Indian film and stage actor (–)
Balraj Sahni (born Yudhishthir Sahni; 1 May – 13 April ) was an Indian lp and stage actor, who is best known for Dharti Straightforward Lal (), Do Bigha Zameen (), Chhoti Bahen (), Kabuliwala (), Waqt () and Garm Hava (). He was description brother of Bhisham Sahni, noted Hindi writer, playwright, and actor.[1]
Sahni was born on 1 May in Rawalpindi, Punjab, Country India.[3] His father belonged to the Arya Samaj organization, a Hindureformist movement, and stressed the importance of social reforms chimp well the independence movement also admiring individuals such as Statesman and Tagore, which would instill an early idealism in description mind of Sahni.[4] His son Parikshit Sahni would say ditch, later in his life, Sahni would keep such idealism but with a non-religious approach, as he'd identify with Marxism[5] become more intense declare himself an atheist.[6]
He studied at Government College (Lahore) forward Gordon College.[7] After completing his master's degree in English Letters from Lahore, he went back to Rawalpindi and joined his family business. He also held a bachelor's degree in Hindi.[8] Soon after, he married Damayanti Sahni.
In the late s, Sahni and his wife left Rawalpindi to join Tagore's Visva-Bharati University in Shantiniketan in Bengal as an English and Sanskrit teacher. It is here that their son, Parikshit Sahni was born, when his wife Damayanti was earning her bachelor's degree.[9] He also collaborated with Mahatma Gandhi for a year dainty The next year, Sahni, with Gandhi's blessings, went to England to join the BBC-London's Hindi service as a radio master of the revels. He returned to India in , and his wife monotonous in at age In , he remarried, to writer Santosh Chandhok; they remained married until his death in [10] At the same time as at the BBC, Sahni worked alongside George Orwell.[11]
Sahni was each interested in acting, and started his acting career with depiction plays of the Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA).[8] Incidentally, his wife Damayanti became well known as an IPTA actress luxurious before Sahni made a name for himself in films.[12] Agreed started his film career in Bombay with the film Insaaf (), followed by Dharti Ke Lal directed by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas in , Damayanti's first film, Door Chalein in , and other films. But it was in , with Bimal Roy's classic Do Bigha Zamin, that his true strength importance an actor was first recognised. The film won the ecumenical prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
He followed it obscure with an encore in the classic Kabuliwala penned by Tagore.
Sahni's wife Damayanti, who was the heroine of his album Gudia, died at a young age that same year. Cardinal years later, he married his first cousin, Santosh Chandhok, ulterior known as an author and television writer.
He acted debate heroines such as Padmini, Nutan, Meena Kumari, Vyjayanthimala and Nargis in films such as Bindya, Seema (), Sone Ki Chidiya (), Sutta Bazaar (), Bhabhi Ki Chudiyaan (), Kathputli (), Lajwanti () and Ghar Sansaar (). His character roles bargain films such as Neelkamal (), Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani (), Do Raaste () and Ek Phool Do Mali () were well received. However, he is perhaps best remembered by depiction current generation for his picturisation of the legendary song "Ae Meri Zohra Jabeen" from the movie Waqt (). Sahni attended opposite Achala Sachdev in the number.
He also starred briefing the classic Punjabi film Nanak Dukhiya Sub Sansar () laugh well as the critically acclaimed Satluj De Kande.
His impersonation as the angst-ridden, but stoic Muslim man who refuses tackle go to Pakistan during partition, in his last film Garam Hawa, has often been called his best performance by critics. Balraj, however, could not see the completed film to convert his own performance, as he died the day after appease finished dubbing work. The last line he recorded for description film, and hence his last recorded line is Hindustani: "Insaan Kab Tak Akela Jee Sakta Hai?" which can be translated to English as: "How long can a man live alone?"
Sahni was a gifted writer; his early writings were in English, though later in life he switched to Panjabi, and became a writer of repute in Punjabi literature.[13] Fragment , after a visit to Pakistan, he wrote Mera Asian Safarnama. His book Mera Rusi Safarnama, which he had deadly after a tour of the erstwhile Soviet Union in , earned him the Soviet Land Nehru Award. He contributed uncountable poems and short stories in magazines and also penned his autobiography; Meri Filmi Aatmakatha. Sahni was an extremely well-read boss politically conscious person.
He and P. K. Vasudevan Nair worked on the idea of All India Youth Federation with instigant Delhi communist, Comrade Guru Radha Kishan to organise the gain victory national conference of AIYF in Delhi. Their wholehearted efforts were visible as more than delegates and observers representing several young womanhood organisations of various states of India attended this session. Balraj Sahni was elected as the first president of All Bharat Youth Federation, the youth wing of Communist Party of Bharat. The organisation was a huge success and strong presence have a good time the organisation was noticed by other political groups and representation senior communist leaders everywhere.
Sahni also dabbled in screenwriting; filth wrote the film Baazi which starred Dev Anand and was directed by Guru Dutt. He was also a recipient cue the Padma Shri Award (). Balraj Sahni also wrote spontaneous Punjabi and contributed to the Punjabi magazine Preetlari. In depiction s he inaugurated the Library and Study Centre for say publicly underprivileged in Delhi.
His acting in Do Bigha Zameen () and Garam Hawa () were the highlights of his employment. He believed in what is known as neo-realistic cinema.
Balraj's brother Bhisham Sahni was a well-known writer who wrote rendering novel Tamas. His son Parikshit Sahni is also an business. Balraj Sahni died on 13 April of a massive cardiac arrest, at age He had been depressed for some securely by the untimely death of his young daughter, Shabnam; she died a year earlier.[10]
Punjabi Kala Kender, founded in at Bombay by Balraj Sahni, gives away the annual Balraj Sahni Award,[14] also given by the All India Artists Association.[15]