Motilal Rajvansh (4 December 1910 – 17 June 1965) was an Indian actor and the winner of

Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award The Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor is given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a male actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role. Although the awards starte ...

for ''

Devdas ''Devdas'' (, transliterated as ''Dēbôdās'') is a Bengali romance novel written by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. The story pivots a tragic triangle linking Devdas, an archetypal lover in viraha (separation); Paro, his forbidden childhood love ...

'' (1955) and '' Parakh'' (1960). He is credited with being among Hindi cinema's first natural actors. He also directed the film '' Chhoti Chhoti Baten'' (1965), but died before its release. At the

13th National Film Awards The 13th National Film Awards, then known as State Awards for Films, presented by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in 1965. Starting with 13th National Film Awards, a new award w ...

, it won the award for Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Feature Film and he posthumously won the Certificate of Merit for the Best Story Writer.

Early life and background

Born in

Shimla Shimla, also known as Simla ( the official name until 1972), is the capital and the largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of British India. After independence, the city ...

on 4 December 1910, Motilal came from a distinguished family. His father was a renowned educationist, who died when Motilal was one year old. He was brought up by his uncle who was a well-known civil surgeon in

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

. At first, Motilal was sent to an English school at Shimla and later, in Uttar Pradesh (UP). Thereafter, he shifted to Delhi where he continued with school and college.

Acting career

Motilal Rajvansh said of his screen career: Motilal in the film Armaan

After leaving college, Moti came 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 ...

to join the Navy, but he fell ill and could not appear for the test. Fate had other choices charted out for him. One day, he went to see a film shoot at Sagar Studios, where director K. P. Ghosh was shooting. Motilal, even then, was quite the man about the town and he caught Ghosh's eye. In 1934 (aged 24), he was offered the hero's role in '' Shaher Ka Jadoo'' (1934) by the Sagar Film Company. He later featured in several successful social dramas alongside

Sabita Devi Sabita Devi (1914–1965) was a Hindi cinema, Hindi film actress in Indian cinema. She is stated to be one of the "prominent" leading ladies of the "pioneering era" of Indian cinema along with Mehtab (actress), Mehtab, Bibbo (actress), Bibbo, Du ...

, including '' Dr. Madhurika'' (1935) and '' Kulvadhu'' (1937). He worked with

Mehboob Khan Mehboob Khan Ramzan Khan (9 September 1907
at filmreference.com. – 28 May 1964) was a pr ...

in '' Jagirdar'' (1937) and '' Hum Tum Aur Woh'' (1938) under the Sagar Movietone banner, in ''Taqdeer'' (1943) for Mehboob Productions, and

Kidar Sharma Kidar Nath Sharma (12 April 1910 – 29 April 1999), also known as Kedar Sharma, was an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, and lyricist of Hindi films. While he had great success as a director of movies including '' Neel Kamal'' (1947 ...

's ''Armaan'' (1942) and ''Kaliyan'' (1944). He also acted in

S. S. Vasan Subramaniam Srinivasan (4 January 1904 – 26 August 1969), popularly known by his screen name S. S. Vasan, was an Indian journalist, writer, advertiser, film producer, director and business tycoon. He is the founder of the Tamil-language maga ...

's film ''

Paigham ''Paigham'' () is a 1959 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by S. S. Vasan. The film stars Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala in the lead roles, with Raaj Kumar, Pandari Bai, B. Saroja Devi, Motilal and Johnny Walker in other important ro ...

'' (1959) (Gemini Studios), and Raj Kapoor's ''

Jagte Raho ''Jagte Raho'' () is a 1956 Hindi/ Bengali film, directed by Amit Maitra and Sombhu Mitra, written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, and produced by and starring Raj Kapoor. The film centers on the trials of a poor villager (Kapoor) who comes to a city ...

