Balraj Sahni (1913–1973) was a famous Indian film actor and writer known for his films Dharti Ke Lal (1946), Hum Log (1951), Do Bigha Zameen (1953), Sutta Bazaar (1959), Kabuliwala (1961), Neel Kamal ( 1968), Do Raaste (1969), and Garam Hawa (1973). Balraj Sahni died of a heart attack on 13 April 1973 at the age of 59.
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Wiki/Biography
Balraj Sahni was born as Yudhishthir Sahni on Thursday, 1 May 1913 (59 years old at the time of his death) in Rawalpindi, Punjab, British India (present-day Pakistan). Their zodiac sign is Taurus. Initially he started his schooling from Arya Samaj Gurukul. But later, after protesting to his father about the poor education in Gurukul, he took admission in DAV. He studied MA in English from Government College University, Lahore. He was also an alumnus of Government Gordon College, Rawalpindi. He had a bachelor’s degree in Hindi.
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 10″
Hair Colour: White
Eye colour: black
Family
Balraj Sahni was born in an Arya Samaj follower family.
parents and siblings
Balraj Sahni’s father’s name was Harbans Lal Sahni. He was an import businessman. Balraj Sahni’s mother Lakshmi Devi was a housewife.
Balraj Sahni had a brother, Bhisham Sahni, who was a famous writer, playwright and actor.
Balraj Sahni (right) with Bhisham Sahni (left)
wife and children
Balraj Sahni married twice. His first wife Damayanti Sahni was an actress and social worker. Unfortunately, he died at the young age of 28 in 1947.
Balraj Sahni with wife Damayanti Sahni
After the demise of his first wife, Balraj Sahni married his second cousin, the writer Santosh Chandhok, in 1949.
Balraj Sahni with his second wife Santosh Chandok
Balraj Sahni had 3 children, famous Bollywood actor Parikshit Sahni and Shabnam Sahni from Damayanti. He became the father of Sanobar with Santosh.
Balraj Sahni with his children
religion/religious views
Although he was born in a family that strongly followed Arya Samaj, Balraj Sahni did not have much interest in religion. His son, Parikshit Sahni, discussed his views on religion in an interview and said,
He was averse to religion. In his book, My Drishtitikon, he urged readers to be wary of pastors, pundits, and mullahs. He wrote that they are the ones causing war in the world.
signature/autograph
Balraj Sahni’s autograph given to Deepti Naval
livelihood
After completing his master’s degree in 1934, Balraj Sahni started working in his father’s import business. In 1937, he moved to Lahore and entered journalism for some time and published a newspaper named ‘Monday Morning’. This proved to be a terrible mistake and he soon moved to Kolkata with his wife Damayanti. After completing his master’s degree he often wrote short stories. In Kolkata, he started writing more frequently. His brother Bhisham Sahni wrote about his activities in Kolkata in his book ‘Balraj My Brother’.
He started contributing humorous pieces to an illustrated weekly called Sachitra Bharat, which paid him exactly four rupees per article. His interesting children’s story ‘Dhapor Shankh’ was written in those days.
The money earned from writing was not enough and the couple moved to Shantiniketan where Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore lived and became Hindi teachers. In 1939, with Gandhiji’s blessings, he went to England and became a Hindi broadcaster for BBC. He returned to India in 1943 and soon joined IPTA (Indian People’s Theater Association) and started working in plays. In 1946 he started working in films.
movies
Baraj Sahni has appeared in many Hindi films. He has acted in an Assamese film titled ‘Era Bator Sur’ (1956).
Poster of the movie Era Bator Sur
He has also acted in two Punjabi language films, ‘Sutlej De Khande’ (1964), which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in the Punjabi Language, and ‘Nanak Dukhiya Sab Sansar’ (1970), a blockbuster hit.
Balraj Sahni in a scene from Satluj De Khandar
hindi movies
He had a small role in the film ‘Insaaf’ in 1946. In the same year, he also worked in ‘Dur Chalen’, ‘Badnami’ and ‘Dharti Ke Lal’. Dharti Ke Lal received much appreciation among critics around the world for its intense and realistic portrayal of famine-stricken Bengal.
Balraj Sahni in a scene from Insaaf
In 1951, he played the role of Raj in ‘Hum Log’, which received positive reviews from critics. In the same year, he also played the role of a jailer in ‘Hulchal’. Ironically, in real life he was put in jail due to communist activities and was allowed to come out only for shooting scenes and after shooting he would have to return to jail.
poster of movie hustle
The breakthrough role in Balraj Sahni’s career came in 1953 when he played the role of Shambhu Maheto in ‘Do Bigha Zameen’. It was the first film to win the Filmfare Award for Best Film and also the first Indian film to win the Prix Internationale at the Cannes Film Festival. To prepare for his role, he learned rickshaw driving in a rickshaw-puller union. On the sets of the film, he met a rickshaw puller whose story was similar to that of the film’s hero. This incident filled him with confidence and enthusiasm which helped him get into the role. He wrote about this incident in his autobiography,
As I was sitting in my rickshaw, sad and depressed, a middle-aged rickshaw puller came up to me. He was watching our show from a distance. Barring his poor health, he might have been one of those Jogeshwari Bhaiyas. His sickly, freckled face showed brown growths that had been there for several days, and his teeth were yellow. He wanted to know what this commotion was about. I told him that we were shooting a film.
