HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Amrish Puri (22 June 1932 – 12 January 2005) was an Indian actor, who was one of the most notable and important figures in
Indian cinema The cinema of India, consisting of motion pictures made by the Indian film industry, has had a large effect on world cinema since the second half of the 20th century. Indian cinema is made up of various film industries, each focused on p ...
and
theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...
. He acted in more than 450 films, established himself as one of the most popular and iconic actors in Indian cinema. Puri is remembered for playing various roles in a variety of film genres, especially iconic villainous roles in
Hindi cinema Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
, as well as international cinema. He reigned supreme in villainous roles in the 1980s and 1990s, when his dominating screen presence and distinctive deep voice made him stand out amongst the other villains of the day. Puri was active in both
art cinema An art film, arthouse film, or specialty film is an independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made prima ...
such as in some of
Shyam Benegal Shyam Benegal (14 December 1934 – 23 December 2024) was an Indian film director, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker. Often regarded as the pioneer of parallel cinema, he is widely considered as one of the greatest filmmakers post 1970s. H ...
and
Govind Nihalani Govind Nihalani (born 19 December 1940) is an Indian film director, cinematographer, screenwriter and producer, known for his works in Hindi cinema, particularly the movement of parallel cinema. He has been the recipient of six National Film Aw ...
's films as well as in mainstream cinema. Puri won three Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actor in eight nominations. He also holds most Filmfare Award for Best Villain nominations. While he predominantly 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 ...
-language films, he had also appeared in Telugu,
Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
,
Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
,
Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
and
Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...
language films. Puri played some of most remembered villainous roles in '' Vidhaata'' (1982), ''
Shakti Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; 'energy, ability, strength, effort, power, might, capability') in Hinduism, is the "Universal Power" that underlies and sustains all existence. Conceived as feminine in essence, Shakti refer ...
'' (1982), ''
Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...
'' (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 ''Damini'' () is a 1993 Indian Hindi-language crime drama film directed and co-written by Rajkumar Santoshi. It stars Meenakshi Seshadri in the title role with Rishi Kapoor, Sunny Deol and Amrish Puri. Aamir Khan makes a special appearance ...
'' (1993), '' Karan Arjun'' (1995), '' Kaalapani'' (1996), '' Jeet'' (1996), ''
Koyla ''Koyla'' ( Coal) is a 1997 Indian Hindi-language action film, action thriller film directed, co-written and produced by Rakesh Roshan starring Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit and Amrish Puri in lead roles with Johnny Lever, Ashok Saraf, Salim Gh ...
'' (1997), '' Baadshah'' (1999)'', Gadar: Ek Prem Katha'' (2001), and '' Nayak: The Real Hero'' (2001)''. ''His notable Telugu films include '' Kondaveeti Donga'' (1988), '' Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari'' (1990), and '' Aditya 369'' (1991). Puri's performance of the main antagonist Mogambo from Shekhar Kapurs Mr. India ''(1987) is considered as one of greatest villains of all time in Indian cinema.' It was reported that he received a salary of ₹1
crore Crore (; abbreviated cr) denotes the quantity ten million (107) and is equal to 100 lakh in the Indian numbering system. In many international contexts, the decimal quantity is formatted as 10,000,000, but when used in the context of the India ...
(US$771,890)'', ''making him the highest-paid Indian villain actor of all time. His comic role in ''
Chachi 420 ''Chachi 420'' () is a 1997 Indian Hindi-language comedy film, co-written, produced and directed by Kamal Haasan. The film is an official remake of the 1996 Tamil film '' Avvai Shanmughi''., which itself was an adaptation of 1993 film '' Mrs. Dou ...
'', that he acted alongside
Kamal Haasan Parthasarathy Srinivasan (born 7 November 1954), known professionally as Kamal Haasan, is an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Considered as one of the most accomplished actors of Indian Cinema, Haas ...
was well received by critics. Puri was a highly prolific actor; he also featured in positive supporting roles, of which he won 3 times Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actor. Some of his notable positive roles are '' Phool Aur Kaante'' (1991), '' Gardish'' (1993), '' Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge'' (1995), '' Ghatak'' (1996), '' Diljale'' (1996) '' Pardes'' (1997), '' Virasat'' (1997), '' China Gate'' (1998), ''
Badal ''Badal'' () is a 2000 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Raj Kanwar. The film stars Bobby Deol and Rani Mukerji in lead roles with Amrish Puri. It was a commercial success. Plot Badal is a young man with a tragic childhood ...
'' (2000), '' Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai'' (2001), ''
Mujhse Shaadi Karogi ''Mujhse Shaadi Karogi'' () is a 2004 Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by David Dhawan and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. The film stars Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra with Amrish Puri, Kader Khan, Satish Shah and ...
'' (2004) and '' Hulchul'' (2004). To foreign audiences, he is best known as Mola Ram in the
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...
and
George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...
'
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
film ''
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom ''Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'' is a 1984 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg from a script by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, based on a story by George Lucas. It is the second installment in the Indiana Jone ...
'' (1984) and in
Richard Attenborough Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough (; 29 August 192324 August 2014) was an English actor, film director, and Film producer, producer. Attenborough was the president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the British Acade ...
's ''
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 ...
'' (1982) as Dada Abdulla Hajee Adab, President of the Natal Indian Congress.


