Om Puri was an Indian actor who has appeared in both mainstream Indian films and art films. His credits also include appearances in British and American films. He has received an honorary OBE.Puri was born in Ambala, Haryana. His father worked on the railways and served in the Indian Army. Puri graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India. He is also an alumnus of the 1973 class of National School of Drama where Naseeruddin Shah was a co-student.Puri had worked in numerous Indian films and in many films produced in the United Kingdom and the United States. He made his film debut in the 1976 film Ghashiram Kotwal, based on a Marathi play of the same name. He has claimed that he was paid “peanuts”” for his best work. He had collaborated with Amrish Puri as well as Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil in art films such as Bhavni Bhavai (1980), Sadgati (1981), Ardh Satya (1982), Mirch Masala (1986) and Dharavi (1992). He had been active in cinema. He was critically acclaimed for his performances in many unconventional roles such as a victimized tribal in Aakrosh (1980) (a film in which he spoke only during flash-back sequences); Jimmy’s manager in Disco Dancer (1982); a police inspector in Ardh Satya (1982), where he revolts against life-long social, cultural and political persecution and for which he got the National Film Award for Best Actor; the leader of a cell of Sikh militants in Maachis (1996); as a tough cop again in the commercial film Gupt in 1997; and as the courageous father of a martyred soldier in Dhoop (2003). In 1999, Puri acted in a Kannada movie A.K. 47 as a strict police officer who tries to keep the city safe from the underworld – it became a huge commercial hit. Puri’s acting in the movie is very memorable. He has rendered his own voice for the Kannada dialogues. In the same year, he starred in the successful British comedy film East is East, where he played a first-generation Pakistani immigrant in the north of England, struggling to come to terms with his far more westernized children. Om Puri had a cameo in the highly acclaimed film Gandhi (1982, directed by Richard Attenborough). In the mid-1990s, he diversified to play character roles in mainstream Hindi cinema, where his roles are more tuned to mass audiences than film critics. He became known internationally by starring in many British films such as My Son the Fanatic (1997), East Is East (1999) and The Parole Officer (2001). He appeared in Hollywood films including City of Joy (1992), opposite Patrick Swayze; Wolf (1994) alongside Jack Nicholson; and The Ghost and the Darkness (1996) opposite Val Kilmer. In 2007, he appeared as General Zia-ul-Haq in Charlie Wilson’s War, which stars Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. He has worked in Hindi television serials like Kakkaji Kaheen (1988) (roughly meaning “”Uncle says””) as a paan-chewing ‘Kakkaji’, which was a parody on politicians, and Mr. Yogi (1989) as a suave ‘Sutradhaar’ who enjoys pulling the protagonist’s leg. These two serials underlined Om Puri’s versatility as a comedian. He received critical acclaim for him performance in Govind Nihalani’s television film Tamas (1987) based on a Hindi novel of the same name. He essayed comic roles in Hindi films like Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro which reached a cult status, followed by Chachi 420 (1997), Hera Pheri (2000), Chor Machaye Shor (2002) and Malamaal Weekly (2006). His more recent Hindi film roles include Singh Is Kinng, Mere Baap Pehle Aap and Billu. Puri was seen in the role of Mohammad Ali Kasuri in Road to Sangam (2009). In 2010, he appeared in The Hangman. In 2011 he was in the Indian action movie Don 2. He had also worked in Aahat TV Series in some episodes during second season which was aired between 2004-2005 on Sony channel.”
