Avtar Kishan Hangal (1 February 1914 – 26 August 2012)
was an
Indian freedom fighter
The Indian independence movement consisted of efforts by individuals and organizations from a wide spectrum of society to obtain political independence from the British, French and Portuguese rule through the use of a many methods. This is a l ...
from 1929 to 1947 and also stage actor from 1936 to 1965 and later became a
character actor
A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...
in
Hindi language
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
films from 1966 to 2005.
His most notable roles are as Ram Shastri in ''
Aaina'' (1977), as the Inder Sen in ''
Shaukeen
''Shaukeen'' () is a 1982 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by Basu Chatterjee dealing with the psychological aspects of people reaching the dusk of their life. The movie stars Ashok Kumar, Utpal Dutt, A.K. Hangal, Rati Agnihotri and ...
'', as Bipinlal Pandey in ''
Namak Haraam
''Namak Haraam'' () is a 1973 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The music is by R.D. Burman, the screenplay by Gulzar, and lyrics by Anand Bakshi. The film stars Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan. It also star ...
'', as Imaam Saa'b in ''
Sholay
''Sholay'' (, ) is a 1975 Indian Hindi-language action-adventure film directed by Ramesh Sippy, produced by his father G. P. Sippy, and written by Salim–Javed. The film is about two criminals, Veeru (Dharmendra) and Jai (Amitabh Bachchan), ...
'', as Anokhelal in ''
Manzil
For the convenience of those who read the Quran in a week the text may be divided into seven portions, each known as Manzil.
The following division to 7 equal portions is by Hamza Al-Zayyat (d.156/772):
# Al-Fatihah (chapter 1) through An-Nis ...
'' and the antagonist in ''
Prem Bandhan'' and the 16 films he did with
Rajesh Khanna
Rajesh Khanna () (; born Jatin Khanna; 29 December 1942 – 18 July 2012) was an Indian actor, film producer and politician who worked in Hindi films. He is called as the "First Superstar of Hindi cinema", he consecutively starred in a record ...
.
He has acted in around 225 Hindi films in a career spanning from 1966 to 2005.
Early life
Avtar Kishan Hangal was born in
Sialkot
Sialkot ( ur, ) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of Sialkot District and the 13th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined with Jammu (the winter capital of Indian administered Jammu and Ka ...
in the
Punjab Province of
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
(now in
Punjab, Pakistan
Punjab (; , ) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in central-eastern region of the country, Punjab is the second-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the largest province by population. It shares land borders with the ...
) into a
Kashmiri Pandit
The Kashmiri Pandits (also known as Kashmiri Brahmins) are a group of Kashmiri Hindus and a part of the larger Saraswat Brahmin community of India. They belong to the Pancha Gauda Brahmin group from the Kashmir Valley, a mountainous region ...
family,
he spent his childhood and youth in
Peshawar
Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
,
North-West Frontier Province
The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP; ps, شمال لویدیځ سرحدي ولایت, ) was a Chief Commissioner's Province of British India, established on 9 November 1901 from the north-western districts of the Punjab Province. Followin ...
where he had performed in theatre for some major roles. His family home was inside Reti Gate as mentioned in his memoirs. His father's name was Pandit Hari Kishan Hangal. His mother's name was Ragia Hundoo. He had two sisters. Bishan and Kishan. He was married to Manorma Dar from Agra.
However, his primary occupation for the early part of his life was that of a tailor. He was an active participant in the Indian freedom struggle from 1929 to 1947. He joined Shree Sangeet Priya Mandal, a theatre group in Peshawar in 1936 and continued to act in many plays in undivided India till 1946. Following his father's retirement, the family moved from
Peshawar
Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
to
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
. He moved to Bombay after the
Partition of India
The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...
in 1949 after 3 years in prison in Pakistan. He was involved with the theatre group
IPTA along with
Balraj Sahni
Brigadier Balraj (born Balasegaram Kandiah) was a senior commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Early life
Balraj was the fifth and youngest child of Kandiah and Kannagias. He received his primary education in Kokkuthoduwaai ...
and
Kaifi Azmi
Kaifi Azmi (born Athar Husain Rizvi; 14 January 1919 – 10 May 2002) was an Indian Urdu poet. He is remembered as the one who brought Urdu literature to Indian motion pictures. Together with Pirzada Qasim, Jaun Elia and others he participated ...
