Pradeep Kumar (4 January 1925 – 27 October 2001) was an Indian actor who is recognized for his work in

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

, Punjabi and English-language films. (Dinesh Raheja
Ever the royal
Rediff.com website, Published 2 June 2003, Retrieved 16 February 2023

Career

When Kumar was 17 years old, he decided to take up acting. He started his film career in Bengali films. His notable roles in Bengali films were in ''Alaknanda'' (1947), directed by renowned filmmaker

Debaki Bose Debaki Bose (1898–1971), also known as Debaki Kumar Bose, was an Indian director, writer, and actor who is recognized for his contribution in Hindi as well as Bengali cinema. He was born on 25 November 1898 in Akalposh, (now East Burdwan), Bu ...

, and in ''42'' (1951). Pradeep Kumar Batabayal then shifted to

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

and

Filmistan Filmistan is an Indian film studio based in Goregaon, Mumbai. Spread over five acres, near Patkar College on S.V. Road, the studio has seven shooting floors, and a temple and garden for outdoor locations. Patkar College's reputation has incre ...

studios, and had an important role in the film '' Anand Math'' (1952). He played the lead role with Bina Rai in ''Anarkali'' (1953) and with Vyjayanthimala in ''Nagin'' (1954). Both films were very popular and had songs that added to the movies' success. He worked with

Madhubala Madhubala (born Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi; 14 February 1933 – 23 February 1969) was an Indian actress who worked in Hindi films. She is considered as one of the greatest and finest actresses in the history of Indian cinema. One of the country ...

in eight films, of which '' Raj Hath'' (1956), ''

Shirin Farhad Shirin Farhad or Shirin Farhaad may refer to: * A version of the classic Persian story of Khosrow and Shirin * Shirin Farhad (1931 film), ''Shirin Farhad'' (1931 film), an Indian musical film directed by J.J. Madan, the second Indian film with soun ...

'' (1956), ''

Gateway of India The Gateway of India is an arch-monument completed in 1924 on the waterfront of Mumbai (Bombay), India. It was erected to commemorate the landing of George V for his coronation as the Emperor of India in December 1911 at Strand Road near We ...

'' (1957), '' Yahudi Ki Ladki'' (1957) and ''

Passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that certifies a person's identity and nationality for international travel. A passport allows its bearer to enter and temporarily reside in a foreign country, access local aid ...

'' (1961) were massive hits. He had a spate of releases in the second half of the 1950s. He did not enjoy as much success in the 1960s, though '' Ghoonghat'' (1960), ''

Aarti ''Arti'' () or ''Aarati'' () is a Hindu ritual employed in worship, part of a ''Puja (Hinduism), puja'', in which light from a flame (fuelled by camphor, ghee, or oil) is ritually waved to venerate Hindu deities, deities. ''Arti'' also refers t ...

'' (1962) & ''

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal ( ; ; ) is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal Empire, Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his belo ...

'' (1963) were successful. He worked with Meena Kumari in seven films; '' Adil-E-Jahangir'', ''Bandhan (1956 film)'', '' Chitralekha'', '' Bahu Begum'' (1967), ''

Bheegi Raat ''Bheegi Raat'' () is a 1965 in film, 1965 Bollywood film produced and directed by Kalidas. The film was a semi hit at the box office. Roshan (music director), Roshan was the music director. Hit songs from the movie include'' 'Dil Jo Na Keh Sa ...

'', ''

'' and ''Noorjehan''; and with Mala Sinha in eight films; '' Naya Zamana'', ''Hamlet'', '' Baadshah'', ''Detective (1958 movie)'', ''Fashion (1959 film)'', ''

Ek Shola ''Ek Shola'' is a 1958 Hindi film starring Pradeep Kumar and Mala Sinha. Soundtrack External links * 1956 films 1950s Hindi-language films Films scored by Madan Mohan Indian black-and-white films Indian romantic comedy films 1956 roma ...

'', ''Duniya Na Maane'', and ''Mitti Mein Sona''. He also worked with the legendary Bengali actor and matinee idol Uttam Kumar in ''Grihadaha'' in 1967 which was produced by Uttam himself and then he worked in '' Plot No 5.'' He did not get to act with the newer heroines of the 1960s such as Sadhana, Saira Banu, Babita or

Sharmila Tagore Sharmila Tagore (; born 8 December 1944) also known by her married name Begum Ayesha Sultana, is an Indian actress primarily known for her work in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali films. Widely recognized as one of the gre ...

, though he did work with

Asha Parekh Asha Parekh (born 2 October 1942) is an Indian actress, film director, and producer who worked in Hindi films. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses of Hindi cinema, Parekh has worked in more than 85 films, in a career spanning over four d ...

in '' Ghoonghat'' and ''Meri Surat Teri Aankhen'' and with Waheeda Rehman in ''Rakhi'' (1962). In 1969, he moved to character roles with ''Sambandh'' and '' Mehboob Ki Mehndi'', but did not have many visible roles until ''

Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British ...

'', which won several

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

and was his debut Hollywood movie. Some of his later films include '' Jaanwar'' and ''

Razia Sultan Raziyyat-Ud-Dunya Wa Ud-Din ( Hindustani (Hindi): रज़िय्यत उद दुन्या व उद दीन, ; 1205 – 15 October 1240, ), popularly known as Razia Sultan, was a ruler of the Delhi Sultanate in the northern part ...

'' in 1983.

Awards

He won the ''Kalakar Award'' - Lifetime Achievement Award (1999).

Death

Pradeep Kumar died in

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

on 27 October 2001, at the age of 76. His daughter

Beena Banerjee Beena Banerjee (born 19 February 1943), also known as Beena or Bina, is an Indian actress in Bengali and Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustan ...

plays character roles in movies and TV serials including '' Uttaran''; her son Siddharth Banerjee worked as assistant director in Sajid Khan's '' Housefull 2'' (2012) and '' Himmatwala'' (2013).

Filmography

Hindi

Bengali

References

External links

An article from rediff.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kumar, Pradeep 1925 births 2001 deaths 20th-century Indian male actors Indian male film actors Male actors in Bengali cinema Male actors in Hindi cinema Male actors from Kolkata