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 Wrestler-actor Dara Singh dead
Former
wrestling champion and actor Dara Singh died at his home here
Thursday morning following a brief illness, doctors treating him
said. He was 84.
"Dara Singh passed away peacefully at 7.30 a.m. this (Thursday)
morning," said Ram Narain, COO »
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New Delhi: He
wrestled his way from the ring to the big screen and the small one
to enormous success. Dara Singh went from muscle man to hero and
then uncle, father and friend in numerous character roles that
endeared him to generations of fans.
Few people would have made the transition from the 'akhara' to the
showbiz stage with the success of Dara Singh, who passed away at
his home in Mumbai Thursday morning at the age of 84 after a brief
illness.
A wrestling hero to some and a much loved cine artist to others,
it was a long and eventful life that triumphed many odds.
In his over five-decade long acting journey, he featured in over
140 films, including classics such as "Anand" and "Mera Naam
Joker".
It was a many splendoured life.
There was Dara Singh the wrestler, Dara Singh, the hero of 'B'
category action films such as "Tarzan Comes to Delhi" and "Samson"
in the 1950s and 1960s, Dara Singh, the friendly 'pehelwan' in "Anand",
and then Dara Singh who played Hanuman with great effect in the TV
blockbusters "Ramayan" and "Mahabharat".
He was last seen in the Kareena Kapoor-Shahid Kapoor starrer "Jab
We Met" as the stern, lovable 'Daarji' who ruled over a noisy,
close-knit Sikh family. Quite like the real life man, who
intimidated people with his 6' 2" frame but soon won them over
with outgoing nature and warmth.
Born to Balwant Kaur and Surat Singh Randhawa Nov 19, 1928 in a
village in Amritsar, Punjab, Dara Singh was encouraged to take up
wrestling due to his imposing physique and trained in 'pehelwani',
an Indian style of wrestling.
He became a star wrestler - and not just on Indian turf.
Dara Singh took on international wrestlers like Lou Thesz and
Stanislaus Zbyszko, and had over 500 professional fights to his
credit - all undefeated.
He won the Professional Indian Wrestling Championship in 1953, and
took away the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship trophy in 1959
by defeating Canadian champion George Godianko.
A recipient of titles like Rustam-E-Punjab (1966) and Rustam-E-Hind
(1978), Dara Singh retired from active wrestling in 1983.
In 1989, he published his autobiography "Meri Atmakatha" in
Punjabi, and seven years later was inducted into the Wrestling
Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.
And while he was wrestling, he was making a name in cinema - both
Hindi and Punjabi.
His first release was the 1952 "Sangdil" and then came a
succession of films like "King Kong", "Faulad", "Sher-e-Watan"
that earned him the name of Bollywood's action king.
During his hey day as a hero, he teamed up with Mumtaz in 16 Hindi
films, including "Jawan Mard", "Raaka", "Aandhi Aur Toofan", "Daku
Mangal Singh", "Boxer" and "Veer Bhimsen".
Another successful phase in Dara Singh's acting career came when
he bagged the role of Hanuman in Ramanand Sagar's epochal TV
series "Ramayan" in 1986. People liked him so much that B.R.
Chopra roped him in to play the same role in "Mahabharat".
Dara Singh gave viewers a glimpse of his humorous side through
shows like "Hadd Kar Di" and "Kya Hoga Nimmo Ka".
He became a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha from August 2003
to August 2009.
Dara Singh also took on the role of a writer, director and
producer. In 1978, he launched Dara Studio, a self-contained
mini-city with all facilities within the compound, in Punjab's
Mohali district.
Dara Singh, who was widowed and got married for the second time,
leaves behind his wife, six children - three sons and three
daughters. And legions of fans of a man who defined machismo.
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