Balraj Sahni

Infobox_Celebrity
name = Balraj Sahni


image_size = 140px
birthname = Yudhishthir Sahni
birth_date = birth date|1913|5|1|mf=y
birth_place = Rawalpindi, Punjab, British India
death_date = death date and age|1973|4|13|1913|5|1|mf=y
death_place = Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
occupation = Actor
salary =
networth =
website =

Balraj Sahni (May 1, 1913–April 13, 1973) was a famous Hindi film actor. His real name was Yudhishthir Sahni. He belonged to a Punjabi Khokhran family from Bhera now in Pakistan Punjab .

Early life

Sahni went from his native Rawalpindi to study in the University of 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. Soon after, he married Damayanti Sahni.

In the late 1930s, Sahni and his wife left Rawalpindi to join Tagore's Shantiniketan in Bengal as an English and Hindi teacher. 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. He started his film career in Mumbai with the film Insaaf(1946)followed by "Dharti Ke Lal" in 1946, "Door Chalein"in 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 passed away 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).

Later life

Sahni was a gifted writer. 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. Balraj Sahni also wrote in Punjabi and contributed to the Punjabi magzine 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 April 13, 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.

Filmography

External links

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