per the reports of Times of India dated 24th Jan 2011, he has been offered some help from some from Bollywood fraternity for his medical expenses. On 4th of March, 2011, it was reported that Amitabh promised to take care of his medical expenses and Aamir Khan promised in one of the press conferences, that now, when he has known about it he would go see him and would help him in every way.

The actor had last shot for Amol Palekar's film, Paheli in 2005. In fact, he had not gone out of his house for the last eight months. "We were surprised to see him get out of home. He would have done it only for acting," said his son Vijay and added, "My father had remained at home for the past few months. The show producer Saurabh Tiwari and senior executives from the channel came to our place to offer him the role. Several filmmakers had approached him in the last few years. But father did not take those up due to health issues."

A K Hangal returned to face the studio lights after seven long years. Having reached the sets of a TV Series Madhubala on a wheelchair, the 97-year-old actor wasn't sure he would be able to handle it physically. But once the cameras started rolling, there was no stopping the actor within.

Family[link]

He has a son, and after the death of his wife, he lives alone in his flat in Santa Cruz, Mumbai. His son Vijay Hangal is a retired Bollywood photographer and cameraman who lives in flat adjacent to Hangal. Vijay's wife died before 2000 and does not have any children.

Selected Filmography[link]

Films[link]

TV Series[link]

Works[link]

• Life and Times of A.K. Hangal (1999) (autobiography)

References[link]

External links[link]

• A.K. Hangal at the Internet Movie Database
• The genial revolutionary. Rediff.com.
• Marxist who made it good in movies The Hindu.

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2010)

Ashok Kumar
Born	Kumudlal Kunjilal Ganguly (1911-10-13)13 October 1911 Bhagalpur, Bengal Presidency, British India
Died	10 December 2001(2001-12-10) (aged 90) Mumbai, Maharastra, India
Cause of death	Heart Failure
Residence	Chembur, Mumbai, India
Other names	Sanjay Ashok Kumar
Occupation	Actor, painter
Years active	1936–1997
Spouse	Shobha Devi
Relatives	Anoop Kumar, Kishore Kumar(Brothers), Sati Devi (Sister)

Ashok Kumar ( Bengali অশোক কুমার গাঙ্গুলী, 13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001) also fondly called Dadamoni in Bengali, was an Indian film actor. Born Kumudlal Ganguly in Bhagalpur, Bengal Presidency he attained iconic status in Indian cinema. The Government of India honoured him with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and the Padma Bhushan in 1998 for his contributions to Indian cinema.

Family[link]

His father Kunjalal Ganguly was a lawyer and his mother Gouri Devi came from a wealthy Bengali Kulin Brahmin family. The "Ganguly family" was based in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh. His brothers Anoop Kumar and Kishore Kumar also acted in films. The three brothers worked together in the comedies Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi and Badhti Ka Naam Dadhi. Ashok, though the eldest of the three by quite a margin, survived them both. In fact, he stopped celebrating his birthday after the youngest brother, Kishore, died on that day in 1987. His sister, Sati Devi, was married to Sashadhar Mukherjee of the Mukherjee-Samarth family.

Ashok Kumar married Shobha. They had a troubled marriage due to his wife being an alcoholic.^[1] His daughter, Preeti Ganguly acted in numerous Hindi film, during 1970s,^[2] later she started the 'Ashok Kumar's Academy of Dramatic Arts', Mumbai in 1993.^[3] His other daughter, Rupa Ganguly and son Arun Ganguly never joined films,^[4] Rupa is married to actor Deven Verma^[5]

Early career[link]

Reverently called Dadamoni (affectionate term for elder brother), he was born in Bhagalpur and educated at Presidency College of the University of Calcutta, Kolkata). He started his career in Bombay (Mumbai), albeit accidentally, with the Bombay Talkies production Jeevan Naiya in 1936. The male lead, Najam-ul-Hussain, went absconding with the heroine Devika Rani, the director's wife who returned later on. The director and studio head, Himanshu Rai, in retaliation dismissed the hero and called upon his laboratory assistant Ashok Kumar to take the part and thus began a six-decade-long acting career. However, it was his subsequent venture with Devika Rani in Achhut Kanya in the same year that set him up for the big league. The movie itself stands out as one of the heralding social dramas of pre-independence Indian film. It was the story of a Brahmin boy falling in love with a girl from the so-called untouchables in Indian society. It was a big hit and started the trend of socially committed films.

Devika Rani and Ashok Kumar in Achhut Kanya, 1936

Devika Rani and Ashok Kumar did a string of films after this including Izzat (1937), Savitri (1937) and 'Nirmala' (1938). But she was the bigger star and Ashok Kumar was definitely in her shadow. He came into his own with three films opposite Leela Chitnis: Kangan (1939), Bandhan (1940), Jhoola (1941), singing his own songs as was the custom then. He came away with several hits including most famously Main Ban ka Panchhi.