'' (1956). In 1965, he also acted in the

Bhojpuri Bhojpuri may refer to: * Bhojpuri language, an Indo-Aryan language of India and Nepal * Bhojpuri grammar, grammatical rules of the language * Bhojpuri nouns, nouns of the language * Bhojpuri people, people who speak the language * Bhojpuri region ...

film ''Solaho Singar Kare Dulhaniya.'' Perhaps the role for which he received the most critical appreciation was that of the gentleman crook in S. S. Vasan's adaptation of

R K Narayan Rasipuram Krishnaswami Narayanaswami (10 October 1906 – 13 May 2001), better known as R. K. Narayan, was an Indian writer and novelist known for his work set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi. He was a leading author of early I ...

's book '' Mr Sampat'' (1952). He is most remembered for his role as "Chunni Babu" in

Bimal Roy Bimal Roy (12 July 1909 – 7 January 1966) was an Indian film director. He is particularly noted for his realistic and socialistic films such as , '' Parineeta'', ''Biraj Bahu'', '' Devdas'', '' Madhumati'', '' Sujata'', '' Parakh'' and '' Ba ...

's ''Devdas'' (1955), for which he won his first

. Actor

Naseeruddin Shah Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1950) is an Indian actor. He was notable in Indian parallel cinema and has starred in various international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfa ...

once described him as one of three all-time best actors of Hindi cinema, others being

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

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 ...

Personal life

Motilal was very suave and polished, and moved in high society, though towards the end of his life he was in financial difficulty. Although a thorough gentleman, he enjoyed gambling and races, and died almost penniless in 1965. He was in a relationship for several years with the actress

Nadira Nadira is a given name common in Asian countries. It may refer to Given name * Nadira (Indian actress) (1932-2006), an Indian actress of the 1950s and 1960s, best known for her roles as a temptress * Nadira (Pakistani actress) (1968-1995), Pakista ...

. He was later involved with actress

Shobhna Samarth Shobhana Samarth (née Saroj Shilotri; 17 November 1916 – 9 February 2000) was an Indian director, actress and producer, who began her career in the early days of talkie movies in the Hindi film industry and continued in lead roles into the 1 ...

after she separated from her husband, and he played Samarth's real-life daughter

Nutan Nutan Samarth-Bahl ( Samarth; 4 June 1936 – 21 February 1991), known mononymously as Nutan was an Indian actress who worked in Hindi films. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Indian cinema, Nutan was noted for her natu ...

's father in ''Hamari Beti'', Shobhana's launch movie for Nutan. He also played her guardian in '' Anari'', though this time the role had a villainous touch to it.

Tribute

Amitabh Bachchan wrote in the foreword of ''The Hundred Luminaries of Hindi Cinema'': "Not much has been written in praise of a great and very natural actor. He (Motilal) was greatly ahead of his times. Were he alive today his sheer versatility would have ensured a place for him even now. In fact, he would be doing much better than many of us." Motilal Rajvansh 2013 stamp of India

Filmography

Actor

# '' Yeh Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hai'' (1966) # '' Chhoti Chhoti Baten'' (1965) # '' Waqt'' (1965) # ''Solaho Singar Kare Dulhaniya'' (Bhojpuri) (1965) # '' Ji Chahta Hai'' (1964) # ''

Leader Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

'' (1964) # ''

Yeh Rastey Hain Pyar Ke ''Yeh Rastey Hain Pyar Ke'' () is a 1963 Hindi crime drama film starring Sunil Dutt and Leela Naidu in the lead roles. This film was Sunil Dutt's debut production, directed by R.K. Nayyar, with music composed by Ravi. Dutt's favourite writer ...

'' (1963) # '' Asli-Naqli'' (1962) # '' Parakh'' (1960) # '' Anari'' (1959) # ''

'' (1959) # ''

Ab Dilli Dur Nahin Ab Dilli Dur Nahin may refer to: * ''Ab Dilli Dur Nahin'' (1957 film), an Indian Hindi-language film * ''Ab Dilli Dur Nahin'' (2023 film), an Indian Hindi-language drama film {{dab ...

'' (1957) # ''

'' (1956) # ''

'' (1955) # ''

Dhoon ''Dhoon'' (Tune or Passion) is a 1953 Bollywood film directed by M. Kumar. The film was produced by Silver Kings, a production company formed by Kumar and his then wife, actress Pramila. The film stars Raj Kapoor, Nargis, Motilal, Kumar, Prami ...

