Asrani
Encyclopedia
Govardhan Asrani popularly known simply as Asrani, is an actor in India
n films whose Bollywood
career has spanned over 35 years. His wife Manju Bansal is an actress.
and opened a shop selling carpets. He has four sisters and three brothers: two elder and one younger. Asrani was highly uninterested in business and very weak in mathematics. He completed his matriculation from St. Xaviers School and did his graduation from Rajasthan College, Jaipur. He simultaneously worked as a voice artist on All India Radio, Jaipur, to pay for his education. His ultimate aim was to become an actor.
) and began to seek opportunities to act. In 1963, Hrishikesh Mukherjee
advised him to learn acting professionally.
In 1964 Asrani joined the Film Institute in Poona (now Film and Television Institute of India
, Pune
) and finished his course in 1966. He impressed many others and made his acting break in 1967 with a Gujrati movie opposite budding actress Waheeda (not Waheeda Rahman; the Gujrati actress). He acted in four other movies, mainly as actor or supporting actor in Gujrati from 1967 to 1969 before landing his first Hindi movie role in Umang, a low-budget movie, which had Subhash Ghai
and Paintal
. In 1969, he was offered the role of Rajesh Khanna
's friend in Aradhana, but Rajesh was more comfortable with an older person and preferred Sujit Kumar
. His old advisor, Hrishikesh Mukherjee also passed him over for the movie Anand, giving the role to an older person, but gave Asrani a role in Bawarchi
. This role set the tone for a number of supporting or comic roles like Abhimaan (supporting), Chala Murari Hero Banne
(comedy), Chupke Chupke
(comedy), Choti Si Baat (comedy) or his most remembered role, as the jailer in Sholay
. He acted in Khoon Pasina, marking a serious role other than comedy. He was hugely talked about in the 1970s and is one of Amitabh Bachchan
's close friends. In the 2007 Abhishek-Aishwarya wedding, Asrani and Prem Chopra
were the only two of Amitabh's old friends invited.
In the 1980s, he acted in over 50 films. Most of his roles were very minor mainly because the concept of a comedian was getting phased out and heroes preferred to do their own comedy. During this period in 1982, he set up a small Gujrati production company with fellow artistes Dinesh Hingoo
, Harish Patel
and Salim Parvez (son of famous supporting actor Yunus Parvez
). The company dissolved in 1996 with a large profit. Asrani also invested mainly in cloth and acted as investor for other actors, until 1991 when he lost a lot of money. From 1988 to 1993, he was a director for the Film Institute in Poona.
The 1990s and 2000s saw Asrani in a number of blockbuster films like Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander, Hera Pheri, Chup Chup Ke
, Hulchul and Deewane Huye Pagal
. He was an integral part of comedies by Sajid Nadiadwala
or Priyadarshan
, but his roles are very minor and he has a very short screen space.
Asrani has acted in over 300 films over the last 35 years and also in close to 150 Gujrati films.
Asrani has directed some movies:
In 1977, Asrani sang two songs in the movie Alaap
, both picturised on him. A year later he sang a duet with the legendary Kishore Kumar
for the film Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan
.
Asrani recently made a special appearance in the Punjabi film Yaariyan
.
Asrani and Mallika Sherawat
were the judges of the 18th annual Naya Andaz competition on April 17, 2010, in New Jersey
.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n films whose Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
career has spanned over 35 years. His wife Manju Bansal is an actress.
Early life
He was born in a middle class Sindhi family. His father migrated to Jaipur after the Partition of IndiaPartition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
and opened a shop selling carpets. He has four sisters and three brothers: two elder and one younger. Asrani was highly uninterested in business and very weak in mathematics. He completed his matriculation from St. Xaviers School and did his graduation from Rajasthan College, Jaipur. He simultaneously worked as a voice artist on All India Radio, Jaipur, to pay for his education. His ultimate aim was to become an actor.
Career
He began to learn acting from Sahitya Kalbhai Thakkar from 1960 to 1962. In 1962, he traveled to Bombay (now MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
) and began to seek opportunities to act. In 1963, Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Hrishikesh Mukherjee ) was a famous Indian film director known for a number of films, including Satyakam, Chupke Chupke, Anupama, Anand, Abhimaan, Guddi, Gol Maal, Aashirwad, Bawarchi, and Namak Haraam.Popularly known as Hrishi-da, he directed 42 films during his career spanning over four decades,...
advised him to learn acting professionally.
In 1964 Asrani joined the Film Institute in Poona (now Film and Television Institute of India
Film and Television Institute of India
Film and Television Institute of India , is an autonomous Institute under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India. It is fully aided by Central Government of India. It is situated in the premises of the erstwhile Prabhat Film Company in Pune, India...
, Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
) and finished his course in 1966. He impressed many others and made his acting break in 1967 with a Gujrati movie opposite budding actress Waheeda (not Waheeda Rahman; the Gujrati actress). He acted in four other movies, mainly as actor or supporting actor in Gujrati from 1967 to 1969 before landing his first Hindi movie role in Umang, a low-budget movie, which had Subhash Ghai
Subhash Ghai
Subhash Ghai is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter. His most notable films include Kalicharan ,Karz , Hero , Meri Jung , Karma ,Ram Lakhan ,Saudagar , Khalnayak , Pardes and Taal...
and Paintal
Paintal (comedian)
Kanwarjit Paintal, better known as Paintal, born in a Sikh family, started off as an Indian comic actor and moved on to teaching the art of acting. He has extensively worked not only in numerous movies but also television....
. In 1969, he was offered the role of Rajesh Khanna
Rajesh Khanna
Rajesh Khanna is an Indian actor of from Hindi films, and has been Hindi film producer and an Indian politician....
's friend in Aradhana, but Rajesh was more comfortable with an older person and preferred Sujit Kumar
Sujit Kumar
Sujit Kumar , born near a village in Varnasi, was an Indian film actor and producer. He appeared in over 150 Hindi films in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s and 25 films in Bhojpuri. From the late 90s, he latterly concentrated more on production. Kumar was the first superstar of Bhojpuri cinema...
. His old advisor, Hrishikesh Mukherjee also passed him over for the movie Anand, giving the role to an older person, but gave Asrani a role in Bawarchi
Bawarchi
Bawarchi is a 1972 Indian film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee starring Rajesh Khanna and Jaya Badhuri with Asrani, A.K...
. This role set the tone for a number of supporting or comic roles like Abhimaan (supporting), Chala Murari Hero Banne
Chala Murari Hero Banne
Chala Murari Hero Banne is a 1977 Bollywood comedy film directed by and starring G. Asrani.-Cast:*G. Asrani ... Murari*Bindiya Goswami*Ashok Kumar*Prem Nath*Bindu*Paintal*Jagdeep*Keshto Mukherjee*Satyendra Kapoor-Plot:...
(comedy), Chupke Chupke
Chupke Chupke
Chupke Chupke is a 1975 Indian film comedy starring Dharmendra, Sharmila Tagore, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Om Prakash, Usha Kiran, David, Asrani and Keshto Mukherjee. The movie, a remake of the Bengali hit 'Chhaddobeshi', was directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee with music composed by S.D....
(comedy), Choti Si Baat (comedy) or his most remembered role, as the jailer in Sholay
Sholay
Sholay is a 1975 Indian action-adventure film produced by G.P. Sippy and directed by his son Ramesh Sippy. It is considered among the greatest films in the history of Indian cinema. Released on 15 August 1975, it stars Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Sanjeev Kumar, Jaya Bhaduri and...
. He acted in Khoon Pasina, marking a serious role other than comedy. He was hugely talked about in the 1970s and is one of Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
's close friends. In the 2007 Abhishek-Aishwarya wedding, Asrani and Prem Chopra
Prem Chopra
Prem Chopra is an actor in Hindi and Punjabi films. He has acted in over 400 films. He is famous for his soft spoken diction despite being a villain in most films.-Personal life and education:...
were the only two of Amitabh's old friends invited.
In the 1980s, he acted in over 50 films. Most of his roles were very minor mainly because the concept of a comedian was getting phased out and heroes preferred to do their own comedy. During this period in 1982, he set up a small Gujrati production company with fellow artistes Dinesh Hingoo
Dinesh Hingoo
Dinesh Hingoo, born Dinesh Hingorani, is a Bollywood actor who has played mainly comic roles.Hingoo, who has appeared in about 296 films, from Taqdeer to Be Careful , is known for his unique laughter and Parsee accent...
, Harish Patel
Harish Patel
Harish is an Indian actor. He has a relative called Himesh Patel, he is Tamwar in EastEnders. Although mainly associated with the stage, he has also appeared in comedy films and on television. He began performing at the age of seven, when he played both male and female parts in the Hindu epic...
and Salim Parvez (son of famous supporting actor Yunus Parvez
Yunus Parvez
Yunus Parvez was a Bollywood character actor who played supporting roles in over 200 films from the late 1960s to the 2000s. He appeared in the 1996 film Chhote Sarkar.He died on 11 February 2007 at the age of 75...
). The company dissolved in 1996 with a large profit. Asrani also invested mainly in cloth and acted as investor for other actors, until 1991 when he lost a lot of money. From 1988 to 1993, he was a director for the Film Institute in Poona.
The 1990s and 2000s saw Asrani in a number of blockbuster films like Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander, Hera Pheri, Chup Chup Ke
Chup Chup Ke
Chup Chup Ke is a 2006 Bollywood film directed by Priyadarshan. Originally titled as Khatta Meetha, the story of the film is adapted from the Malayalam film Punjabi House , with a tagline of "Love meets confusion meets love." The film has Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor in their third film...
