Gope (11 April 1913 – 19 March 1957) was an Indian actor of

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 ...

. Starting his career with a small role in ''Insaan Ya Shaitaan'' (1933), directed by Moti Gidwani and produced by Eastern Arts Production, Gope went on to act in over one hundred forty films in a career spanning twenty-four years from 1933 to 1957. Several of his films were released following his death. Best known for his comedy roles, he is stated to be one of Hindi cinema's "most popular comedians". His acting in comic roles won him "critical and popular acclaim" and he soon became "the leading comedian of his time". His popularity assured him of being mentioned in the credit role of films along with the main cast. He became famous after lip-syncing the popular number "Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon" from '' Patanga'', given playback by C. Ramchandra for Gope and by

Shamshad Begum Shamshad Begum (Urdu: شمشاد بیگم, IAST: ''Śamśād Bēgam''; 14 April 1919 – 23 April 2013) was an Indian singer who was one of the first playback singers in the Hindi film industry. Notable for her distinctive voice and range, sh ...

for Nigar Sultana. He formed a popular comic pairing with

Yakub Yakub, Yaqub, Yaqoob, Yaqoub, Yacoub, Yakoub or Yaâkub (, also transliterated in other ways; ''Yakob,'' as commonly westernized) is a male given name. It is the Arabic version of Jacob and James. The Arabic form ''Ya'qūb/Ya'kūb'' may be direct ...

, in the "Laurel-and-Hardy" style, and the producers used them in several films. Their most famous films together were ''Patanga'' (1949), followed by ''Bazar'' (1949), ''Beqasoor'' and ''Sagai'' (1951)

Early years

Gope was born Gope Bishandas Kamlani, on 11 April 1913, in

Hyderabad, Sindh Hyderabad, also known as Neroonkot, is the capital and largest city of the Hyderabad Division in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Sindh by population, second-largest city in Sindh, after Karachi, and the List of citie ...

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 ...

. He was one of nine children. With K. S. Daryani's help, Gope moved to Mumbai and started his acting career in a small role in ''Insaan Ya Shaitaan'' (1933), which starred

Jaddanbai Jaddanbai Hussain (1 April 1892 – 8 April 1949; known professionally as Jaddanbai) was an Indian singer, music composer, dancer, actress, filmmaker, and one of the pioneers of Indian cinema. She along with Bibbo and Saraswati Devi were one ...

, Ermeline and the then reigning comedian, Dixit.

Career

Gope acted in other memorable roles in films such as ''Hindustan Hamara'', '' Mirza Sahiban'', '' Patanga'' and ''Chori Chori''. Gope also tried playing negative roles. In the 1951 Dilip Kumar-Madhubala starrer film ''Taraana'', he teamed up with Jeevan to play the villain's role in comic style. He started Gope Productions in the 1950s, which made films such as ''Hangama'' and ''Biradari''. Some of these films were directed by Gope's brother, Ram Kamlani. Gope married actress Latika and continued to act in films until his premature death in 1957 on the set of Kundan Kumar's Teesri Gali, which was eventually released in 1958.

Personal life

Gope married actress Latika on 5 February 1949 under the Civil Marriages Act. Latika had earlier acted in the film '' Gopinath'' (1948) opposite

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 ...

. According to a Filmindia magazine report, "a grand reception was given to the newly wedded couple at the Shree Sound Studios in which many film people participated. There was also a moonlight party later on the Juhu sands." Gope born a

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

became a

Jehovah's Witness Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co- ...

. He had two sons with Latika. After his death, his widow Latika relocated to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

with their two young sons.

Filmography

Gope acted in over one hundred forty films in a career spanning twenty-four years from 1933 to 1957. A partial list:

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gope 1913 births 1957 deaths Indian male film actors 20th-century Indian male actors Male actors from Hyderabad, India