Jackie Shroff remembers legendary Amrish Puri on his 94th birth anniversary
Mumbai, June 22
Bollywood star Jackie Shroff has taken to his social media account to pay a heartfelt tribute to legendary actor Amrish Puri on his 94th birth anniversary, on June 22.
The actor shared a black-and-white portrait of the late actor.
Alongside the picture, Jackie wrote, "Remembering Amrish Puri ji on his birth anniversary."
He also tagged Amrish Puri's grandson, actor Vardhan Puri, who just like his legendary grandfather, is also a part of Bollywood, in the capacity of an actor.
Talking about Amrish Puri, the icon was born on June 22, 1932, and went on to become one of the most celebrated actors in the history of Indian cinema.
The veteran actor, after working in theatre for many years, began making his mark in films in his late 30s and, over the time, rose to become one of the most most popular on-screen villains of the 1980s and 1990s era of Bollywood.
Amrish Puri played a wide range of characters throughout his long running career, but his character portrayal as 'Mogambo' in the 1987 cult classic 'Mr. India' immortalised him in the category of Bollywood's most famous villains.
His iconic dialogue, "Mogambo khush hua!", continues to be among the most quoted lines in Bollywood history.
Amrish Puri then went won hearts as the strict yet loving father Baldev Singh in 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge', where his dialogue "Jaa Simran Jaa, jee le apni zindagi" became extremely popular. His memorable performances in films such as 'Virasat', 'Gardish', 'Pardes', 'Karan Arjun', 'Ghayal', 'Damini', 'Meri Jung' and 'Chachi 420' showcased his remarkable range as an actor.
Apart from 'Mogambo', some of his most unforgettable characters included 'Thakral' in 'Meri Jung', 'Balwant Rai' in 'Ghayal', 'Barrister Chadda' in 'Damini', 'Bhujang' in 'Tridev' and 'Thakur Durjan Singh' in 'Karan Arjun'.
In real life, Amrish Puri was equally recognisable for his hat and personal style. In many of his public appearances back then, he would always be spotted sporting his favourite hat.
Reportedly, the hat was also kept on the funeral pyre of Amrish Puri, in an emotional farewell, considering he was close to it.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Jackie Shroff's tribute is sweet. Amrish Puri was one of those actors who could make you love and hate his characters at the same time. 'Jaa Simran jaa' still gives me chills. Truly irreplaceable. 🙏
I wish Bollywood today had more villains like Amrish Puri. Jaise acting karte the, kamaal kar dete the. Mogambo is still the gold standard for evil characters. And his hat style? Iconic. Hat kept on his pyre shows how much he loved it.
I'm from the US and discovered Amrish Puri through 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'. He was so menacing. It's amazing to see his work in Bollywood too. 'Mr. India' is a classic. Hat on the pyre is a beautiful gesture.
My father used to say 'Mogambo khush hua' for everything when I was a kid. Amrish Puri was a gem. Jackie Shroff's tribute is lovely, but honestly I think we don't celebrate such legends enough. His dialogues are timeless.
Amrish Puri could play scary and sweet with equal ease. That's true talent. His role in DDLJ as the strict but loving father made me cry. I wish more actors today had his dedication. Good to see Jackie Shroff keeping his memory alive.
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