Daya Kishan Sapru (16 March 1916 – 20 October 1979), was an Indian actor famed for a variety of character roles in

Hindi cinema Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

, particularly villains, judges and aristocrats in crime thrillers and dramas. His most notable performances were in Bollywood productions of between the late 1950s and early 1970s, including ''

Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam ''Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam'' () is a 1962 Indian Hindi-language Drama (film and television), drama film that was directed by Abrar Alvi and produced by Guru Dutt, who also co-stars in it alongside Meena Kumari, Rehman (actor), Rehman, and Waheeda ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

Pakeezah ''Pakeezah'' (; ) is a 1972 Indian Hindustani-language musical romantic drama film that was written, directed, and produced by Kamal Amrohi. The film stars Ashok Kumar, Meena Kumari, and Raaj Kumar. It tells the story of Sahibjaan, a Lucknow ...

'', '' Kala Pani'', ''Dooj Ka Chand'', '' Tere Mere Sapne'', ''

Humjoli ''Humjoli'' () is a 1970 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film, produced by Prasan Kapoor under the Tirupati Pictures banner and directed by T. R. Ramanna. The film stars Jeetendra, Leena Chandavarkar, and is music composed by Laxmikant ...

'', ''

Jewel Thief ''Jewel Thief'' is a 1967 Indian Hindi-language spy thriller heist film directed by Vijay Anand. The film stars Ashok Kumar, Dev Anand, Vyjayantimala and features four bond girl-like actresses portrayed by Tanuja, Helen, Faryal and Anju Mahen ...

'', and '' Deewar''. Born to

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 ...

parents in 1916, Sapru made his Bollywood debut in ''Chand'' (1944), starring

Prem Adib Prem Adib (10 August 1917 – 25 December 1959) was an Indian actor. He was acclaimed as one of the top Bollywood actors of the 1940s, along with the likes of Pahari Sanyal, Ashok Kumar, P. C. Barua and Master Vinayak. Adib is best remembered ...

, another

actor. By the early 1970s, Sapru had risen to prominence as a villain in crime thrillers. Although he died in 1979, he continued to appear in several films that were released in the 1980s, including ''

Krodhi Krodhi () is a 1981 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film was directed by Subhash Ghai and it stars huge cast such as, Dharmendra, Shashi Kapoor, Zeenat Aman, Hema Malini, Premnath, Pran in pivotal roles. Kalyanji-Anandji's background sco ...

'' (1981). His son

Tej Sapru Tej Sapru (born 5 January 1955) is an Indian actor. He is the son of D. K. Sapru and Hemvati, both of whom were actors in the Hindi film industry. He has appeared in a number of Bollywood films of between the 1980s and 2010s, including ''Gupt'' ...

and younger daughter

Preeti Sapru Priti Sapru (also spelled as Preeti Sapru), is an Indian actress known for her works in Punjabi and Hindi cinema. She featured in a number of films including '' Nimmo'', ''Yaari Jat Di'' and ''Qurbani Jatt Di'' among others, with actors Veeren ...

are actors in Punjabi and Hindi films. His elder daughter

Reema Rakesh Nath Reema Rakesh Nath is a Bollywood film writer, director, and producer best known for scripting the golden jubilee film ''Saajan'', (1991) it was the highest grossing film that year and other films ''Aarzoo'' and ''Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam''. she als ...

is a scriptwriter and director, and her son, actor

Karan Nath Karan Nath is an Indian actor. He is best known for his role as the romantic hero in '' Yeh Dil Aashiqanaa'' in 2002. Career Karan worked as a child artist in ''Mr India'' (1987). He made his debut as a leading actor in the 2001 film '' Paaga ...

, is Sapru's only grandson.

Selected filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sapru 1916 births 1979 deaths Male actors in Hindi cinema Male actors from Jammu and Kashmir 20th-century Indian male actors Kashmiri people