, both of whom had Marxist leanings. He was jailed because he was a communist
in Karachi for two years from 1947 to 1949 and after his release came to India and settled in Mumbai.
He later acted in many plays in theatres in India from 1949 to 1965.
Hindi cinema career
He started his Hindi film career at the age of 52 with
Basu Bhattacharya
Basu Bhattacharya (1934–19 June 1997) was an Indian film director of Hindi films. He is perhaps best known for his 1966 film ''Teesri Kasam'', starring Raj Kapoor and Waheeda Rehman (based on the short story "Maare Gaye Gulfam" by Phanishw ...
's ''
Teesri Kasam
''Teesri Kasam'' () is a 1966 Hindi language drama film directed by Basu Bhattacharya and produced by lyricist Shailendra. It is based on the short story ''Mare Gaye Gulfam'', by the Hindi novelist Phanishwarnath Renu. The film stars Raj Kapoo ...
'' in 1966 and ''
Shagird Shagird may refer to:
* Shagird (1967 film), an Indian Hindi-language comedy drama film
* Shagird (2011 film)
''Shagird'' () is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia starring Nana Patekar as Hanumant Singh ...
'', and went on to play as the man of principles playing the on-screen father or uncle of the leading men/women in the films in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, or sometimes the quintessential meek and oppressed old man. His pivotal roles in the films such as Chetan Anand's ''
Heer Raanjha
''Heer Raanjha'' is a 1970 Indian Hindi-language romantic musical film directed by Chetan Anand and produced by his son Ketan Anand. The film stars Raaj Kumar, Priya Rajvansh, Pran, Prithviraj Kapoor, Ajit, Jayant, Sonia Sahni, Kamini ...
'', ''
Namak Haraam
''Namak Haraam'' () is a 1973 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The music is by R.D. Burman, the screenplay by Gulzar, and lyrics by Anand Bakshi. The film stars Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan. It also star ...
'', ''
Shaukeen
''Shaukeen'' () is a 1982 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by Basu Chatterjee dealing with the psychological aspects of people reaching the dusk of their life. The movie stars Ashok Kumar, Utpal Dutt, A.K. Hangal, Rati Agnihotri and ...
'' (1981), ''
Sholay
''Sholay'' (, ) is a 1975 Indian Hindi-language action-adventure film directed by Ramesh Sippy, produced by his father G. P. Sippy, and written by Salim–Javed. The film is about two criminals, Veeru (Dharmendra) and Jai (Amitabh Bachchan), ...
'', ''
Aaina'' (1977), ''
Avtaar
''Avtaar'' is a 1983 drama film starring Rajesh Khanna and Shabana Azmi. It was directed by Mohan Kumar, and the music was by Laxmikant Pyarelal, and lyrics by Anand Bakshi. ''Avtaar'' was a commercial hit, and was critically acclaimed. T ...
'', ''
Arjun'', ''
Aandhi
''Aandhi'' () is a 1975 Indian political drama film starring Sanjeev Kumar and Suchitra Sen, and directed by Gulzar. At the time it was alleged that the film was based on the life of the then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her relationship wi ...
'', ''
Tapasya
Tapas (Sanskrit: तपस्) is a variety of austere spiritual meditation practices in Indian religions. In Jainism, it means asceticism (austerities, body mortification); in Buddhism, it denotes spiritual practices including meditation and se ...
'', ''
Kora Kagaz
''Kora Kagaz'' ( translation: Blank Paper) is a 1974 Indian Hindi-language drama film produced by Sanath Kothari and directed by Anil Ganguly. The film stars Vijay Anand, Jaya Bhaduri, A.K. Hangal, Achala Sachdev and Deven Verma. The film's ...
'', ''
Bawarchi
''Bawarchi'' (translation: ''The Chef'') is a 1972 Indian Hindi musical comedy-drama film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee starring Rajesh Khanna and Jaya Badhuri with Asrani, A.K. Hangal, Usha Kiran and Durga Khote in supporting roles. This w ...
'', ''
Chhupa Rustam
''Chhupa Rustam'' () is a 1973 Hindi film produced and directed by Vijay Anand. The film stars Dev Anand, Hema Malini, Vijay Anand, Bindu, Premnath, Prem Chopra, Ajit in pivotal roles. The music is by S. D. Burman.
Plot
The Government of In ...
'', ''
Chitchor
''Chitchor'' () is a 1976 Indian Hindi romantic musical film, written and directed by Basu Chatterjee. The film is a Rajshri Productions film produced by Tarachand Barjatya. It is based on a Bengali story, ''Chittachakor'' by Subodh Ghosh. K. ...
'', ''
Balika Badhu'', ''
Guddi'' and ''
Naram Garam
''Naram Garam'' is a 1981 Bollywood comedy-drama film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The film was produced by Subhash Gupta and Uday Narayan Singh and had music by R. D. Burman. It reprises many actors and actresses from the 1979 hit ''Gol M ...
'' are considered to be among his best. He, as a character actor was part of 16 films with
Rajesh Khanna
Rajesh Khanna () (; born Jatin Khanna; 29 December 1942 – 18 July 2012) was an Indian actor, film producer and politician who worked in Hindi films. He is called as the "First Superstar of Hindi cinema", he consecutively starred in a record ...
as the lead hero, like ''
Aap Ki Kasam
''Aap Ki Kasam'' (English: ''I swear by you'') is a 1974 Indian Hindi romance film produced by J. Om Prakash, which also marks his directorial debut. The film stars Rajesh Khanna, Mumtaz, Sanjeev Kumar, Rehman, Asrani and A. K. Hangal. The musi ...
'', ''
Amar Deep'', ''
Naukri
''Naukri'' () is a 1978 Bollywood film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. It was critically acclaimed and became an unexpected flop at the box office. However over the years, the film has been appreciated by the audiences in its screening in tel ...
'', ''
Prem Bandhan'', ''
Thodisi Bewafaii'', ''
Phir Wohi Raat
''Phir Wahi Raat'' () is a 1980 Indian Hindi-language horror film starring Rajesh Khanna as a psychologist doctor opposite Kim, then girlfriend of Danny. The film music and scores composed by R. D. Burman. This is the first and the only film d ...
'', ''
Kudrat
''Kudrat'' () is a 1981 Indian Hindi-language drama film, written and directed by Chetan Anand. The film stars Rajesh Khanna and Hema Malini, supported by Raaj Kumar, Priya Rajvansh and Vinod Khanna. This is the second movie of the Rajesh Kh ...
'', ''
Aaj Ka M.L.A. Ram Avtar'', ''
Bewafai
''Bewafai'' is a 1985 Hindi film starring Rajesh Khanna and Rajinikanth. The film was directed by R. Thyagarajan. Bewafai grossed Rs 11.95 crore at the box office in 1985. The film was a box office success.https://blogbuster.tatasky.com/loo ...
'' until ''Sautela Bhai'' in 1996.
His best performances in his later years was in ''
Shararat'' (2002) his character roles in ''
Tere Mere Sapne'' (1997) and ''
Lagaan
''Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India'' () is a 2001 Indian Hindi-language sports drama film written and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. The film was produced by Aamir Khan, who stars alongside debutant Gracy Singh and British actors Rachel Sh ...
''. In movies he has played a very large number of character roles, mostly positive, with rare exceptions where his negative roles became famous, like in ''
Manzil
For the convenience of those who read the Quran in a week the text may be divided into seven portions, each known as Manzil.
The following division to 7 equal portions is by Hamza Al-Zayyat (d.156/772):
# Al-Fatihah (chapter 1) through An-Nis ...
'' and ''
Prem Bandhan''. He also acted in a NFDC film, ''DATTAK'' (The Adopted), directed by Gul Bahar Singh in 2001.
Producer Debika Mitra had signed Madan Puri for Inder Sen's role, but a friend advised that A. K. Hangal would be a better choice. The superlative performance went on to become one of the most cherished acts of Hangal.
On 8 February 2011, Hangal 'walked' the ramp in a wheelchair for fashion designer Riyaz Ganji for his summer line in Mumbai.
Hangal made his last appearance in the television series ''Madhubala – Ek Ishq Ek Junoon'' in May 2012, in which he had a
cameo. ''Madhubala – Ek Ishq Ek Junoon'' was a tribute to 100 years of Indian cinema. The episode that featured Hangal aired on 1 June at 22:00 on
''Colors''. In the early 2012, Hangal also gave his voice for the character of King Ugrasen in the animation film Krishna Aur Kans which was released on 3 August 2012. This was final work in his career before his death. His portrayal of Ugrasen was much appreciated by critics.
Awards
The government of India awarded him the
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
for his contribution to Hindi Cinema in 2006.
Health and financial issues
Hangal, who had more than 200 films to his credit in a career that spanned nearly five decades, due to his old age post 2007 found it difficult to meet his medical expenses. His son Vijay, a retired cameraman and former Bollywood photographer, himself is 75 and has not had a full-time job since 2001. As a result, the family had financial difficulties. Though previously Vijay would take up small jobs, but later he suffered from back problems and was unable to work. After 2007, Hangal has been suffering from an illness and could not afford the treatment. At this point, following a media spotlight on 20 January 2011, many film stars and directors promised to help him financially. Maharashtra Chief Minister
Prithviraj Chavan
Prithviraj Chavan () (born 17 March 1946) is an Indian politician who was the 17th Chief Minister of Maharashtra, a state in Western India. Chavan is a graduate of the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani and University of Cali ...
also pledged to assist the veteran actor. Before that,
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena activists visited Hangal at his home and offered him medical and financial help. They also provided revitalization of memories of veteran's work and made media report it. Upon asking,
Raj Thackeray
Raj Shrikant Thackeray (Marathi pronunciation: aːd͡ʒ ʈʰaːkɾeː born Swaraj Shrikant Thackeray; 14 June 1968) is an Indian politician and the founding chairperson of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), a regional political party. Raj wa ...
expressed his concerns towards such actors who are neglected in their old age.
The actor had last shot for
Amol Palekar
Amol Palekar (born 24 November 1944) is an Indian actor, director and producer of Hindi and Marathi cinema.
Career
Palekar studied fine arts at the Sir JJ School of Arts, Mumbai, and commenced his artistic career as a painter. As a painter, he ...
's film, ''
Paheli
''Paheli'' () is a 2005 Indian Hindi-language fantasy film. It is a remake of the 1973 Hindi movie ''Duvidha'' by Mani Kaul based on the short story written by Vijayadan Detha in Rajasthani. It was also reported to have been partially inspired ...
'' in 2005. In fact, he had not gone out of his house for the last eight months. "We were surprised to see him get out of home. He would have done it only for acting," said his son Vijay and added, "My father had remained at home for the past few months. The show producer Saurabh Tiwari and senior executives from the channel came to our place to offer him the role. Several filmmakers had approached him in the last few years. But father did not take those up due to health issues."
A. K. Hangal returned to face the studio lights after seven long years. Having reached the sets of a TV Series ''
Madhubala - Ek Ishq Ek Junoon
Madhubala (born Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi; 14 February 1933 – 23 February 1969) was an Indian actress and producer who worked in Hindi-language films. She ranked as one of the highest-paid entertainers in India in the post-independence era, ...
'' on a wheelchair, the then 97-year-old actor wasn't sure he would be able to handle it physically. But once the cameras started rolling, there was no stopping the actor within.
Freedom fighter
Hangal participated in the
Indian freedom movement
The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947.
The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal. ...
when as a student, he joined protests in the
North West Frontier Province
The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP; ps, شمال لویدیځ سرحدي ولایت, ) was a Chief Commissioner's Province of British India, established on 9 November 1901 from the north-western districts of the Punjab Province. Followin ...
against the massacre at
Jallianwala Bagh
Jallianwala Bagh is a historic Bāgh (garden), garden and ‘memorial of national importance’ close to the Harmandir Sahib, Golden Temple complex in Amritsar, Punjab, India, Punjab, India, preserved in the memory of those wounded and killed in ...
. He later moved to
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
, where he spent three years in prison for protesting against British rule.
He is also related to India's first Prime Minister, Pt.
Jawahar Lal Nehru
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat—
*
*
*
* and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...
. Jawahar's wife,
Kamla Nehru
Kamala Nehru (''née'' Kaul; ; 1 August 1899 – 28 February 1936) was an Indian independence activist and the wife of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. Her daughter Indira Gandhi was the first female Prime Minister of India ...
, was first cousin of A. K. Hangal's mother.
Death
Hangal was admitted to the Asha Parekh Hospital in
Santa Cruz, Mumbai on 16 August 2012, three days after he fractured his thigh bone from a fall in his bathroom. His son said that he went to the hospital as he had "suffered a back injury and had to undergo a surgery. But that could not take place as later it was found that he has chest and breathing problems." On 26 August, he was put on
life support
Life support comprises the treatments and techniques performed in an emergency in order to support life after the failure of one or more vital organs. Healthcare providers and emergency medical technicians are generally certified to perform basic ...
. Dr Vinod Khanna, an orthopaedic surgeon at the hospital said: "He is on life support system. One of his lungs is not functioning. He is also having respiratory problems." But, his condition worsened and he died on the same day, at the age of 98. His cremation was held the next afternoon at Pavan Hans crematorium.
In reaction to his death,
Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi (born 18 September 1950) is an Indian actress of Hindi film, television and theatre. One of India's most acclaimed actresses, Azmi is known for her portrayals of distinctive, often unconventional female characters across several ge ...
wrote on ''
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
'': "An era comes to an end. Theatre and film were enriched by him."
The Communist Party of India described Hangal as a committed social and political activist who withstood the
Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena ( IAST: ''Śiva Sēnā'') () was a right-wing to far-right Marathi regionalist and Hindu ultranationalist political party in India founded in 1966 by cartoonist Bal Thackeray. Originally emerging from nativist movements in Bom ...
onslaught. The
BJP
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...
's
L. K. Advani
Lal Krishna Advani (born 8 November 1927) is an Indian politician who served as the 7th Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004. Advani is one of the co-founders and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is a longtime memb ...
and
Nitin Gadkari
Nitin Jairam Gadkari (; born 27 May 1957) is an Indian politician from Maharashtra who is the current Minister for Road Transport & Highways in the Government of India. He is also the longest serving Minister for Road Transport & Highways cu ...
also condoled his death.
Filmography
Films
TV series
Works
* ''Life and Times of A.K. Hangal'' (1999) (Autobiography)
References
External links
*
The genial revolutionary ''
Rediff.com
Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City.
, it had more than 300 e ...
''.
Marxist who made it good in movies ''
The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
''.
Some pictures of himat the '
Mid-Day
''Mid-Day'' (stylised as mid-day) is a morning daily Indian compact newspaper owned by Jagran Prakashan Limited. Editions in various languages were published in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Pune. In 2011, the Delhi and Bangalore editions were ...
'
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hangal, A. K.
Male actors from Punjab, India
Indian male film actors
1917 births
2012 deaths
People from Sialkot
Indian people of Kashmiri descent
Kashmiri people
Kashmiri Pandits
Kashmiri Brahmins
Male actors in Hindi cinema
Male actors from Mumbai
Indian male stage actors
Indian male television actors
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts
Indian People's Theatre Association people
20th-century Indian male actors