Balraj Sahni: Difference between revisions
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| name = Balraj Sahni |
| name = Balraj Sahni |
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| image = Balraj Sahni.jpg |
| image = Balraj Sahni.jpg |
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| caption = Balraj Sahni in [[Garm Hava]] (1973) |
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| birth_name = Yudhishthir Sahni |
| birth_name = Yudhishthir Sahni |
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| birth_date = {{Birth date|1913|5|1|mf=y}} |
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1913|5|1|mf=y}} |
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He also starred in the classic Punjabi film ''Nanak Dukhiya Sub Sansar'' (1970) as well as the critically acclaimed ''Satluj de kande''. |
He also starred in the classic Punjabi film ''Nanak Dukhiya Sub Sansar'' (1970) as well as the critically acclaimed ''Satluj de kande''. |
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His performance as the angst ridden but stoical Muslim man who refuses to go to Pakistan during partition in his last film [[Garm Hava]] has often been called his best performance by critics. Balraj however could not see the completed film himself to rate his own performance, as he died just the next day after he finished dubbing for [[Garm Hava]]. The last lines he recorded for the film, and hence his last recorded lines are, "How long can a man live a alone." |
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== Later life == |
== Later life == |
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Revision as of 06:46, 18 March 2010
Balraj Sahni | |
|---|---|
| File:Balraj Sahni.jpg Balraj Sahni in Garm Hava (1973) | |
| Born | Yudhishthir Sahni May 1, 1913 |
| Died | April 13, 1973 (aged 59) |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, Writer |
Balraj Sahni (Punjabi:ਬਲਰਾਜ ਸਾਹਨੀ Hindi: बलराज साहनी) (1 May 1913–13 April 1973) was a famous Hindi film actor. His real name was Yudhishthir Sahni (Punjabi/Hindi: युधिष्ठिर साहनी). He belonged to a Punjabi Khatri family from Bhera now in Punjab, Pakistan.
Early life
Sahni went from his native Rawalpindi to study at Harvard. He completed his Masters degree in English Literature from Lahore and then went back to Rawalpindi and joined his family business. He also held a Bachelor's degree in Hindi, followed by a Masters in English from Punjab University [1]. Soon after, he married Damayanti Sahni.
In the late 1930s, Sahni and his wife left Rawalpindi to join Tagore's Visva-Bharati University in Shantiniketan in Bengal as an English and Hindi teacher. It is here that there son, Parikshit Sahni was born, when his wife Damayanti was doing her Bachelors degree [2]. He also went to work with Mahatma Gandhi for a year in 1938. The next year, Sahni, with Gandhi's blessings, went to England to join the BBC-London's Hindi service as a radio announcer. He returned to India in 1943.
Career
Sahni was always interested in acting, and started his acting career with the plays of the Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) [1]. He started his film career in Mumbai with the film Insaaf (1946), followed by Dharti Ke Lal directed by KA Abbas in 1946, Door Chaleinin 1946, and other films. But it was in 1953, with Bimal Roy's classic Do Bigha Zameen, that his true forte as an actor was first recognised. The film won the international prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
He followed it up with an encore in the 1911 classic Kabuliwala penned by Tagore.
Sahni's wife Damayanti died at a young age in 1947, who was the heroine of his film, Gudiya (1947) and two years later he married his first cousin, Santosh Chandhok, later known as an author and television writer.
Sahni's acting was very well liked and appreciated in all his films. He acted opposite top heroines like Nutan, Meena Kumari, Vyjayantimala, and Nargis in films like Seema (1955), Sone Ki Chidiya (1958), Satta Bazaar (1959), Bhabhi Ki Chudiyan (1961), Kathputli (1957), Lajwanti (1958) & Ghar Sansaar (1958). However, he is perhaps best remembered by the current generation for the picturization of the legendary song Ae Meri Zohra Jabeen from the movie Waqt (1965) on him. Sahni appeared opposite Achala Sachdev in the number.
