Amrish Puri | |
|---|---|
 Puri at the premiere ofThe Hero: Love Story of a Spy in 2003 | |
| Born | (1932-06-22)22 June 1932 |
| Died | 12 January 2005(2005-01-12) (aged 72) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1967–2005 |
| Works | Filmography |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Chaman Puri (brother) Madan Puri (brother) K. L. Saigal (cousin) Vardhan Puri (grandson) |
| Signature | |
 | |
Amrish Puri[1] (22 June 1932 – 12 January 2005)[2] was an Indian actor, who was one of the most notable and important figures inIndian cinema andtheatre. He acted in more than 450 films, and established himself as one of the greatest and iconic actors in Indian cinema.[3][4] Puri was known for his acting versatility but his villainous roles earned him more recognition. In 1980s and 1990s, he received appreciation for his screen presence and distinctive voice.[5] Puri also worked inart cinema. He won threeFilmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actor in eight nominations. He also holds mostFilmfare Award for Best Villain nominations.
While he predominantly worked inHindi-language films, he had also appeared inTelugu,Kannada,Tamil,Malayalam andMarathi language films. His most well-known roles includeVidhaata (1982),Shakti (1982),Hero (1983),Meri Jung (1985),Nagina (1986),Mr. India (1987),Shahenshah (1988),Ram Lakhan (1989),Tridev (1990),Ghayal (1990),Saudagar (1991),Thalapathi (1991),Tahalka (1992),Damini (1993),Karan Arjun (1995),Kaalapani (1996),Jeet (1996),Koyla (1997),Baadshah (1999),Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001), andNayak: The Real Hero (2001). His notable Telugu films includeKondaveeti Donga (1988),Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari (1990), andAditya 369 (1991). Puri's performance of the main antagonist Mogambo fromShekhar Kapur'sMr. India (1987) is considered as one of the greatest villains of all time in Indian cinema.[6][7] It was reported that he received a salary of ₹1crore (US$771,890), making him the highest-paid villain actor of the time.[8] His comic role inChachi 420 oppositeKamal Haasan, was also well received by critics.
Puri also appeared in supporting roles, of which he won 3 timesFilmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actor. Some of his notable roles werePhool Aur Kaante (1991),Gardish (1993),Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995),Ghatak (1996),Diljale (1996)Pardes (1997),Virasat (1997),China Gate (1998),Badal (2000),Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai (2001),Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004) andHulchul (2004). In international films, he was best known asMola Ram in theSteven Spielberg andGeorge Lucas starrerHollywood filmIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and as Dada Abdulla Hajee Adab, President of theNatal Indian Congress inRichard Attenborough'sGandhi (1982).
Amrish Lal Puri was born in aPunjabi Hindu family inNawanshahr,Punjab, to Lala Nihal Chand and Ved Kaur.[1] He had four siblings: elder brothersChaman Puri andMadan Puri (both actors), elder sister Chandrakanta, and a younger brother, Harish Puri. He was the first cousin of actor and singerK. L. Saigal.[9]
Puri was married to Urmila Diveker and has two children with her; namely, son Rajeev Amrish Puri who is married to Meena Puri[10] and daughter Namrata Puri married to Shirish Bagwa. Recalling his last days, his son Rajiv revealed that his father had met with an accident during the shoot ofGuddu Dhanoa’sJaal: The Trap (2003) in Himachal Pradesh, where his face and eyes suffered serious injuries, due to which he had to undergo frequent blood transfusions.[11] He developedmyelodysplastic syndrome as a result of this accident and subsequent malfunctions due to frequent hospitalizations.[12]
Puri joined theRashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at the age of 15 or 16 while living in Delhi.[13] He became actively involved, eventually serving as the "Mukhya Shikshak" (chief teacher) of his local shakha. Puri credited the discipline and values instilled by the RSS for shaping his character and work ethic, which he maintained throughout his theatre and film career, keeping him grounded in an industry often criticized for moral decline.
Puri acted in more than 450 films between 1967 and 2005, most of which were commercially successful, and was one of the most successfulvillains in Bollywood. Yet, his early years were marked by relentless struggle and he was nearly fifty years of age before he first played a leading character (as main villain) in a film.