Early life

Amrish Lal Puri was born in a Punjabi Hindu family in Nawanshahr,
Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
, to Lala Nihal Chand and Ved Kaur. He had four siblings, elder brothers Chaman Puri and
Madan Puri Madan Puri (30 September 1915 – 13 January 1985) was an Indian actor of Hindi and Punjabi films. His brothers were actors Chaman Puri and Amrish Puri. As a character actor mainly in negative roles (villain), he acted in about 430 films in ...
(both of whom were also actors), elder sister Chandrakanta, and a younger brother, Harish Puri. He was the first cousin of the actor and singer K. L. Saigal.


Career

Puri acted in more than 450 films between 1967 and 2005, most of which were commercially successful, and was one of the most successful
villain A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...
s 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 actor K. 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 and
Madan Puri Madan Puri (30 September 1915 – 13 January 1985) was an Indian actor of Hindi and Punjabi films. His brothers were actors Chaman Puri and Amrish Puri. As a character actor mainly in negative roles (villain), he acted in about 430 films in ...
, had moved to Mumbai in the 1950s to try their luck in films and had found work as character actors. 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 the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), a government organization, and indulged his hobby of acting by becoming part of an amateur ''natak mandali'' or stage group. His group often performed at the Prithvi Theatre in plays written by Satyadev Dubey. He eventually became well known as a stage actor and even won the
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IAST: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recogni ...
in 1979. 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 movie '' Hum 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 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 ...
,
Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
,
Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...
, Punjabi,
Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
, Telugu,
Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
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 film '' Vidhaata''. That year, he again played the main villain, JK in the movie ''
Shakti Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; 'energy, ability, strength, effort, power, might, capability') in Hinduism, is the "Universal Power" that underlies and sustains all existence. Conceived as feminine in essence, Shakti refer ...
'' co-starring
Dilip Kumar Dilip Kumar (born Muhammad Yusuf Khan; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021) was an Indian actor and film producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated Hindi cinema from the 1950s throughout t ...
and
Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.* * * * * With a cinemati ...
. Next, in 1983, Ghai again cast him as the main villain, Pasha, in the hit movie ''
Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...
''. Puri regularly featured in subsequent Ghai films. He is known to international audiences for his roles as the main
antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.Mola Ram in
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...
and
George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...
's ''
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom ''Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'' is a 1984 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg from a script by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, based on a story by George Lucas. It is the second installment in the Indiana Jone ...
'' (1984) and as Gandhi's Muslim employer and patron in South Africa in
Richard Attenborough Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough (; 29 August 192324 August 2014) was an English actor, film director, and Film producer, producer. Attenborough was the president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the British Acade ...
's ''
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 ...
'' (1982). For ''Indiana 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!" 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" in '' Mr. India'', "Jagavar" in '' Vidhaata'', "Thakral" in '' Meri Jung'', "Bhujang" in '' Tridev'', "Balwant Rai" in '' Ghayal'', Barrister Chadda in ''
Damini ''Damini'' () is a 1993 Indian Hindi-language crime drama film directed and co-written by Rajkumar Santoshi. It stars Meenakshi Seshadri in the title role with Rishi Kapoor, Sunny Deol and Amrish Puri. Aamir Khan makes a special appearance ...
'' and "Thakur Durjan Singh" in '' Karan Arjun''. His comic role in ''
Chachi 420 ''Chachi 420'' () is a 1997 Indian Hindi-language comedy film, co-written, produced and directed by Kamal Haasan. The film is an official remake of the 1996 Tamil film '' Avvai Shanmughi''., which itself was an adaptation of 1993 film '' Mrs. Dou ...
'', that he acted alongside
Kamal Haasan Parthasarathy Srinivasan (born 7 November 1954), known professionally as Kamal Haasan, is an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Considered as one of the most accomplished actors of Indian Cinema, Haas ...
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 are '' Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge'', '' Phool Aur Kaante'', '' Gardish'', '' Pardes'', '' Virasat'', '' Ghatak'', '' Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai'', '' China Gate''. He received the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor award for ''Meri Jung'' and ''Virasat''.