Om Puri
Movies
Kamaal Dhamaal Malamaal
Dirty Politics
Khallas
Jyoti Shinde lives a middle-classed lifestyle in Pune along with her parents. . While in college, she was friendly with a fellow-collegian, Sachin Mhatre. Afer college they parted but meet again after five years, and fall in love. Sachin tells her that he is a computer engineer, and she invites…
Khatta Meetha
A young man named Jeetu finds himself in debt with his father receiving harassing visits from money-lenders. Although his father is scolded daily for his non-progress in their debts, his mother and his fiancée Pooja believe he can successfully fulfill his task and live happily, but burdened with high debt,…
Don
In 2006, the drug trade is booming; trafficking between Asian and Europe is at an all time high. It is at this time that the Malaysian intelligence and Anti-Narcotic department are called upon for assistance by their Indian counterparts. There are rumors that the gang recently moved their operational headquarters.…
Don 2
Having conquered the Asian underworld, Don (Shah Rukh Khan) now has his sights set on European domination. In his way are the bosses of the existing European underworld and all law enforcement agencies. The action shifts from Kuala Lumpur to Berlin as Don must avoid assassination or arrest, whichever comes…
Rang De Basanti
Sue comes to India to make a film on Indian revolutionaries. She is helped by her friend Sonia who introduces her to her friends Karan, Aslam, Sukhi, and their head DJ. Sonia’s fiance, Lt Ajay Rathod, also joins the gang when in town. Their gang always gets in trouble with…
Action Replayy
After witnessing nothing but acrimony between his bickering Mumbai-based parents, Kishen and Mala Chopra, Bunty refuses to marry his girlfriend, Tanya Gonsalves. He is then introduced to her eccentric grandfather, Professor Anthony Gonsalves, and finds that the latter has invented a time-travel machine. Bunty travels back in time–specifically Holi 1975–when…
Kismat Konnection
Toronto-based social activist Priya meets out-of-work architect Raj Malhotra, and both end up in a series of hilarious misunderstandings. Priya finds out that Raj is attracted to her. She shows interest in him as well, though she is seeing Karan Bahl, to whom all of their friends expect she’ll soon…
Agneepath
Agneepath is a story of revenge of Vijay Chauhan against an evil and sadistic Kaancha, who hangs Vijay’s father to death. Vijay grows up with a single aim of avenging his father’s death. The story revolves around Vijay Chauhan, his relationships with his family and above all, his Revenge.
Krishna Aur Kans
It is the story of Krishna, the destiny’s child, born as the nemesis of brutal king Kans who had tormented the kingdom with his ruthless dominance. Growing up as a naughty prankster, Krishna from a very early age displays his valiant powers over the deadly demons send by Kans, whose…
Saanch Ko Aanch Nahin
Manoharlal Agarwal is a wealthy businessman and lives with his family consisting of three sons: Pratap, Dilip & Babu, two daughters Nirmala & Munni; his wife, Sharda; & Pratap’s wife; He asks Satyaprakash Agarwal to be the sole arbitrator in a matter concerning himself and Hariram. Before the arbitration, he…
Lakshya
Karan, a spoiled teenager, joins the Indian Army on a whim but backs out when he finds a soldier’s life to be difficult. When this creates conflict with his girlfriend, he reenlists and proves his mettle by becoming an officer just as war breaks out.