He was one of the first anti-heroes of Indian Cinema with his role in Kismet in 1943. This movie went on to create a record for the highest grossing film in India at the time of its release.

He produced several films for Bombay Talkies during the final years of the company including the famous Mahal in 1949 in which he co-starred with Madhubala. In the 1950s, he played the suave cigarette-smoking criminal or police officer in several films of what was the Indian film-noir movement. In the late 1960s he switched to character roles playing the parent, grandparent, dirty old man and suave criminal, being careful never to be typecast. He paired up 20 times with the 'queen of tragedy' Meena Kumari, in films such as Parineeta, Bahu Begum, Pakeezah, Ek Hi Raasta, Bandish and Aarti and Chitralekha (1964).

Later career and death[link]

He acted in fewer films in the 1980s and 1990s and occasionally appeared on television, most famously anchoring the first Indian soap opera Hum Log and appearing as the title character in the unforgettable Bahadur Shah Zafar. His last film role was in Aankhon Mein Tum Ho in 1997. Besides acting, he was an avid painter and a practitioner of homeopathy.^{[citation needed]} Altogether, he starred in over 275 films. He has done more than 30 Bengali dramas in Dhakuria.

Ashok Kumar died at the age of 90 in Mumbai on 10 December 2001 of heart failure at his residence in Chembur. The then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee described him as "an inspiration... for many generations of aspiring actors."^[6]

Awards and recognition[link]

• 1959 - Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
• 1962 - Filmfare Best Actor Award, Rakhi
• 1963 - Bengal Film Journalists' Association - Best Actor Award (Hindi), Gumrah^[7]
• 1966 - Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award, Afsana
• 1969 - Filmfare Best Actor Award, Aashirwaad
• 1969 - National Film Awards for Best Actor, Aashirwaad
• 1969 - Bengal Film Journalists' Association - Best Actor Award (Hindi), Aashirwaad^[8]
• 1988 - Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest award for cinematic excellence
• 1994 - Star Screen Lifetime Achievement Award
• 1995 - Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award
• 1998 - Padma Bhushan
• 2001 - Awadh Samman by the Government of Uttar Pradesh
• 2007 - "Special Award" by Star Screen Awards^[9]

Filmography[link]

Some of his most remembered films include:

• Achhut Kanya (1936)
• Kismet (1943)
• Parineeta (1953)
• Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958)
• Chitralekha (1964)
• Hatey Bazarey (1967)
• Aashirwad (1968)
• Choti Si Baat (1975)
• Mili (1975)
• Khoobsurat (1980)
• Khatta Meetha (1981)
• Mr. India (1987)
• Sangram

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ashok Kumar at the Internet Movie Database
• A Good article by Anuradha Choudhary
• Complete list of Ashok Kumar Movies (over 250)

Vinod Mehra (Hindi: विनोद मेहरा) (13 February 1945 – 30 October 1990) was an Indian actor in Bollywood films. He started out as a child actor in a few films in the late 1950s and early 1960s before starting his adult film career in 1971 acting in over 100 films throughout the 1970s through to the 1990s. He was also the producer and director of the film Gurudev which was released after his death at the age of 45 in 1990.

Career[link]

Mehra made his debut in the 1958 film Raagni as a child artist playing the younger version of the character played by Kishore Kumar. After playing a few more minor roles as a child, he started his film career as an adult in 1971 with Ek Thi Rita, a smash hit based on the English play, 'A Girl Called Rita', along with Tanuja.^[1][2]

This was followed by the film "Parday Ke Peechhay" opposite debutant Yogeeta Bali followed by Elaan (with Rekha), Amar Prem (1972) and Lal Patthar, though it was only Shakti Samanta's Anuraag (1972) with Maushmi Chatterjee, which established him as an actor. He went on to appear in over 100 films in his career spanning over two decades. He played the lead role in some of his earlier films but often acted in many multi-starrers as the secondary lead or played supporting roles such as a brother, friend, uncle, father and police officer. He worked with many actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Rajesh Khanna and Dharmendra. His frequent female co-stars included Rekha, Maushmi Chatterjee, Yogeeta Bali, Shabana Azmi and Bindiya Goswami.

Some of his prominent films were Nagin, Jaani Dushman and Khud-Daar. He received Filmfare Nominations as Best Supporting Actor for Anurodh (1977), Amardeep (1979), and Bemisal (1982).^[3]

He turned producer and director with the film Gurudev in the late 1980s, with Sridevi, Rishi Kapoor and Anil Kapoor in the lead. He died of a heart attack before completion of the film at the age of 45 in October 1990. The film was released in 1993 after director Raj Sippy completed the film.

