Amrish Puri

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Amrish Puri (2003)

Amrish Puri ( Hindi अमरीश पुरी Amrīś Purī ; born June 22, 1932 in Nawanshahr , Panjab ; † January 12, 2005 in Mumbai , Maharashtra ) was an Indian film actor.

Life

Amrish Puri went to BM College in Shimla and moved to Mumbai in the 1950s, where his older brother Madan Puri was already working as an actor. In 1954 he made test shoots in film, but was not employed. Amrish Puri started acting instead and took on roles in plays by Satyadev Dubey, among others . He soon played regularly at the Mumbai Prithvi Theater . His deep, resonant bass voice attracted audiences and Puri accepted offers to speak for radio advertisements.

Amrish Puri made his film debut in 1970; he was almost 40. He became known for a villain role in Sunil Dutt's Reshma Aur Shera (1971). In the mid-1970s to 1980s, when the artistically ambitious Indian parallel cinema was at its peak, Amrish Puri appeared in numerous supporting roles as a negative character. His most important films of this time are directing work by Shyam Benegal - including Nishant , Manthan , Bhumika , Kalyug and Mandi - in which he starred alongside Smita Patil , Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi . Ardh Satya (1983) by Govind Nihalani , in which he portrayed the opponent of a rebellious police officer played by Om Puri , also received widespread attention .

In 1984 a Hollywood studio offered him a leading role in a Steven Spielberg film: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom , a prequel to Spielberg's hit film Raiders of the Lost Ark . In it, Puri played the Kali- worshiping, tantric temple priest Mola Ram as the adversary of the hero Indiana Jones embodied by Harrison Ford . Since the film portrays Indian culture as part of "evil", this film never saw a theatrical release in India. Amrish Puri turned down further offers of roles because they wanted to pin him down as an Indian in a negative role stereotype.

The role that left a lasting mark on Amrish Puri's career was played in 1987 - the villain Mogambo in Shekhar Kapur 's children 's film Mr. India . His rumbling laugh and the deep throat “Mogambo khush hua” ( That makes Mogambo happy. ) Made him legendary as a bloodthirsty villain like only Amjad Khan as Gabbar Singh in Sholay (1975).

After that, the role offers as a villain for Amrish Puri piled up. In 1995, however, he played contrary to this role cliché an authoritarian father in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge . The film, starring Shahrukh Khan and Kajol in the lead roles was the biggest box office hit of the 1990s in India. As a result, Amrish Puri has also been cast in father roles since then, such as the father for Anil Kapoor in Virasat , Tabu in Chachi 420 and Priyanka Chopra in Two Hearts for Rani ( Mujhse Shaadi Karogi ). His last film was Kisna by Subhash Ghai . After more than 250 film appearances, he died at the age of 72 from a cerebral haemorrhage .

Amrish Puri received three Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actor: for Meri Jung (1985), Ghatak (1996) and Virasat (1997).

Filmography (selection)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Puri, Amrish
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Indian film actor
DATE OF BIRTH June 22, 1932
PLACE OF BIRTH Nawanshahr , Panjab
DATE OF DEATH January 12, 2005
Place of death Mumbai , Maharashtra