'' (1953) # '' Ek Do Teen'' (1953) # '' Apni Izzat'' (1952) # '' Mr. Sampat'' (1952) # ''

Hamari Beti ''Hamari Beti'' () is a 1950 Indian Hindi social comedy film. The directorial debut of Shobhna Samarth, it was the first film produced under her production company, Shobhana Pictures, to launch the acting career of her 14-year-old daughter Nutan ...

'' (1950) # '' Hanste Aansoo'' (1950) # ''

Ek Thi Ladki ''Ek Thi Ladki'' (Hindi: एक थी लड़की, There Was A Girl) is a 1949 Hindi action comedy film by director Roop K. Shorey. It had the famous Punjabi song "Laara Lappa Laara Lappa Layi Rakhda" by Lata Mangeshkar, Satish Batra a ...

'' (1949) # ''Lekh'' (1949) # '' Gajre'' (1948) # '' Mera Munna'' (1948) # '' Aaj Ki Raat'' (1948) # '' Do Dil'' (1947) # '' Phoolwari'' (1946) # ''Pehli Nazar'' (1945) # '' Dost'' (1944) # '' Mujrim'' (1944) # ''

Raunaq ''Raunaq'' is a 1944 Bollywood film directed by Dwarka Khosla and starring Chandraprabha, Swaran Lata, Noor Mohammed Charlie (billed as Charlie), Chandra Mohan, Motilal and Subarnalata Subarnalata. It was released in 1944. Cast * Swaran Lat ...

'' (1944) # ''

Umang Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance (UMANG) is a mobile app, a Digital India initiative of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (in short form MeitY), by the Government of India for access to central and state gover ...

'' (1944) # ''

Aage Kadam Aage Kadam (English translation – Forward March) is 1943 Hindi-language black-and-white film directed by N. R. Acharya and starring Motilal, Anjali Devi, Mubarak, Padma, Rajkumari Shukai and Amritlal.Taqdeer'' (1943) # ''

Tasveer Tasveer is a Seattle-based South Asian social justice arts non-profit organization. It was founded by Rita Meher and Farah Nousheen in 2002. Tasveer organizes events including film festivals, community speaking events, and open-mic nights to ce ...

'' (1943) # '' Armaan'' (1942) # '' Pardesi'' (1941) # '' Sasural'' (1941) # '' Achhut'' (1940) # ''

Holi Holi () is a major Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love and Spring.The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...".Yudit Greenberg, Encyclopedia of Love in World ...

'' (1940) # '' Aap Ki Marzi'' (1939) # '' Sach Hai'' (1939) # '' Hum Tum Aur Woh'' (1938) # ''

Teen Sau Din Ke Baad ''Teen Sau Din Ke Baad'' () is a 1938 Indian social comedy film directed by Sarvottam Badami. The film was produced by Sagar Movietone, with story written by Babubhai A. Mehta and dialogue by Wajahat Mirza and Waqif. The music was composed by A ...

'' (1938) # '' Captain Kirti Kumar'' (1937) # '' Jagirdar'' (1937) # '' Kulvadhu'' (1937) # '' Kokila'' (1937) # '' Dilawar'' (1936) # '' Do Diwane'' (1936) # '' Jeevan Lata'' (1936) # '' Lagna Bandhan'' (1936) # '' Do Ghadi Ki Mauj'' (1935) # '' Dr. Madhurika'' (1935) # '' Silver King'' (1935) # '' Shaher Ka Jadoo'' (1934) # '' Vatan Parasta'' (1934)

Director

# '' Chhoti Chhoti Baten'' (1965)

References

External links

*

* http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/A-trip-down-memory-lane-with-actor-Motilal/articleshow/47697183.cms {{DEFAULTSORT:Motilal 1910 births 1965 deaths Indian male film actors Male actors in Hindi cinema Actors from Shimla 20th-century Indian male actors Hindi-language film directors Male actors from Himachal Pradesh Film directors from Himachal Pradesh Best Story National Film Award winners Filmfare Awards winners