Many of his delayed films were released after his death and dedicated to his memory. Some films, such as Insaniyat (1994) and Aurat Aurat Aurat (1996), were delayed and re-written so as not to involve his character.

Personal life and family[link]

Vinod Mehra was born in Amritsar, India in 1945. He was married three times. His first marriage to Meena Broca was arranged by his mother. The marriage was reportedly not consummated as Vinod had a heart attack shortly after the marriage. Once he recovered, he married his frequent leading lady Bindiya Goswami while still married to Meena. Meena left him and returned to her parents' house. His marriage to Bindiya also quickly dissolved, and she soon married director J. P. Dutta.^[4]

He was said to be married to superstar Rekha, although in a 2004 television interview with Simi Garewal, she denied being married to him, referring to him as a "well-wisher."^[5] His last marriage, to Kiran, lasted until his death. The couple had two children: Soniya (born in 1988) and Rohan. After their father's death, Soniya and Rohan were brought up in Kenya. Soniya went to London for further education. She made her film debut in Victoria No. 203 which is a remake of the 1972 classic of the same name.

Selected filmography[link]

Actor[link]

• Raagni (1958) .... Young Rajan
• Bewaqoof (1960) ... Young Kishore Kumar
• Angulimala (1960) .... Young Ahinshak
• Ek Thi Rita (1971)
• Lal Patthar (1971) .... Shekhar
• Amar Prem (1972) .... Nandu
• Raftaar.. (1972)
• Anuraag (1972) .... Rajesh
• Hawas (1974) .... Dr Bali
• Kunwara Baap (1974) .... Special appearance
• Vardaan (1975)
• Zindagi (1976) -- Ajay, Seema's friend
• Arjun Pandit (1976)
• Ginny Aur Johnny (1976)
• Nagin (1976) .... Rajesh
• Sabse Bada Rupaiya (1976) .... Amit Rai
• Anurodh (1977) .... Shrikanth
• Ghar (1978) .... Vikas Chandra
• Swarg Narak (1978) .... Vinod
• Saajan Bina Suhagan (1978)
• Aakhri Kasam (1979) .... Inspector Ram
• Dada (1979)....Moti / Jeetu Dharamdas
• Amar Deep (1979) - Kishan
• Jaani Dushman (1979) .... Madman
• Jurmana (1979) - Prem Prakash
• Kartavya (1979) .... Dushyant
• Pyaara Dushman (1980)
• The Burning Train (1980) .... Rakesh
• Pyaasa Sawan (1981) .... Monorama's father
• Sannata (1981) .... CBI officer (special appearance)
• Khud-Daar (1982) .... Raja
• Bemisal (1982) .... Dr. Prashant Chautervedi
• Naukar Biwi Ka (1983) ..... Inspector Amar Nath
• Sweekar Kiya Maine(1983)....Kailash Shukla
• Bindiya Chamkegi (1984) .... Shyam
• Aap Ke Saath (1986) .... Ashok
• Pyar Ki Jeet (1987) .... Anand
• Aag Hi Aag (1987) .... Raghuveer Singh
• Patthar Ke Phool (1991) .... Inspector Vijay Verma
• Insaniyat (1994) .... Nandu
• Aurat Aurat Aurat (1996) .... Vijay
• Saajan kee saheli (with rajendra kumar, Rekha & Nutan.)

)

Producer & Director[link]

• Gurudev (1993)

References[link]

1. ^ A serious satirist Subhash Chedda, Indian Express, 25 July 1997 .
2. ^ Biography Yahoo! Movies.
3. ^ "Filmfare Nominess and Winner - 1953-2005" (PDF). 2006-02-26. http://deep750.googlepages.com/FilmfareAwards.pdf. Retrieved 2008-11-23. 
4. ^ Salaam Bollywood. http://www.screenindia.com/20010921/fsalaam.html. Retrieved 2008-11-23. 
5. ^ Mehta, Ruchika (3 June 2004). "India's Greta Garbo breaks silence". The Times of India. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-717832,prtpage-1.cms. Retrieved 2008-11-23. 