Puri's family had some film connections. The singer and actorK. L. Saigal, one of the pioneers of Indian cinema, was Puri's first cousin. Enamoured by the fame of their cousin, Puri's older brothers, Chaman Puri andMadan Puri, had moved to Mumbai in the 1950s to try their luck in films and had found work as character actors.[14] Puri likewise came to Mumbai in the mid-1950s to try his luck, but failed his first screen test. He however managed to land a stable job with theEmployees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), a government organization, and indulged his hobby of acting by becoming part of an amateurnatak mandali or stage group. His group often performed at thePrithvi Theatre in plays written bySatyadev Dubey. He eventually became well known as a stage actor and even won theSangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1979.[15] This theatre recognition soon led to work in television advertisements and eventually to films at the relatively late age of 40 (forty).
This was in the early 1970s, and he hardly had a dialogue to utter in his first few films, which is remarkable, because his baritone voice was to be his source of fame in later years. These bit appearances were still counted a hobby, since he continued with his government job in order to support his family. Throughout the 1970s, Puri worked in supporting roles, usually as the henchman of the main villain. The super-hit movieHum Paanch (1980) was the first film in which he played the main villain. His acting performance, personality and voice were all noticed and duly appreciated in this film. After that, he started getting cast as the main villain in other movies. Puri went on to work inHindi,Kannada,Marathi,Punjabi,Malayalam,Telugu,Tamil and even Hollywood films. His main field was, of course, Hindi cinema.
In 1982, Puri played the main villain, Jagavar Choudhary in the Subhash Ghai super-hit filmVidhaata. That year, he again played the main villain, JK in the movieShakti co-starringDilip Kumar andAmitabh Bachchan. Next, in 1983, Ghai again cast him as the main villain, Pasha, in the hit movieHero. Puri regularly featured in subsequent Ghai films.
He is known to international audiences for his roles as the mainantagonistMola Ram inSteven Spielberg andGeorge Lucas'sIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and as Gandhi's Muslim employer and patron in South Africa inRichard Attenborough'sGandhi (1982). ForIndiana Jones, he shaved his head and it created such an impression that he kept his head shaved thereafter. His baldness gave him the flexibility to experiment with different looks as a villain in subsequent movies, and few are aware that in every film thereafter, Puri was wearing a wig. Puri and Spielberg shared a great rapport and Spielberg often said in interviews: "Amrish is my favorite villain. The best the world has ever produced and ever will!"[16]
Puri reigned supreme in villainous roles in the 1980s and 1990s. His dominating screen presence and baritone voice made him stand out amongst the other villains of the day. In villainous roles, Puri is best remembered as "Mogambo" inMr. India, "Jagavar" inVidhaata, "Thakral" inMeri Jung, "Bhujang" inTridev, "Balwant Rai" inGhayal, Barrister Chadda inDamini and "Thakur Durjan Singh" inKaran Arjun. His comic role inChachi 420, that he acted alongsideKamal Haasan was highly appreciated.
From the 1990s until his death in 2005, Puri also featured in positive supporting roles in many movies. Some of his notable positive roles areDilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge,Phool Aur Kaante,Gardish,Pardes,Virasat,Ghatak,Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai,China Gate. He received the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor award forMeri Jung andVirasat.
Puri was suffering frommyelodysplastic syndrome, a rare kind ofblood cancer, and had undergone brain surgery for his condition after he was admitted to theHinduja Hospital on 27 December 2004. His condition required frequent removal of the blood accumulated in the cerebral region of the brain and after some time he slipped into a coma. Puri died around 7:30 a.m on 12 January 2005.[17]
His body was brought to his residence for people to pay their last respects, and his funeral was on 13 January 2005 atShivaji Park crematorium.[18]
Puri always brought different shades to his performances by his voice, smoldering gaze and screen presence, he could stand against actors likeDilip Kumar,Raaj Kumar andAmitabh Bachchan.[3] Puri was an integral part of every film, and producers and directors never thought of making any film without him.[1]
On 22 June 2019, Puri was honoured with aGoogle Doodle. Commemorating his 87th birthday, Google carried his picture and the accompanying text read as, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again—and you might end up like Indian film actor Amrish Puri, who overcame an early setback on the way to fulfilling his big screen dreams."[19] In 2022, Puri was placed inOutlook India's "75 Best Bollywood Actors" list.[20]
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