Parikshit Sahni (born 1 January 1944) is an Indian film and television actor who has worked 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 ...

and

Punjabi cinema Punjabi cinema, also known as Pollywood or Punjwood, is cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Punjabi language, Punjabi-language widely spoken in the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab. It is based in Amritsar, Ludhi ...

. He is known for his roles in the TV series ''Barrister Vinod'', ''

Gul Gulshan Gulfaam ''Gul Gulshan Gulfaam'' is a 1987 DD National television serial directed by Ved Rahi and produced by Prem Krishen ( Cinevistaas). It was one of the first serials to be based in Kashmir and portray a Kashmiri family: It became an instant hit

'' (

Doordarshan Doordarshan (), abbreviated as DD, is India's State-owned enterprise, state-owned public broadcasting, public television broadcaster. Established by the Government of India on 15 September 1959, it is owned by the Ministry of Information and B ...

) and ''Gaatha'' (

Star Plus StarPlus is an Indian Hindi-language general entertainment pay television channel owned by JioStar, a joint venture between Viacom18 and Disney India. Its programming consists of family dramas, romantic comedies, youth-oriented reali ...

). He has also appeared several films including three of

Rajkumar Hirani Rajkumar "Raju" Hirani (born 20 November 1962) is an Indian filmmaker known for his works in Hindi films. He is the recipient of several accolades, including four National Film Awards and 11 Filmfare Awards. Hirani is referred as one of the m ...

's blockbuster films ''

Lage Raho Munna Bhai ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' (; translation: ''Keep Going, Munna Bhai'') is a 2006 Indian Hindi-language satirical comedy drama film written, edited and directed by Rajkumar Hirani, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Abhijat Joshi, and produce ...

'', ''

3 Idiots ''3 Idiots'' is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age comedy-drama film written, edited and directed by Rajkumar Hirani, co-written by Abhijat Joshi and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. The film stars Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan and Shar ...

'', and '' PK''. He is the son of actor

Balraj Sahni Balraj Sahni (born Yudhishthir Sahni; 1 May 1913 – 13 April 1973) was an Indian film and stage actor, who is best known for (1946), '' Do Bigha Zameen'' (1953), '' Chhoti Bahen'' (1959), '' Kabuliwala'' (1961), Waqt (1965) and '' Garm Hava'' ...

and nephew of writer

Bhisham Sahni Bhisham Sahni (8 August 1915 – 11 July 2003) was an Indian writer, playwright in Hindi and an actor, most famous for his novel ''Tamas'' ("Darkness"/'Ignorance") and the television screenplay adaptation of the same name, a powerful and passio ...

Early life

He was born in

Muree Murree () is a mountain resort city in the northernmost region of the Punjab province of Pakistan. Lying in the Galyat region of the Pir Panjal Range under the western Himalayas, it forms the outskirts of the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan ...

in the

Rawalpindi District Rawalpindi District (Punjabi language, Punjabi and ) is a Districts of Pakistan, district located in the northernmost part of the Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab province of Pakistan. Parts of the district form part of the Islamabad Rawalpindi metropo ...

of the Punjab Province of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

(present day in the

Murree District Murree, ( Punjabi/) is a district of the Rawalpindi Division in the northernmost part of the Pakistani province of Punjab. It was created out of Rawalpindi District in 2022 and consists of two tehsils, Kotli Sattian and Murree. Administrative ...

Punjab, Pakistan Punjab (, ) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. With a population of over 127 million, it is the Demographics of Pakistan, most populous province in Pakistan and the List of first-level administrative divisions by popu ...

), into a

Punjabi Hindu Punjabi Hindus are adherents of Hinduism who identify ethnically, linguistically, culturally, and genealogically as Punjabis and are natives of the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. Punjabi Hindus are the third-largest religious g ...

family. He was named by Rabindranath Tagore while his father was teaching English at

Visva-Bharati University Visva-Bharati (IAST: ''Viśva-Bhāratī''), () is a public central university and an Institute of National Importance located in Shantiniketan, West Bengal, India. It was founded by Rabindranath Tagore who called it ''Visva-Bharati'', which ...

Shantiniketan Shantiniketan (IPA: �antiniketɔn is a neighbourhood of Bolpur town in the Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum district in West Bengal, India, approximately 152 km north of Kolkata. It was established by Maharshi Devendranath Tagore, and ...

, and his mother was doing her Bachelors. Most of his schooling was done at the Lawrence school Sanawar. He then went to study at Delhi's St. Stephen's College. Later, Sahni began his career as a child artist.

Personal life

Sahni's parents were both theatre and film actors, although his mother acted in only a couple of films before her death at an early age in 1947. After her death, his father married Santosh Chandhok two years later. He was married to Aruna Kapur. Aditi Sahni and Tania Sahni were his daughters from first marriage. After Aruna died, Sahni married Dr. Nandini and had son Varunjai Sahni. On the advice of his uncle, Bhishm Sahani, Parikshit Sahni was sent by his father to attend a five-year course in architecture in Moscow. However, since he was poor in maths, he was advised to get admission in Moscow Cinema Institute. He cleared the aptitude test and joined the five-year course in film direction in the Moscow Cinema Institute. He returned in 1966 and started his film career in India. He assisted

Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor (; born as Shrishti Nath Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influen ...

in ''

Mera Naam Joker ''Mera Naam Joker'' () is a 1970 Indian romantic drama film, directed, edited and produced by Raj Kapoor under his banner R. K. Films, and written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas. The film stars Raj Kapoor as the eponymous character, with his son Rish ...

