 | This articleneeds additionalverifiablecitations containingsignificant coverage. Please helpimprove this article byadding reliable sources withsignificant coverage. Articles relying excessively onnon-significant sources may failnotability and be deleted.(February 2026) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Motilal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Motilal Rajvansh (1910-12-04)4 December 1910 |
| Died | 17 June 1965(1965-06-17) (aged 54)[1] |
| Years active | 1934–1965 |
| Awards | Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award:Devdas (1955);Parakh (1960) |
Motilal Rajvansh (4 December 1910 – 17 June 1965) was an Indian actor and the winner ofFilmfare Best Supporting Actor Award forDevdas (1955) andParakh (1960).[2][3] He is credited with being among Hindi cinema's first natural actors.
He also directed the filmChhoti Chhoti Baten (1965), but died before its release. At the13th National Film Awards, it won the award forCertificate of Merit for the Third Best Feature Film and he posthumously won theCertificate of Merit for the Best Story Writer.[4][5]
Born inShimla on 4 December 1910,[6] Motilal came from a distinguished family.[7] His father was a renowned educationist, who died when Motilal was one year old. He was brought up by his uncle who was a well-known civil surgeon inUttar Pradesh. At first, Motilal was sent to an English school at Shimla and later, in Uttar Pradesh (UP). Thereafter, he shifted to Delhi where he continued with school and college.
Motilal Rajvansh said of his screen career:[8]
Married a 100 times, died almost twice, never born but always brought down by a parachute.
After leaving college, Moti came toBombay to join the Navy, but he fell ill and could not appear for the test. Fate had other choices charted out for him. One day, he went to see a film shoot at Sagar Studios, where director K. P. Ghosh was shooting. Motilal, even then, was quite the man about the town and he caught Ghosh's eye. In 1934 (aged 24), he was offered the hero's role inShaher Ka Jadoo (1934) by the Sagar Film Company. He later featured in several successful social dramas alongsideSabita Devi, includingDr. Madhurika (1935) andKulvadhu (1937). He worked withMehboob Khan inJagirdar (1937) andHum Tum Aur Woh (1938) under the Sagar Movietone banner,[9] inTaqdeer (1943) for Mehboob Productions,[10] andKidar Sharma'sArmaan (1942) andKaliyan (1944). He also acted inS. S. Vasan's filmPaigham (1959) (Gemini Studios), and Raj Kapoor'sJagte Raho (1956).
In 1965, he also acted in theBhojpuri filmSolaho Singar Kare Dulhaniya.[1]
Perhaps the role for which he received the most critical appreciation was that of the gentleman crook in S. S. Vasan's adaptation ofR K Narayan's bookMr Sampat (1952). He is most remembered for his role as "Chunni Babu" inBimal Roy'sDevdas (1955), for which he won his firstFilmfare Best Supporting Actor Award. ActorNaseeruddin Shah once described him as one of three all-time best actors of Hindi cinema, others beingBalraj Sahni andYakub.
Motilal was very suave and polished, and moved in high society, though towards the end of his life he was in financial difficulty. Although a thorough gentleman, he enjoyed gambling and races, and died almost penniless in 1965.
He was in a relationship for several years with the actressNadira. He was later involved with actressShobhna Samarth after she separated from her husband,[11] and he played Samarth's real-life daughterNutan's father inHamari Beti, Shobhana's launch movie for Nutan. He also played her guardian inAnari, though this time the role had a villainous touch to it.
Amitabh Bachchan wrote in the foreword ofThe Hundred Luminaries of Hindi Cinema: "Not much has been written in praise of a great and very natural actor. He (Motilal) was greatly ahead of his times. Were he alive today his sheer versatility would have ensured a place for him even now. In fact, he would be doing much better than many of us."