, Hulchul and Deewane Huye Pagal
Deewane Huye Pagal
Deewane Huye Paagal is a Bollywood romantic comedy directed by Vikram Bhatt, and written by Mangesh Kulkarni and Neeraj Vora. It starred Shahid Kapoor, Akshay Kumar, Rimi Sen, Suniel Shetty and others. The film's storyline was inspired from the 1998 American film There's Something About Mary...
. He was an integral part of comedies by Sajid Nadiadwala
Sajid Nadiadwala
- Career :Nadiadwala started as an AC Technician and then later worked as spot boy and graduated to become production assistant in his uncle's production house before establishing his own production company called "Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment"...
or Priyadarshan
Priyadarshan
Priyadarshan is an Indian film director, producer, and screenwriter. In a career spanning over two decades, Priyadarshan has directed over 80 films in several Indian languages including Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu...
, but his roles are very minor and he has a very short screen space.
Asrani has acted in over 300 films over the last 35 years and also in close to 150 Gujrati films.
Asrani has directed some movies:
- 1997: Udaan
- 1992: Dil Hi To Hai
- 1980: Hum Nahin Sudhrenge
- 1979: Salaam MemsaabSalaam MemsaabSalaam Memsaab is a 1979 Bollywood comedy-drama film directed by G. Asrani.-Cast:*Tom Alter ... John*G. Asrani ... Sunder*Yogeeta Bali ... Sunita Sarit*C.S. Dubey*Sunil Dutt ... Naresh Sarit*Rishi Kapoor ... Ramesh*Leela Mishra ... Mausiji...
- 1977: Chala Murari Hero BanneChala Murari Hero BanneChala Murari Hero Banne is a 1977 Bollywood comedy film directed by and starring G. Asrani.-Cast:*G. Asrani ... Murari*Bindiya Goswami*Ashok Kumar*Prem Nath*Bindu*Paintal*Jagdeep*Keshto Mukherjee*Satyendra Kapoor-Plot:...
- 1974: Amdavad No Rikshawalo
In 1977, Asrani sang two songs in the movie Alaap
Alaap
Alaap is a 1977 Indian film produced by Hrishikesh Mukerjee and N.C Sippy and directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Asrani, Farida Jalal, Om Prakash and A. K. Hangal...
, both picturised on him. A year later he sang a duet with the legendary Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar , born Abhas Kumar Ganguly, was an Indian film playback singer and an actor who also worked as lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter.Kishore Kumar was one of India's greatest performers of the late 20th century...
for the film Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan
Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan (film)
Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan is a 1978 Hindi movie produced by Surinder Kapoor and directed by Sikandar Khanna. The film stars Rishi Kapoor, Moushumi Chatterjee, Mithun Chakravorty, Ashok Kumar, Asrani, Amjad Khan, Helen, Paintal, Ranjeet and Asit Sen...
.
Asrani recently made a special appearance in the Punjabi film Yaariyan
Yaariyan
YAARIYAN is a 2008 Punjabi film. It features Gurdas Mann as the male lead and Bhumika Chawla plays his love interest. Directed by Deepak Grewal, the film also stars other actors like Om Puri, and Gulshan Grover who have their roots in Punjab. There is also a special appearance by Asrani.Aadesh...
.
Asrani and Mallika Sherawat
Mallika Sherawat
Mallika Sherawat is a former Indian model, now working as an actress in mainly Bollywood films. Known for her bold onscreen attitude, Sherawat has been frequently featured in the media as a sex symbol...
were the judges of the 18th annual Naya Andaz competition on April 17, 2010, in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
Awards
- Best Actor, Best Director Award from Gujarat State Government for Saat Qaidi (GujaratiGujarati languageGujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
) - Nominated Filmfare Award "Best Supporting Actor" - Abhimaan (1973)
- Filmfare Award for best comedianFilmfare Best Comedian AwardThe Filmfare Best Comedian Award was given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise an actor who had delivered an outstanding performance in a comic role....
- Aaj Ki Taaza KhabarAaj Ki Taaza KhabarAaj Ki Taaza Khabar is a 1973 Bollywood comedy film directed by Rajendra Bhatia.-Cast:...
(1973) - Filmfare Award for best comedianFilmfare Best Comedian AwardThe Filmfare Best Comedian Award was given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise an actor who had delivered an outstanding performance in a comic role....
- Balika BadhuBalika Badhu (1976)Balika Badhu is a 1976 Hindi film produced by Shakti Samanta and directed by Tarun Majumdar. The film based on the Bengali novel by the same name by Bimal Kar, about a young girl who is married before she could be old enough to understand what marriage is all about, in the backdrop of Indian...
(1976) - Shama Sushama Award for Best Comedian - AnhoneeAnhoneeAnhonee is a 1973 Bollywood medical drama film directed by Ravi Tandon. The film stars Sanjeev Kumar and Leena Chandavarkar.-Cast:*Sanjeev Kumar ... Sunil*Leena Chandavarkar ... Dr. Rekha*Padma Khanna ... Roopa...
(1973)
Filmography
shekharExternal links
- Asrani interview on SET India
- http://www.cagesmovie.com/castandcrew/asrani/