'' because Kapoor needed a person who could help him in working with the Russian Circus but he left that to act in ''

Anokhi Raat () is a 1968 Hindi film produced by L. B. Lachman and L. B. Thakur and directed by Asit Sen. The film stars Sanjeev Kumar, Zaheeda Hussain, Aruna Irani, Keshto Mukherjee and Parikshit Sahni. It has music by Roshan and Salil Chowdhury, with t ...

.'' Sahni even changed his screen name to Ajay Sahni at the suggestion of his friend Sanjeev Kumar during the shooting of their 1968 film ''

'', before eventually reverting to his own name a few years later.

Career

Sahni starred in the classic

Punjabi film Punjabi cinema, also known as Pollywood or Punjwood, is cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Punjabi language, Punjabi-language widely spoken in the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab. It is based in Amritsar, Ludhi ...

''Marhi Da Diva'' (1989), with

Raj Babbar Raj Babbar (born 23 June 1952) is an Indian Hindi and Punjabi language, Punjabi film actor and politician belonging to Indian National Congress. He is a three-time member of the Lok Sabha and a two-time member of the Rajya Sabha. He was the sta ...

Pankaj Kapur Pankaj Kapur (born 29 May 1954) is an Indian actor who has worked in Hindi theatre, television and films. Recipient of a Filmfare Award and three National Film Awards, his most acclaimed film roles include that of Inspector P.K. in '' Raakh'' ...

, Kanwaljit Singh, and

Deepti Naval Deepti Naval (born 3 February 1952) is an Indian-American actress, director, and writer, predominantly active in Hindi cinema. Her major contribution has been in the area of art cinema, winning critical acclaim for her sensitive and 'close to ...

. He played a remarkable role in the Hindi film ''

Pavitra Paapi ''Pavitra Papi'' () is a 1970 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Rajendra Bhatia. The film stars Balraj Sahni, Parikshit Sahni and Tanuja. The movie was based on a Punjabi novel by famous writer Nanak Singh. Plot It is small-town Ind ...

'' (1970) which was based on a Punjabi novel by

Nanak Singh Nanak Singh, (b. 4 July 1897 as Hans Raj – 28 December 1971), was an Indian poet, songwriter, and novelist of the Punjabi language. His literary works in support of India's independence movement led the British to arrest him. He published nov ...

(a famous novelist). Pavitra Paapi also featured his real life father, Balraj Sahni in a pivotal role. He acted in the

television series ''

The Great Maratha ''The Great Maratha'' is an Indian historical drama television series directed by Sanjay Khan and produced by Numero Uno International Limited. The drama aired on DD National. The series is based on the life of Mahadaji Shinde. The show compr ...

'' as

Malhar Rao Holkar Malhar Rao Holkar (16 March 1693 – 20 May 1766) was a noble subedar of the Maratha Empire, in present-day India. He was one of the early officers along with Ranoji Scindia, appointed by Peshwa Bajirao I to help spread the Maratha rule to nort ...

. He produced and acted in the popular TV series ''

'' (1987) on

DD National DD National (formerly DD1) is an Indian state-owned entertainment television channel, founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It is the flagshi ...

. One of his most famous films was the Amitabh and Shashi Kapoor starer

Kaala Patthar ''Kaala Patthar'' () is a 1979 Indian Hindi-language action drama film directed and produced by Yash Chopra under the Yash Raj Films banner. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Shatrughan Sinha, Raakhee, Parveen Babi, Neetu Sin ...

. He acted in the film ''

'' in which he played the role of R. Madhavan's father. He acted in the TV series '' Heena'' as Nawab Mirza, Heena's father. ''Heena'' ended in 2003. Sahni played Veer Singh (Kakasa) on the popular

Zee TV ZEE TV also known as Z TV is an Indian Hindi language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It was launched on 1 October 1992 as the oldest privately owned television channel in India. History ...

serial '' Saat Phere: Saloni Ka Safar'' opposite

Nivedita Bhattacharya Nivedita Bhattacharya (born 21 July 1970) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. She is known for TV shows ''Saat Phere'', ''Saloni Ka Safar'' and ''Koi Laut Ke Aaya Hai.'' Also for web-series A web series (also known as webseries, ...

Books

* ''The Non-conformist: Memories of My Father Balraj Sahni'',

Penguin Random House Penguin Random House Limited is a British-American multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate publishing company formed on July 1, 2013, with the merger of Penguin Books and Random House. Penguin Books was or ...

, 2019. * ''Strange Encounters: Adventures of a Curious Life'',

Simon and Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

, 2022.

Filmography

Films

TV series

References

External links

*
''I met a hermit on the run'' – Article by Parikshit Sahni
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sahni, Parikshit Indian male film actors Indian male television actors Male actors in Hindi cinema Living people Lawrence School, Sanawar alumni Delhi University alumni People from Murree 1944 births People from Punjab Province (British India) Anand–Sahni family Male actors in Hindi television Male actors in Punjabi cinema Indian autobiographers English-language writers from India 21st-century Indian biographers