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In his early days, he worked as a background artist and even wrote plays in Mumbai.
Kanhaiyalal was considered a popular actor in the Hindi film industry. He has been a part of some of the most famous films, like Devdas, Mother India, Gunga Jamuna, Apna Desh, Upkaar, Janta Hawaldar, Sitara, Hum Paanch, etc. He was mostly seen in character roles and has acted in more than 105 films in the Hindi film industry. His performances left an indelible mark on the audience and made him quite popular among them.
Kanhaiyalal was born in 1910 in Varanasi. His father was Pandit Bhairodutt Choube, who was popularly known as Choubeji. He used to run a theatre company in Varanasi but was against his son taking on any form of stage work. As a result, Kanhaiyalal decided to do odd jobs to sustain himself. At the age of 16, he began writing and even worked in small roles in the group. However, after his father’s death, he decided to shift to Mumbai in search of work. Initially, he had no plans to become an actor and instead wanted to be a writer.
In the early days of his career, he worked as a background artist, and along with that, he also started writing plays in Mumbai. Finally, in 1939, the actor made his debut and got a chance to work in the Bollywood film Ek Hi Raasta. He played the role of Banke and received a great response from the audience. After that, he got a chance to work in Mehboob Khan’s 1940 film Aurat, where he played the character of a moneylender.
In an interview, he revealed that he gradually started to rise in prominence. He said, “In Mehboob’s film Bahen, I had the role of a good-natured pickpocket. Here, four scenes originally conceived for me were spun out into about fourteen by Wajahat Mirza. In National Studios’ Radhika, directed by K. B. Lall, I played a temple priest, and in Lal Haveli, I played the comic role of a Pandit again."
After completing a century of roles in Bollywood, the actor passed away on August 14, 1982, at the age of 72.
May 25, 2023, 14:09 IST
Newsmovies Meet Kanhaiyalal, The Actor Who Worked In More Than 105 Films
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