Google on Saturday celebrated the life and legacy of renowned Bollywood actor Amrish Puri, who is known for acing iconic roles like Mogambo in Mr. India and Chaudhry Baldev Singh – Simran's father in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Google is commemorating the actor and his contribution to Indian cinema on his 87th birth anniversary on Saturday.
Ambrish Puri needs no introduction in the film industry as he is considered one of the best villians in the history of Bollywood. From Shakti to Mr. India and Karan Johar, his villainous laugh and acts made the characters alive.
Born in Punjab on June 22, 1932, Puri landed his first role at the age of 39 and went on to portray some of the most memorable villains in the history of Indian cinema.
The younger brother of character actors Madan Puri and Chaman Puri, Amrish auditioned for a lead role in 1954 but was rejected. After working in the theater and doing voiceover parts, he made his Bollywood debut in 1971’s Reshma Aur Shera. A decade later, he broke into Hollywood as Khan, a supporting role in the Oscar-winning movie, Gandhi.
Puri was later cast as Mola Ram in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, after initially turning down director Steven Spielberg’s offer. Spielberg, who persisted until Puri said yes, had even said, “Amrish is my favorite villain. The best the world has ever produced and ever will.”
Appearing in more than 200 films in over half a dozen languages—including Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Punjabi, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, and English — Puri is considered one of the best villians in the history of Bollywood.
The legendary actor gave one of his most memorable performances at the age of 55. Playing Mogambo in the 1987 cult classic Mr. India, Puri’s deep-voiced delivery of the dastardly line “Mogambo khush hua” (“Mogambo is pleased”) would become his signature.
One of the most iconic role of Ambrish Puri was in Yash Raj's romantic film 'Dilwale Dulhania Le jaenge'. He portrayed a protective father who despite living in London for years hadn't forgotten his roots. Puri's line 'Ja Simran Jaa, jee le apni jindagi' is one of the most memorable ones in Bollywood's history.
The eyes of the audience were filled with tears when Katya humiliated Shambhu in front of the entire society. Ambrish Puri played the role of Shambhu Nath, a freedom fighter and father to Kashi (Sunny Deol) in Ghatak.
The talented actor portrayed the role of Havaldar Purshotam Sathe whose only dream is to see his son, Shiva, become a police officer in Gardish. Instead, Shiva becomes an underworld agent, which breaks Purshotam's dream along with his heart. Puri beautifully essayed the role of a disappointed father.
Puri might be mostly known for his negative roles but his strength was to bring a certain kind of realism to his characters. He was one of those method actors who relied on surrounding in order to get his point across. Despite being a towering personality, Puri never tried to overshadow any other actor in the same frame, and that probably was his biggest accomplishment.
Puri passed away on December 27, 2004 after suffering from myelodysplastic syndrome. However, the actor lives on in our hearts.
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