He also starred in the classic Punjabi film Nanak Dukhiya Sub Sansar (1970) as well as the critically acclaimed Satluj de kande.
His performance as the angst ridden but stoical Muslim man who refuses to go to Pakistan during partition in his last film Garm Hava has often been called his best performance by critics. Balraj however could not see the completed film himself to rate his own performance, as he died just the next day after he finished dubbing for Garm Hava. The last lines he recorded for the film, and hence his last recorded lines are, "How long can a man live a alone."
Later life
Sahni was a gifted writer, his early writings were in English, though later in life he switched to Punjabi, and became a writer of repute in Punjabi literature [3][4]. In 1960, after a visit to Pakistan, he wrote Mera Pakistani Safar. His book Mera Rusi Safarnama, which he had written after a tour of the erstwhile Soviet Union in 1969, earned him the 'Soviet Land Nehru Award'. He contributed many poems and short stories in magazines and also penned his autobiography, Meri Filmi Aatmakatha. Sahni was an extremely well read and politically conscious person. He was one of the founding fathers of the IPTA (Indian People's Theatre Association) movement and known for his leftist leanings. Sahni also dabbled in screenwriting; he wrote the 1951 movie Baazi which starred Dev Anand and was directed by Guru Dutt. He was also a recipient of the Padma Shri Award (1969). Balraj Sahni also wrote in Punjabi and contributed to the Punjabi magazine Preetlari .
Sahni was undoubtedly one of the greatest actors ever to come on the Indian screen: a highly natural actor who reminded the audience of the actors like Motilal because of his simple persona and a sophisticated style of acting. He was looked up to as a role model as he was never involved in any scandal. His acting in Do Bigha Zameen and Garam Hawa were the highlights of his career. He believed in what is known as 'Neo-Realistic' cinema.
Balraj's brother Bhisham Sahni was a well-known writer who wrote the book Tamas. His son Parikshat Sahni is also an actor.
Balraj Sahni died on 13 April 1973, of a massive cardiac arrest at the age of 59. He had been depressed for some time by the untimely death of his young daughter, Shabnam.
'Punjabi Kala Kender', founded in 1973 at Mumbai by Balraj Sahni, gives away the annual Balraj Sahni Award' [5], and also the 'All India Artists' Association'[6]
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1946 | Door Chalen | |
| Dharti Ke Lal | ||
| Badnami | ||
| 1947 | Gudia | |
| 1951 | Maaldar | |
| Humlog | Raj | |
| Hulchul | The jailer | |
| 1952 | Badnam | |
| 1953 | Rahi | Doctor |
| Do Bigha Zamin | Shambu Maheto | |
| Bhagyawan | ||
| Akash | ||
| 1954 | Naukari | |
| Majboori | ||
| Aulad | ||
| 1955 | Tangewali | |
| Seema | Ashok 'Babuji' | |
| Garam Coat | Giridhari | |
| Taksaal | Jatin Mukherjee | |
| 1957 | Pardesi (1957 film) | |
| Mai Baap | ||
| Lal Batti | ||
| Kath Putli | Loknath | |
| Bhabhi | Ratan | |
| 1958 | Sone Ki Chidiya | Shrikant |
| Lajwanti | Mr. Nirmal | |
| Khazanchi | Radhe Mohan | |
| Ghar Sansar | Kailash | |
| Ghar Grihasti | ||
| 1959 | Satta Bazaar | Ramesh |
| Heera Moti | ||
| Chhoti Bahen | Rajendra | |
| Black Cat | Agent Rajan | |
| 1960 | Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere | Panchu Dada |
| Bindya | Devraj | |
| Anuradha | Dr. Nirmal Chaudhary | |
| 1961 | Suhag Sindoor | Ramu |
| Sapne Suhane | ||
| Bhabhi Ki Chudiyan | Shyam | |
| Batwara | ||
| Kabuliwala | Abdul Rehman Khan | |
| 1962 | Shaadi | Ratau |
| Anpadh | Choudhary Shambhunath | |
| 1964 | Punar Milan | Dr. Mohan/Ram |
| Haqeeqat | Major Ranjit Singh | |
| 1965 | Waqt | Lala Kedarnath |
| Faraar | Detective Officer | |
| 1966 | Pinjre Ke Panchhi | Yaseen Khan |
| Neend Hamari Khwab Tumhare | Khan Bahadur | |
| Aasra | Surendra Nath Kumar | |
| Aaye Din Bahar Ke | Shukla | |
| 1967 | Naunihaal | |
| Ghar Ka Chirag | ||
| Aman | Gautamdas' dad | |
| Hamraaz | Police Inspector Ashok | |
| 1968 | Sunghursh | Ganeshi Prasad |
| Neel Kamal | Mr. Raichand | |
| Izzat | ||
| Duniya | Public Prosecutor Ramnath Sharma | |
| 1969 | Talash | Ranjit Rai |
| Nanha Farishta | Dr. Ramnath | |
| Ek Phool Do Mali | Kailash Nath Kaushal | |
| Do Raaste | Navendru Gupta | |
| 1970 | Pehchan | Ex-Firefighter |
| Pavitra Paapi | Pannalal | |
| Naya Raasta | Bansi | |
| Nanak Dukhiya Sab Sansar | ||
| Mere Humsafar | Ashok | |
| Holi Ayee Re | ||
| Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani | ||
| Dharti | Bharat's dad | |
| 1971 | Paraya Dhan | Govindram |
| Jawan Mohabbat | Dr. Sarin | |
| 1972 | Shayar-e-Kashmir Mahjoor | Ghulam Ahmed Mahjoor |
| Jawani Diwani | Ravi Anand | |
| Jangal Mein Mangal | Thomas | |
| 1973 | Pyaar Ka Rishta | |
| Hindustan Ki Kasam | ||
| Hanste Zakhm | SP Dinanath Mahendru | |
| Garam Hawa | Salim Mirza | |
| 1977 | Jallian Wala Bagh | Udham Singh |
| Amaanat | Suresh |
Works
- Balraj Sahni: An Autobiography, by Balraj Sahni. Published by Hind Pocket Books, 1979.
Further reading
- Balraj Sahni: An Intimate Portrait, by Puran Chandra Joshi. Published by Vikas Pub. House, 1974.
- Balraj, my brother (National biography series), by Bhishma Sahni. National Book Trust, India, 1981.
References
- ^ a b Stumbling into films by sheer chance The Tribune, 2 September 2001.
- ^ Parikshit Sahni turns producer Mid Day, 04 May 2006."..My dad came from a literary background and taught English Literature at Shantiniketan. My mom who was doing her Bachelor's degree there, was expecting me then, and was about to give her exams. Tagore told her that I should be called Parikshit as she was giving pariksha, while I was still in her womb.
- ^ Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Punjabi Literature, by R. P. Malhotra, Kuldeep Arora. Published by Global Vision Pub. House, 2003. ISBN 8187746513. Page 434.
- ^ In Jhang Manghiane, an article by Balraj Sahni Modern Indian Literature an Anthology: Plays and Prose, by K. M. George, Sahitya Akademi. Published by Sahitya Akademi, 1992. ISBN 8172017839.Page 605.
- ^ Balraj Sahni awards announced Indian Express, 25 November 2003.
- ^ Prem Chopra, Bollywood's good old bad man talks about his nomination for the prestigious Balraj Sahni Award Times of India, 10 July 2006.
External links
- Balraj Sahni at IMDb
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- Indian actors
- Recipients of the Padma Shri
- 1913 births
- 1973 deaths
- Indian film actors
- Indian stage actors
- Hindi film actors
- People associated with Santiniketan
- BBC newsreaders and journalists
- Indian Hindus
- Indian People's Theatre Association people
- Punjabi-language writers
- Indian autobiographers
- Indian travel writers
- Punjabi people
- Ravians
- Punjwood film actors