London Dreams
Bhatinda-based school-going Arjun wants to follow in his much-maligned grand-father’s footsteps and attain fame at the Wembley Stadium much to the chagrin of his father. After the latter’s passing, he re-locates to live in Britain with his paternal uncle, and when admonished about his career, runs away. Years later Arjun…
Gadar
Amongst the communal riots that erupt in the city, Tara shelters a wayward Sakina from a crazed mob and a bond that blossoms into love is created. The two eventually get married and have a son. The happy family, now living in Amritsar, gets the shock of their lives when…
Maachis
Following the assassination of Mrs. Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India, at the hands of her Sikh bodyguards, a wave of violence broke out against innocent Sikhs and their families. Pressure was also brought on the police to bring the assassins and their allies to justice. The police, with…
Ghayal Once Again
Ajay Mehra (from previous Ghayal-1990), after finishing off his life sentence, starts a newspaper called Satyakam. Still dealing with the haunting trauma of losing his loved ones, Ajay manages to make a credible name for himself in investigative journalism. Working with a strange team of RTI activists, ex-criminals and ilk;…
Songs
Baabarr
Born in violent Amanganj, Uttar Pradesh, Mohammad Baabarr Qureshi watches his eldest brother go to jail for killing Kale Pahelwan. He watches and learns from his other brothers, seriously injures another boy, and after acquiring a gun, kills the boy’s father. He grows up to be a much-feared gangster in…
Bajrangi Bhaijaan
A little mute girl from a Pakistani village gets lost on her return back from a trip to India. In Kurukshetra, she meets Pawan – an ardent devotee of Lord Hanuman – who is in the midst of a challenge posed by his lover’s father. In trying to discover the…
Mirzya
Teen Thay Bhai
Bhatinda-based middle-classed Harpreet Gill is unable to get his three rather plain-looking and overweight daughters married and must live with constant criticism from his wife; his brother, Chiksi, is a fake dentist who incurs wrath of his patients; while his second brother, Fancy, is an out-of-work Punjabi movies’ actor. The…
Money Hai Toh Honey Hai
Manikchand Khiralal is a struggling model who gets kicked out by his mentor, Dolly, when she finds another boyfriend; Lalabhai Bharodia has no business acumen, and has lost millions; Shruti is a much abused and underpaid designer; Gaurav Negi gets fired from his job with Glamour Ad Agency; Ashima Kapoor…
Hey Ram
The film starts with Saketh Ram as a very old man and almost immediately goes into flashback. As a young man he is among his friends, in conviviality. He has taken a Bengali wife, Aparna, and everything is wonderful in his life, However the year is 1946, and the imminent…
Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya
In a quaint village of Haryana lives Miny, a free-spirited tomboy who instantly wins your heart with her bubbly personality. Her father, Bhatti, runs an auto-rickshaw business and is adamant to marry her off against her liking to Sunny. The male protagonist Viren, is a humble and ambitious rickshaw driver…
Na Ghar Ke Na Ghaat Ke
Based in Pallanhar, Uttar Pradesh, Devkinandan lives with his father, Sankataprasad; mother; grandmother; and a sister. He graduates with honors, gets employed in the Meteorological Department in Mumbai, and re-locates there, where he gets to share a room with a pimp, Madan Khachak, and attempts to adjust to life in…
Bhumika
Coming from a poor and destitute family, Urvashi is encouraged by her mother, Shanta (Sualbha Deshpande) to be on more than friendly terms with a much older male, Keshav Dalvi (Amol Palekar). Keshav takes a liking to young Urvashi, and encourages her to explore her talents in films, which she…
Chaar Din Ki Chandni
Chal Chala Chal
Pune-based widower Omkar Nath used to work as a Headmaster with a local school. When he was fired, his son, Deepak, hired a lawyer to sue the school. The school was represented by none other than Omkar’s live-in son-in-law, Vinayak Agrawal. After some years the Court finally came to a…
Dabangg (2010)
Set in Uttar Pradesh, Chulbul Pandey is a young boy who lives with his mother Naini, stepfather Prajapati, and younger half-brother Makkhi. Chulbul is constantly angry that his step-father is always partial towards his own biological son. 21 years later, Chulbul is a rowdy, mischievous, and sometimes crooked cop, who…
Policegiri
Policegiri movie is the remake of Tamil movie Sammy.Sanjay Dutt (Rudra) is playing the role of a rough neck cop with a bit of both the bad cop-good cop act which also gives comic touch in his character, whereas Prachi Desai (Sehar) will wear the image of a girl next…
Fun Facts
Although an Indian Citizen he was created and invested, Officer of the Order of the British Empire, OBE (Honorary) in 2004 for services to The British Film Industry.
Starred in the shelved movie P.N.J.Films "Jan Gun Man""(1997) Starring Om Puri
Quotes
Amitabh Bachchan is a great actor and I am thankful that he refused Ardh Satya