External links[link]

• Vinod Mehra at the Internet Movie Database

v t e Bollywood (Hindi cinema) Directors · Actors · Playback singers · Music Directors · Songs · Bibliography Hindi films A–Z—Highest-grossing Films by year: 1930s · 1940 · 1941 · 1942 · 1943 · 1944 · 1945 · 1946 · 1947 · 1948 · 1949 · 1950 · 1951 · 1952 · 1953 · 1954 · 1955 · 1956 · 1957 · 1958 · 1959 · 1960 · 1961 · 1962 · 1963 · 1964 · 1965 · 1966 · 1967 · 1968 · 1969 · 1970 · 1971 · 1972 · 1973 · 1974 · 1975 · 1976 · 1977 · 1978 · 1979 · 1980 · 1981 · 1982 · 1983 · 1984 · 1985 · 1986 · 1987 · 1988 · 1989 · 1990 · 1991 · 1992 · 1993 · 1994 · 1995 · 1996 · 1997 · 1998 · 1999 · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 · 2010 · 2011 · 2012

Nirupa Roy (4 January 1931 – 13 October 2004) was an Indian actress who appeared in Hindi films. Roy was mostly known for portraying character roles of the Indian mother. She played leading roles in her early films and started playing mother roles during the 1970s–80s. Her acting career spanned more than 50 years, and she acted in more than 250 films. She was referred to as the "queen of misery" in Hindi film circles.

Personal life[link]

Nirupa Roy was born as Kokila Kishorechandra Bulsara in Valsad, Gujarat.

She was married to Kamal Roy when she was 15 and moved to Mumbai. They have two sons, Yogesh and Kiran. She was very friendly with actress Shyama.

She died, after having a cardiac arrest, in Mumbai on 13 October 2004 at the age of 72. She was regarded as the greatest "Maa" of all times in Bollywood.She was Gujarati and taught children Gujarati before she acted in films.

Career[link]

In 1946, Roy and her husband responded to an advertisement in a Gujarati paper looking for actors. She was selected and started her acting career with the Gujarati film Ranakdevi. The same year she acted in her first Hindi film, Amar Raj. One of her popular films was Do Bigha Zameen (1953). She largely played mythological characters in the films of the 1940s and 50s. Her image of a goddess was very strong and people would visit her home and seek her blessings.

Among her co-stars were Trilok Kapoor, Bharat Bhushan, Balraj Sahni and Ashok Kumar.

In the 1970s, her roles as mother to the characters played by Amitabh Bachchan made her name synonymous to the impoverished suffering mother. Her role in Deewar (1975) and its dialogues with reference to a mother and son are used as clichés. She often lost her kids in her movies and was given the worst babysitter award in MTV Fully Faltoo awards (a parody of the Filmfare Awards). She is considered as one of the best character artistes in Indian cinema.

Awards[link]

• 1961 – BFJA Best Actress in Supporting Role, Chhaya^[1]
• 2003 – Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award
• Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award
  1956 Munimji – Malti
  1962 Chhaya – Manorama/Aayah
  1965 Shehnaai – Shobha
  

Filmography[link]

• Lal Baadshah (1999)
• Mard (1985)
• Pataal Bhairavi (1985)
• Mawali (1983)
• Betab (1983)
• Khoon aur Pani (1981)
• Aatish (1979)
• Amar Akbar Anthony (1979)
• Kartavya (1979) .... Vijay's mother
• Khandaan (1979) .... Savitri G. Srivastav
• Besharam (1979) – Mrs. Ramchandra
• Aaina (1977) .... Savitri R Shastri
• Deewar (1975) .... Sumitra Devi
• Kangan (1959) .... Karuna
• Baazigar (1959)
• Dr. Z (1959)
• Kavi Kalidas (1959)
• Chaalbaaz (1958)
• Do Roti (1957)
• Janam Janam Ke Phere
• Krishna Sudama (1957)
• Laxmi Pooja (1957)
• Naag Mani (1957)
• Ram Hanuman Yuddha (1957)
• Bajrang Bali (1956)
• Sati Naag Kanya (1956)
• Raj Durbar (1955)
• Shri Ganesh Vivah (1955)
• Shiv Kanya (1954)
• Raj Ratan (1953)
• Shuk Rambha (1953)
• Rajrani Damayanti (1952)
• Shiv Shakti (1952)
• Dasavtaar (1951)
• Jai Mahakali (1951)
• Kashmir (1951)
• Lav Kush (1951)
• Shri Ganesh Janma (1951)
• Shri Vishnu Bhagwan (1951)
• Gadano Bel (1950)
• Har Har Mahadev (1950)
• Man Ka Meet (1950)
• Veer Bhimsen (1950)
• Garibi (1949)
• Hamari Manzil (1949)
• Mangalphera (1949)
• Gunsundari (1948)
• Hip Hip Hurray (1948)
• Nanand Bhojai (1948) – Gujrati
• Nanand Bhojai (1948) – Hindi

References[link]

External links[link]

• Nirupa Roy at the Internet Movie Database
• Obituary from rediff.com