Legendary actor Om Puri passed away after a massive heart attack early on Friday morning. The actor was 66. Om Puri’s friends and several stars from Bollywood reached his residence at Andheri to pay their last respects to the actor.
Om Puri, who won several accolades for his performances, made his film debut in the 1976 Marathi film Ghashiram Kotwal. It was based on a Marathi play of the same name, which was written by Vijay Tendulkar. It was directed by K. Hariharan and Mani Kaul along with 16 graduates of the FTII.
Along with Amrish Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil, Puri was among the key actors who starred the wave of art films. It was with this that we saw him being featured in several popular films such as Bhavni Bhavai (1980), Sadgati (1981), Ardh Satya (1982), Mirch Masala (1986) and Dharavi (1992).
Puri was lauded for his performances even he took up several unconventional roles. We give you a lowdown on his most unforgettable performances.
Aakrosh: He played a victimized tribal in the film which was released in 1980. This Hindi arthouse film was directed by Govind Nihalani and written by renowned Marathi playwright Vijay Tendulkar.The film featured Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and Amrish Puri in lead roles and bagged 1980 National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi and several Filmfare Awards.
Ardh Satya: His convincing portrayal of a police inspector in the film is still one of the most memorable performances from the actor. This was also directed by Govind Nihalani. In this popular cop-drama, Om Puri was lauded for playing a cop who struggled with the evils around him. The film also featured Amrish Puri, Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah, and Sadashiv Amrapurkar. The film bagged several awards and became a landmark film in Indian film history.
Drohkaal: This crime drama film was directed and produced by Govind Nihalani. The film dealt with India's battle against terrorism. It also examined the mental and psychological trauma that an honest police officers experienced in their fight against a group of ruthless terrorists.
Maachis: He essayed the role of the leader of a cell of Sikh militanats Sanathan in Maachis. The film was set in the 1980s in the Indian state of Punjab which had was worn-out by a violent insurgency in the aftermath of Operation Blue Star, the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and the subsequent 1984 Anti-Sikh riots.
Giddh: This 1984 Hindi film was directed by T.S. Ranga and featured Smita Patil and Nana Patekar among others. The film won Special Jury Award (32nd National Film Awards) for its depiction of the powerlessness of people struggling against the Devdasi tradition.
Mirch Masala: He played the brave old guard who doesn’t let Subhedar's friends enter the spice factory. He claims the women inside the spice factory are like his own daughters and dares Subhedar's friends to enter the factory. The film was set in Colonial India in the early 1940s. Directed by Ketan Mehta, it featured Naseeruddin Shah and Smita Patil in the lead roles.
Narasimha: Directed by N Chandra, the film revolved around Baapji (Om Puri) - the most influential man in the city. The film also featureds Sunny Deol, Dimple Kapadia, Urmila Matondkar, Ravi Behl in key roles.
Gandhi: Om Puri may have got a minute role in British filmmaker Richard Attenborough's Oscar winning film Gandhi, but the film definitely changed his life just like the rest who were associated with it. “I had barely one-and-a-half-minute screen-time in Gandhi. But what an impact my cameo made! I believe it was shown as the footage during the Oscar nominations, a huge honour in a film that starred the most distinguished cast possible…," he said in an interview.
City of Joy: This 1992 French-British drama film was directed by Roland Joffé. Its screenplay was written by Mark Medoff. It was based on the novel by the same name by Dominique Lapierre. The film featured Patrick Swayze, Om Puri and Shabana Azmi.
Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro: Kundan Shah's 1983 cult film Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro was a political satire. He played a perpetually drunk Ahuja in the film. As Ahuja, Om Puri played another candidate vying for D'Mello's attention. The film narrated a tale of two simple and honest photographers, essayed by Naseeruddin Shah and Ravi Vaswani. They witness a murder and get dragged into the corrupt real estate circle where politicians and bureaucrats are involved. It featured actors like Pankaj Kapur, Satish Shah, Neena Gupta and Satish Kaushik, apart for Om Puri.
Aastha: In the Prison of Spring: This 1997 Bollywood was film, produced and directed by Basu Bhattacharya. The film featured Rekha, Om Puri, Navin Nischol and Daisy Irani in key roles. The film earned both critical acclaim and commercial success.
Maqbool: Released in 2003, this Indian crime drama film was directed by Vishal Bhardwaj. The film featured actors Pankaj Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Tabu and Masumeh Makhija in an adaptation of the play Macbeth by Shakespeare.
My Son the Fanatic: Released in 1997, this British romantic-drama was adapted from a short story written by Hanif Kureishi. Om Puri played the protagonist in the film. He essayed the role of a taxi driver who slogs to make a living while all his friends are moneyed. He bagged the best actor award at the Brussels International Film Festival for his performance.
East is East: This comedy drama revolved around a mixed-ethnicity household which is led by a Pakistani father and an English mother. The film bagged multiple awards for the best film, story, screenplay and direction. The film also got a sequel called West is West (2010).
Singh Is Kinng: This action comedy film was directed by Anees Bazmee. The film featured Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif in key roles. Om Puri is still remembered for giving the film its most genuine comic moments.
Actor In Law: This Pakistani socio-comedy which was released in 2016 marked the debut of Om Puri in the Pakistani film industry. The film was directed by Nabeel Qureshi and featured Om Puri as Rafaqat Mirza. The actor was lauded for his performance.
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