Illness and death

Puri was suffering from
myelodysplastic syndrome A myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is one of a group of cancers in which blood cells in the bone marrow do not mature, and as a result, do not develop into healthy blood cells. Early on, no symptoms typically are seen. Later, symptoms may includ ...
, a rare kind of
blood cancer Tumors of the hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues (American English) or tumours of the haematopoietic and lymphoid tissues (British English) are tumors that affect the blood, bone marrow, lymph, and lymphatic system. Because these tissues are al ...
, and had undergone brain surgery for his condition after he was admitted to the Hinduja 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. His body was brought to his residence for people to pay their last respects, and his funeral was on 13 January 2005 at
Shivaji Park Shivaji Park, officially Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park, is a public park situated in Dadar, Mumbai. It is the largest park in the island city. Similar but bigger in size to Azad Maidan and Gowalia Tank, August Kranti Maidan (formerly Gowal ...
crematorium.


Filmography


Awards and nominations


Wins

* 1968: Maharashtra State Drama * 1979:
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IAST: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recogni ...
for Theatre * 1986: Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – '' Meri Jung'' * 1991: Maharashtra State Gaurav Pur '' Ghatak'' * 1997: Star Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor, Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor – '' Ghatak: Lethal'' * 1997: Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – '' Ghatak: Lethal'' * 1998: Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – '' Virasat'' * 1998: Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor – '' Virasat''


Nominations

* 1990: Filmfare Award for Best Villain – '' Tridev'' * 1992: Filmfare Award for Best Villain – '' Saudagar'' *1993: Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – '' Muskurahat'' * 1993: Filmfare Award for Best Villain – '' Tahalka'' *1994: Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – '' Gardish'' * 1994: Filmfare Award for Best Villain – ''
Damini ''Damini'' () is a 1993 Indian Hindi-language crime drama film directed and co-written by Rajkumar Santoshi. It stars Meenakshi Seshadri in the title role with Rishi Kapoor, Sunny Deol and Amrish Puri. Aamir Khan makes a special appearance ...
'' *1996: Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – * 1996: Filmfare Award for Best Villain – '' Karan Arjun'' * 1999: Filmfare Award for Best Villain – ''
Koyla ''Koyla'' ( Coal) is a 1997 Indian Hindi-language action film, action thriller film directed, co-written and produced by Rakesh Roshan starring Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit and Amrish Puri in lead roles with Johnny Lever, Ashok Saraf, Salim Gh ...
'' * 2000: Filmfare Award for Best Villain – '' Baadshah'' * 2002: Filmfare Award for Best Villain – '' Gadar: Ek Prem Katha'' * 2000: Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role – '' Baadshah'' * 2000: Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role – '' Taal'' * 2002: Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role – ''Gadar: Ek Prem Katha''


Legacy

On 22 June 2019, Puri was honoured with a
Google Doodle Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running annual Bu ...
. 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."


Bibliography

*


See also

* List of Bollywood actors


References


External links

*
Obituary from rediff

Obituary from Times of India
{{DEFAULTSORT:Puri, Amrish 1932 births 2005 deaths Punjabi Hindus 20th-century Indian male actors 21st-century Indian male actors Filmfare Awards winners Screen Awards winners Indian male film actors Indian male stage actors Male actors in Hindi cinema Male actors in Kannada cinema Male actors in Malayalam cinema Male actors in Marathi cinema Male actors in Punjabi cinema Male actors in Tamil cinema Male actors in Telugu cinema People from Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award People from Punjab Province (British India) Deaths from myelodysplastic syndrome