Om Puri

Om Puri (OBE)
Puri at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival
Born	Om Puri (1950-10-18) 18 October 1950 Ambala, Haryana, India
Nationality	Indian
Education	National School of Drama, Delhi
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1972–present
Spouse(s)	Nandita Puri (1993 - 2013)
Children	Ishaan Puri
Awards	Padma Shri, National Film Awards

Om Puri OBE^[1] (born 18 October 1950) is an Indian^[2] actor who has appeared in mainstream commercial Pakistani, Indian, British, and Hollywood, Independent films and art films. His credits also include appearances in American films. He has been awarded Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award of India.^[3]

Early life

Om Puri was born in Ambala, Haryana, to a Punjabi family. His father worked in the railways and in the Indian Army.^[4] Puri graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. He is also an alumnus of the 1973 class of National School of Drama where Naseeruddin Shah was a co-student.^[5]

Personal life

He married Nandita Puri in the year 1993. The couple separated in 2013. They have a son named Ishaan.^[6]

Career

Puri has worked in numerous Indian films and in many films produced in the United Kingdom and the United States.

He made his film debut in the 1976 Marathi film Ghashiram Kotwal, based on a Marathi play of the same name by Vijay Tendulkar. It was directed by K. Hariharan and Mani Kaul in cooperation with 16 graduates of the FTII. He has claimed that he was paid "peanuts" for his best work.^[7] Along with Amrish Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil, he was among the main actors who starred in what was then referred to as art films such as Bhavni Bhavai (1980), Sadgati (1981), Ardh Satya (1982), Mirch Masala (1986) and Dharavi (1992).

He was critically acclaimed for his performances in many unconventional roles such as a victimized tribal in Aakrosh (1980) (a film in which he spoke only during flash-back sequences); Jimmy's manager in Disco Dancer (1982); a police inspector in Ardh Satya (1982), where he revolts against lifelong social, cultural and political persecution and for which he got the National Film Award for Best Actor; the leader of a cell of Sikh militants in Maachis (1996); as a tough cop again in the commercial film Gupt in 1997; and as the courageous father of a martyred soldier in Dhoop (2003).

In 1999, Puri acted in a Kannada movie A.K. 47 as a strict police officer who tries to keep the city safe from the underworld — it became a huge commercial hit. Puri's acting in the movie is memorable. He rendered his own voice for the Kannada dialogues. In the same year, he starred in the successful British comedy film East is East, where he played a first-generation Pakistani immigrant in the north of England, struggling to come to terms with his far more westernised children.

Puri in 2009

Puri had a cameo in the highly acclaimed film Gandhi (1982, directed by Richard Attenborough). In the mid-1990s, he diversified to play character roles in mainstream Hindi cinema, where his roles are more tuned to mass audiences than film critics. He became known internationally by starring in many British films such as My Son the Fanatic (1997), East Is East (1999) and The Parole Officer (2001). He appeared in Hollywood films including City of Joy (1992), opposite Patrick Swayze; Wolf (1994) with Jack Nicholson; and The Ghost and the Darkness (1996) opposite Val Kilmer. In 2007, he appeared as General Zia-ul-Haq in Charlie Wilson's War, which stars Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.

He has worked in Hindi television serials like Kakkaji Kaheen (1988) (roughly meaning "Uncle Says") as a paan-chewing 'Kakkaji', which was a parody on politicians, and Mr. Yogi (1989) as a suave 'Sutradhaar' who enjoys pulling the protagonist's leg. These two serials underlined Om Puri's versatility as a comedian. He received critical acclaim for his performance in Govind Nihalani's television film Tamas (1987) based on a Hindi novel of the same name. He played comic roles in Hindi films like Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro which reached a cult status, followed by Chachi 420 (1997), Hera Pheri (2000), Chor Machaye Shor (2002) and Malamaal Weekly (2006).

His more recent Hindi film roles include Singh Is Kinng, Mere Baap Pehle Aap and Billu. Puri was seen in the role of Mohammad Ali Kasuri in Road to Sangam (2009). In 2010, he appeared in The Hangman. In 2011 he was in the Indian action movie Don 2.

He has also worked in some episodes of the TV series Aahat during the second season which was aired between 2004 and 2005 on Sony channel. Other notable television appearances of Om Puri include Bharat Ek Khoj, Yatra, Mr Yogi, Kakaji Kahin, Sea Hawks, Antaral.

Puri was seen on the small screen in a crime show Savdhaan India’s second season on Life OK.^[8]

In 2014, he appeared opposite Helen Mirren in the comedy-drama The Hundred-Foot Journey.

Selected filmography

Others

Awards and nominations

Wins

• 1981: Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for Aakrosh
• 1982: National Film Award for Best Actor for Arohan
• 1984: National Film Award for Best Actor for Ardh Satya
• 1984: Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Best Actor for Ardh Satya
• 1998: Brussels International Film Festival Best Actor for My Son the Fanatic
• 1990: Padmashri, India's fourth highest civilian award
• 1998: Grand Prix Special des Amériques Montréal World Film Festival for exceptional contribution to the cinematographic art
• 2004: Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to The British Film Industry^[1]
• 2009: Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2015: Lifetime Achievement Award International Film Festival of Prayag^[14]

Nominations

• 1990: Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for Ghayal
• 1997: Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for Maachis
• 1998: Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for Gupt: The Hidden Truth
• 1999: Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha
• 1999: BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for East Is East

Controversy

On an interview given to IBN-7 Om Puri insulted Indian Army on the surgical attack of Pakistan. He was heavily criticized by the Indian Media after which he apologized for his remarks.^[15] On 5 October 2016 he was again interviewed by Arnab Goswami on Times Now where he said he regretted his remarks the earlier night^[16]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Om Puri.

• Om Puri at the Internet Movie Database