‘You’re acting in that movie?’
‘Yes.’
‘As in what?’
I thought, if I talk to that partner, it will distract me and help me come out of my depressed mood. I started telling him the story of the film in the same way as Hrishikesh Mukherjee had told me earlier. Now it was her turn to drown in tears. However, his tears were more ‘real’ than mine, because it was his own life-story that he was listening to! He also had some bighas of land in a village in Bihar, which was mortgaged to a landlord for fifteen years. For so many years, he continued to pull rickshaws on the streets of Calcutta, waiting for the day when he would save enough money to get his land back. But now he had given up all hope of seeing his land again. After telling me these things of his life, he heaved a deep sigh and while walking said, ‘This is my story Babu, this is my story! Those simple words touched a chord within me. Shame on the principle of acting and to hell with Shishir Bhaduri and Dilip Kumar. The same destitute, sad and humble farmer, whose life I had to portray on screen, had appeared from nowhere and was standing in front of me in flesh and blood. This was an opportunity of a lifetime, for which I must thank my stars. In an instant, I saw this role as a challenge to my acting ability, as a responsibility that I had to fulfill with all my might. No matter what happens, I must not avoid it. That would only be cowardice, a sin, I told myself.
Balraj Sahni in a scene from Do Bigha Land
In 1954, Balraj Sahni played the role of Surajmal in ‘Bajuband’. In the same year, he also starred in another memorable film ‘Aulad’. His son, Parikshit Sahni once accompanied him to the sets of Aulad, where he got to witness first-hand his father’s dedication towards his art. Recalling that incident in an interview, he said,
Once I went with him for the shooting of Aulad (1954). In the scene, the father was holding the door of his master’s house and pleading for his child, “Master, please give me my child!” The scene ended, everyone applauded and pack-up was announced. On the way back to the car, Dad said he wasn’t happy with the shot. He went back and told director Mohan Sehgal that he wanted a retake. Mohanji felt that there was no need for this. Dad issued an ultimatum that if he did not allow him to do so, he would not report for the shooting. The studio was reopened. The lights were reinstalled. Papa gave a retake. But this time no one clapped. Because they were all crying. It was a wonderful shot. Later, Dad explained, “I wanted to feel the shot. I want to relive what I felt when your mother died.”
In 1955, he played the role of Lakshman in ‘Tangewali’. The same year, he starred as Ashok ‘Babuji’ in ‘Seema’ and as Girdharilal “Girdhari” in ‘Garam Kot’.
Balraj Sahni in a scene from Garam Kot
In 1957, he played the role of Sakharam in ‘Pardesi’. It was an Indo-Soviet co-production directed by Indian director Khawaja Ahmed Abbas and Russian director Vasily Pronin. The same year, he played the role of Chandan in the comedy ‘Mai Baap’.
Balraj Sahni in the poster of Mai Baap
In 1958, she played the lead role of Nargis in ‘Lajwanti’ opposite Nirmal Kumar. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. In 1958, he played the role of Kailash in ‘Ghar Sansar’. In 1959, he played the role of Mr. Kapoor in ‘Chaand’. The same year, he played the role of Rajendra in ‘Chhoti Behen’.
Balraj Sahni in Lajwanti poster
In 1960, he played the role of Panchu Dada in ‘Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere’. In the same year, he also acted in two other films, playing the role of Devraj in ‘Bindya’ and Dr. Nirmal Chaudhary in ‘Anuradha’. In 1961, he played the role of Shyam in ‘Bhabhi Ki Chudiyan’. He also played the role of Abdul Rehman Khan in the critically acclaimed ‘Kabuliwala’ in the same year.
Balraj Sahni in a scene from Kabuliwala
In 1962, he played the role of Ratan in ‘Shaadi’ and Choudhary Shambhunath in ‘Anpadh’. In 1964, he played the role of Major Ranjit Singh in ‘Haqeeqat’. In 1965, he played the role of a blind Baba/Fakir in ‘Dak Ghar’. In the same year, he played the role of Lala Kedarnath Prashant in the critically acclaimed film ‘Waqt’. With his brilliant performance, he has immortalized the film’s song ‘Ae Meri Zohrajabeen’ forever.
Balraj Sahni is presenting ‘Aye Meri Zohrajbeen’ in ‘Vaqt’
In 1968, he played the role of Mr. Raichand in ‘Neel Kamal’. The same year, he starred as Ganeshi Prasad in ‘Sunghursh’. In 1969, he starred as Kailashnath Kaushal in the blockbuster film ‘Ek Phool Do Mali’ and was nominated for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award. In 1970, he played the role of Shankaranath in ‘Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani’.
Balraj Sahni in a scene from Neel Kamal
In 1973, he played the role of Salim Mirza in ‘Garam Hawa’. The film won three Filmfare Awards as well as the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration. In 1977, he played the role of Suresh in ‘Amanat’.
Balraj Sahni in a scene from Garam Hawa
Categories: Biography
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