Kanhaiyalal Chaturvedi (1910–1982) was a veteran Indian actor best known for his work in Bollywood films. He is mainly known for playing the role of Sukhilala in the popular film ‘Mother India’ (1957). In a career spanning nearly 45 years, he has worked in more than 150 films.
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Wiki/Biography
Kanhaiyalal Chaturvedi was born on Thursday, 15 December 1910 (age 72 at time of death) in Banaras, United Provinces, British India (now Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India). He received his education till fourth class in Hindi medium school. He wanted to make his career in the film industry since childhood. Although his father did not want him to pursue a career in the film industry, he managed to convince his father and started doing odd jobs in troupes at an early age. He started writing for stage plays at the age of 16 and later started playing small roles in theater plays. After his father’s death, he and his elder brother tried to run their father’s drama company; However; They were not successful and closed the company. After this, Kanhaiyalal moved to Bombay to pursue a career in the film industry.
Family
parents and siblings
His father Pandit Bhairodatt Choubey was the owner of Sanatan Dharma Ramlila Mandali in Varanasi. He had an elder sister named Kunwar, and an elder brother named Sankata Prasad Chaturvedi; He was an actor who worked in silent films.
wife and children
He was married twice. His second wife’s name was Jambansi Chaturvedi from whom he had seven children including four daughters and three sons.
Kanhaiyalal with his wife
His daughter Hema Singh is a film producer.
Kanhaiyalal with daughter Hema Singh
Kanhaiyalal (right) at his son’s wedding reception.
livelihood
Kanhaiyalal started his acting career with the film ‘Jhool Badan’ (1938) starring Motilal and Sabita Devi. In an interview he revealed how he got this role. He informed that the actor who was to play Motilal’s father was absent from the studio. As a result, the director asked Kanhaiyalal to read the dialogues. He read them in his own poetic style, which impressed the director and he was selected for the role. Talking about this in an interview he said,
An actor playing Motilal’s father had not reported to the set, so there was an opportunity to step into the breach. The dialogue I was supposed to deliver turned into an entire sheet of foolscap paper. Almost everyone on the set was ready to laugh at my attempt to become an actor, but God helped me and I did my job.
In the same year, he appeared in Sagar Movietone’s film ‘Sadhana’. In the film, he played the role of the hero’s grandfather and considered this role as his first major role. He also wrote songs and dialogues for the film. In 1939, he appeared in the film ‘Ek Hi Raasta’ in which he played the role of a villain for the first time.
Poster of the movie ‘Ek Hi Raasta’
In 1940, he wrote dialogues for the film ‘Civil Marriage’. He became famous by playing the role of Sukhilala in the film ‘Aurat’ (1940) directed by Mehboob Khan.
Kanhaiyalal (left) as Sukhilala in the film ‘Aurat’ (1940)
He played the role so well that when Mehboob Khan remade the film seventeen years later in 1957 under the title ‘Mother India’, he asked Kanhaiyalal to reprise the role in the remake of the film. After this, Kanhaiyalal became the first actor of Hindi cinema to play the same role again after a long gap of 17 years.
Kanhaiyalal as Sukhilala in the film ‘Mother India’ (1957)
His performance as a good-natured pickpocket Moti in the film ‘Bahan’ (1941) was highly appreciated by the audience. Initially, only four scenes were planned for him in the film, but the number of scenes was increased to fourteen by the end of the film.
Kanhaiyalal in a scene from the film ‘Behan’
During his career that spanned nearly 45 years, he acted in more than 150 films. Some of his most notable films include ‘Bhukh’ (1946), ‘Devdas’ (1955), ‘Upkaar’ (1967), ‘Gaon Hamara Shahar Tumhaara’ (1972), ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’ (1978), and ‘Haathkadi’ Are included. ‘(1981).
Death
After suffering from asthma for a long time, Kanhaiyalal left this world on 14 August 1982 at the age of 72.
Facts/General Knowledge
- Initially, Kanhaiyalal wanted to be a writer and director and had no plans of becoming an actor. However, he started his career in the film industry as a background extra in Sagar Movietone’s ‘Sagar Ka Sher’ (1937) and later worked hard to establish himself as a successful actor.
- Before entering the film industry, he worked in theatrical productions in various positions. He has performed various self-written plays like ‘Pandrah August’ in Mumbai.
- After his father’s death, he and his elder brother ran a grocery store to meet the household expenses.
- When Kanhaiyalal did not get a chance to direct a film, he became disappointed. As a result, he returned to his hometown Varanasi after working as an actor in the film ‘Ek Hi Raasta’ (1939). However, he later returned to Bombay with an agreement to assist Virendra Desai, son of Chimanlal Desai, in charge of Sagar Movietone. This collaboration happened for the film ‘Sanskar’ (1940). Kanhaiyalal rewrote the film’s dialogues and songs, but his efforts were not successful.
- The actor got injured while shooting a house collapse scene for the film ‘Aurat’. He was so dedicated to his work that when the director asked to call the doctor, Kanhaiyalal refused and insisted on finishing the remaining shots.
- In an interview, Kanhaiyalal told that during the shooting of the film ‘Aurat’, no make-up artist was ready to do his make-up and he did the scenes only with mustache as make-up. In the film, he played the character of a middle-aged moneylender, although he was young at that time. Talking about this in the interview he said,
There was no make-up man free or willing to take care of me. When I told this difficulty to cinematographer Faridoon Irani, he calmly said, ‘Don’t worry. Look as you are and I will take pictures of you without makeup. He did exactly the same. My make-up only consisted of a moustache.”
- The actor has played the role of an old man in most of his films. In an interview, he told that he started playing the character of an old man at a very young age. Talking about this in the interview he said,
I was quite young but that’s how I started playing older roles. And, over the years, I have grown older and older but my roles have not become younger and younger!”
- Apart from acting and writing, he also had a keen interest in music.
- Kanhaiyalal was fond of eating paan and he always kept a box of paan with him. It is said that he used to consume paan more than regular food.
- Kanhaiyalal’s daughter Hema Singh made a documentary film named ‘Naam Tha Kanhaiyalal’ about his life and success in 2021. It was released on the OTT platform MX Player and was also screened at various film festivals under the title ‘Cradle to Grave’.
Poster of the documentary film ‘Naam Tha Kanhaiyalal’
- In an interview, Kanhaiyalal’s daughter Hema Singh said that her father deserves the ‘Dada Saheb Phalke Award’ for his remarkable contribution to the film industry. He said,
My father, who has acted in more than 120 films, has made a huge contribution to the film industry and now he needs recognition in the form of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
- Bollywood actor Govinda is a family friend of Kanhaiyalal as Kanhaiyalal and Govinda’s father were good friends.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn