Rajesh Vivek Upadhyay (31 January 1949 – 14 January 2016) was an Indian actor. He is best known to Hindi film audiences for his role as the astrologer Guran in ''

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 ...

'' (2001) and as the postmaster Nivaran in '' Swades'' (2004). He had also played role of Vyasa, author of the Hindu epic

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the K ...

, in the popular Indian series '' Mahabharat''. He made his mark as a villain in the beginning with films like ''

Veerana Veerana () is a 1988 Indian Hindi-language erotic supernatural horror thriller film, directed by the Ramsay Brothers. The music was composed by Bappi Lahiri and sung by Suman Kalyanpur, Munna Aziz and Sharon Prabhakar., Plot Priests surrou ...

'' (1988) and ''

Joshilaay ''Joshilaay'' is a 1989 Indian Hindi-language film directed by Sibte Hassan Rizvi. The film stars Sunny Deol, Anil Kapoor, Sridevi, Meenakshi Sheshadri, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Rajesh Vivek. The music was composed by R. D. Burman. Plot The f ...

'' (1989), often playing the role of a henchman, and later took to portraying comedic and supporting characters. His other credits include '' Mujhse Shaadi Karogi'', '' What's Your Raashee?'' and '' Bunty Aur Babli''. Rajesh is also noted for his roles in the historic TV series '' Bharat Ek Khoj'' and in the TV Serial ''Aghori''. He was hired for an ad series of ''Cadbury 5 Star'' as the father of the two sons.

Biography

Vivek was born on 31 January 1949 in Jaunpur,

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

. He obtained his

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. ...

degree in Ancient history & Archaeology from T. D. Degree College, Jaunpur, and trained at the National School of Drama in acting. Filmmaker Shyam Benegal first introduced him in films with his film '' Junoon'' (1978). Rajesh died on 14 January 2016 at the age of 66 due to a massive heart attack while shooting for a film at

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

Biography

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links