Dara Singh | |
|---|---|
 Singh in 2010 | |
| Born | Deedar Singh Randhawa (1928-11-19)19 November 1928 |
| Died | 12 July 2012(2012-07-12) (aged 83) Mumbai,Maharashtra, India |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1947–1983 (wrestler) 1950–2012 (actor) 2003–2009 (politician) |
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[2] |
| Title | Rustam-e-Hind |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 6, including: Vindu Dara Singh |
| Family | SeeRandhawa family |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name | Dara Singh |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2] |
| Billed weight | 127 kg (280 lb) |
| Billed from | Punjab,India |
| Trained by | Harnam Singh |
| Debut | 1948 |
| Retired | 1983 |
| Member of Parliament,Rajya Sabha | |
| In office 27 August 2003 – 26 August 2009 | |
| Website | dara-singh |
Dara Singh (bornDeedar Singh Randhawa; 19 November 1928 – 12 July 2012) was an Indianprofessional wrestler, actor, and politician. Widely regarded as one of India’s greatest wrestlers,[3][4] Singh earned international recognition during the 1950s and 1960s for his victories in both Indian and world wrestling circuits. In 1968, Singh became world champion by defeatingLou Thesz.[5]
Transitioning to cinema, Singh appeared in over 100Hindi andPunjabi films, often portraying strong, heroic and religious characters, and is best remembered for his iconic role asHanuman in the filmBajrangbali (1976) and in the television seriesRamayan (1987–1988).[6] He was the first sportsperson to be nominated as Member of theRajya Sabha from 2003 to 2009, he was also awarded thePadma Shri in 1996.[7] Singh was inducted into the Legacy wing of theWWE Hall of Fame Class of 2018.[8]
Singh was born in aPunjabiJat Sikh family as Deedar Singh Randhawa to Surat Singh Randhawa and Balwant Kaur on 19 November 1928[9][10] in the village of Dharmuchak in theMajha area of thePunjab region of India. At the time, it was still underBritish Raj colonial rule.[11]
He came toSingapore in 1947, where he worked in adrum-manufacturing mill and began his wrestling training under Harnam Singh in theGreat World Stadium.[12] As an adult he was 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall,[2] weighed 127 kilograms (280 lb) and had a chest measurement of 53 inches (130 cm). Due to his physique, he was encouraged to take uppehlwani, a traditional Indian style of wrestling, in which he trained for several years. After switching toprofessional wrestling, he competed around the world with opponents such asBill Verna, Firpo Zbyszko,John Da Silva,Rikidōzan, Danny Lynch andSki Hi Lee. His flooring ofKing Kong is still remembered.[13] He is credited to have remained undefeated in a professional wrestling bout.[14]
In 1951, Dara Singh lost a traditional city-duel match inGreco-Roman style against Brahmdev Mishra of Gorakhpur in a stadium located at Dharmatala MaidanCalcutta.[15][14][16][17]
In 1954, Dara competed in the Rustam-e-Hind (Champion of India) tournament where he won the final by defeatingTiger Joginder Singh and received a silver cup from MaharajaHari Singh.[18] In 1959, he won the Commonwealth Championship by defeatingGeorge Gordienko at Calcutta. On 29 May 1968 in Bombay, his victory overLou Thesz earned him theWorld championship.[19][3] According to Thesz, Singh was "an authentic wrestler, was superbly conditioned" and had no problem losing to the latter.[20] His last tournament, where he announced his retirement, was held in Delhi in June 1983.[21]
Singh left his village for Singapore in 1948.[11] He started his career as an actor in 1952 withSangdil.[22] He was a stunt film actor for many years and played his first lead role inBabubhai Mistry's filmKing Kong (1962).[23] From around 1963, he partnered often withMumtaz, with whom he performed in 16 Hindi films. The couple became the highest-paid B-grade actors, with Singh receiving nearly fourlakhrupees per film.[24]
He then went on to do television in the late 1980s, where he played the role ofHanuman in the television adaptation of the Hindu epicRamayan.[25] He also had roles in numerous films, such asVeer Bheem Sen andRamayan, and in other television serials. He starred asBhima in variousMahabharata movies, besides also playing Balram, he also starred asShiva in various theological movies.
His last Hindi movie wasJab We Met and the last Punjabi movie released before his illness wasDil Apna Punjabi. He acted inNational Award-winning filmMain Maa Punjab Dee directed by Balwant Singh Dullat. He directed seven Punjabi films includingSawa Lakh Se Ek Ladaun,Nanak Dukhiya Sub Sansar,Dhyanu Bhagat andRab Dian Rakhan. He also directed two films in Hindi;Bhakti Mein Shakti andRustom (1982), which were produced and directed under the banner "Dara Film" which he set up in 1970.[23] Singh acted as himself in the 1985 Malayalam filmMutharamkunnu P.O..
Singh was the owner of Dara Studio[26] at Phase 6, Mohali City, District SAS Nagar, Punjab. Dara Film Studio was founded in 1978. The studio was operational from 1980 as a film studio.
Singh joined theBharatiya Janata Party in January 1998.[27] He became the first sportsperson to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha – theupper house of theParliament of India. He served in that role between 2003 and 2009. He was also president of theJat Mahasabha.[22][28]
Singh's son Vindu Dara Singh, launched his first comic bookThe Epic Journey of the Great Dara Singh atOxford Bookstore in New Delhi in February 2019.[29]
Singh married twice. He had three sons and three daughters, includingVindu Dara Singh.[1] His brotherRandhawa was also a wrestler and actor.
Singh was admitted intoKokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital on 7 July 2012 following a massiveheart attack. Two days later, it was confirmed that he had brain damage due to the lack of blood flow.[30] He was discharged from hospital on 11 July 2012, citing that nothing can be done to prolong life, and died the next day at his home in Mumbai.[31] He wascremated atJuhucrematorium.[32][33]
In 1996, Singh was inducted into theWrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame. He was ranked 94 out of 100 wrestlers forDave Meltzer's Top 100 Wrestlers of all time in 2002. In 2016, Dara was included in the list India's top wrestlers of all time.[34] On 7 April 2018,WWE inducted him inWWE Hall of Fame Legacyclass of 2018.[8]
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Nanak Dukhiya Sub Sansar | Yes | No | ||
| 1973 | Mera Desh Mera Dharam | Yes | No | [23] | |
| 1974 | Bhagat Dhanna Jatt | Yes | No | ||
| 1976 | Sawa Lakh Se Ek Ladaun | Yes | No | ||
| 1978 | Dhyanu Bhagat | Yes | No | ||
| 1978 | Bhakti Mein Shakti | Yes | Yes | [23][35] | |
| 1982 | Rustom | Yes | No | [23] | |
| 1985 | Mutharamkunnu P.O | No | Yes |
| Martial arts and combat sports | |
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| Weapons | |
| Related terms | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
