Motilal (actor)
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Motilal Rajvansh (4 December 1910 – 17 June 1965) was an Indian actor and the winner of
Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award The Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor is given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a male actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role. Although the awards start ...
for ''
Devdas ''Devdas'' ( bn, দেবদাস, transliterated as ''Debdās'') is a Bengali romance novel written by Sarat Chandra Chatterjee. The story pivots a tragic triangle linking Devdas, an archetypal lover in viraha (separation); Paro, his forbidd ...
'' (1955) and '' Parakh'' (1960). He is credited with being among Hindi cinema's first natural actors. He also directed the film '' Chhoti Chhoti Baten'' (1965), but died before its release. At the 13th National Film Awards, it won the award for Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Feature Film and he posthumously won the Certificate of Merit for the Best Story Writer.


Early life and background

Born in
Shimla Shimla (; ; also known as Simla, List of renamed Indian cities and states#Himachal Pradesh, the official name until 1972) is the capital and the largest city of the States and union territories of India, northern Indian state of Himachal Prade ...
on 4 December 1910, Motilal came from a distinguished family. His father was a renowned educationist, who died when Motilal was one year old. He was brought up by his uncle who was a well-known civil surgeon in
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 ...
. At first, Moti was sent to an English school at Shimla and later, in Uttar Pradesh (UP). Thereafter, he shifted to Delhi where he continued with school and college.


Acting career

Motilal Rajvansh said of his screen career with characteristic humour: After leaving college, Moti came to
Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
to join the Navy, but he fell ill and could not appear for the test. Fate had other choices charted out for him. One day, he went to see a film shoot at Sagar Studios, where director K. P. Ghosh was shooting. Motilal, even then, was quite the man about the town and he caught Ghosh's eye. In 1934 (aged 24), he was offered the hero's role in '' Shaher Ka Jadoo'' (1934) by the Sagar Film Company. He later featured in several successful social dramas alongside Sabita Devi, including '' Dr. Madhurika'' (1935) and '' Kulvadhu'' (1937). He worked with
Mehboob Khan Mehboob Khan (born Mehboob Khan Ramzan Khan; 9 September 1907
at filmreference.com.
– 28 ...
in '' Jagirdar'' (1937) and '' Hum Tum Aur Woh'' (1938) under the Sagar Movietone banner, in ''Taqdeer'' (1943) for Mehboob Productions, and
Kidar Sharma Kidar Nath Sharma, also Kedar Sharma (12 April 1910 – 29 April 1999), was an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, and Lyricist of Hindi films. While he had great success as a director of such movies as '' Neel Kamal'' (1947), ''Bawre N ...
's ''Armaan'' (1942) and ''Kaliyan'' (1944). He also acted in
S. S. Vasan Subramaniam Srinivasan (4 January 1904 – 26 August 1969), popularly known by his screen name S. S. Vasan, was an Indian journalist, writer, advertiser, film producer, director and business tycoon. He is the founder of the Tamil-language maga ...
's film '' Paigham'' (1959) (Gemini Studios), and Raj Kapoor's ''
Jagte Raho ''Jagte Raho'' () is a 1956 Bollywood/ Bengali film, directed by Amit Maitra and Sombhu Mitra, written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, and produced by and starring Raj Kapoor. The film centers on the trials of a poor villager (Kapoor) who comes to a cit ...
'' (1956). In 1965, he also acted in the Bhojpuri film ''Solaho Singar Kare Dulhaniya.'' Perhaps the role for which he received the most critical appreciation was that of the gentleman crook in S. S. Vasan's adaptation of
R K Narayan Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami (10 October 1906 – 13 May 2001) was an Indian writer known for his work set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi. He was a leading author of early Indian literature in English along with Mulk ...
's book '' Mr Sampat'' (1952). He is most remembered for his role as "Chunni Babu" in
Bimal Roy Bimal Roy (12 July 1909 – 8 January 1966) was an Indian film director. He is particularly noted for his realistic and socialistic films such as '' Do Bigha Zamin'', '' Parineeta'', '' Biraj Bahu'', ''Devdas'', ''Madhumati'', '' Sujata'', '' ...
's ''Devdas'' (1955), for which he won his first
Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award The Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor is given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a male actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role. Although the awards start ...
. Actor Naseeruddin Shah once described him as one of three all-time best actors of Hindi cinema, others being Balraj Sahni and Yakub.


Personal life

Motilal was very suave and polished, and moved in high society, though towards the end of his life he was in financial difficulty. Although a thorough gentleman, he enjoyed gambling and races, and died almost penniless in 1965. He was in a relationship for several years with the actress
Nadira Nadira is a given name common in Asian countries. It may refer to Given name * Nadira (actress), an Indian actress of the 1950s and 1960s, best known for her roles as a temptress * Nadira (Pakistani actress), Pakistani actress in Punjabi and Urdu ...
. He was later involved with actress
Shobhna Samarth Shobhana Samarth (17 November 1916 – 9 February 2000) was an Indian actress, director and producer who began her career in the early days of talkie movies in the Hindi film industry and continued in lead roles into the 1950s. She started i ...
after she separated from her husband, and he played Samarth's real-life daughter
Nutan Nutan Samarth Bahl (4 June 1936 – 21 February 1991), known mononymously as Nutan, was an Indian actress who worked in Hindi films. In a career spanning nearly four decades, she appeared in more than 70 films, mostly as a protagonist, in both b ...
's father in ''Hamari Beti'', Shobhana's launch movie for Nutan. He also played her guardian in ''
Anari Anari may refer to: Films * ''Anari'' (1959 film), a Bollywood film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee * ''Anari'' (1975 film), a Bollywood film directed by Asit Sen, starring Shashi Kapoor, Sharmila Tagore and Moushumi Chatterjee * ''Anari'' (1 ...
'', though this time the role had a villainous touch to it.


Tribute

Amitabh Bachchan wrote in the foreword of ''The Hundred Luminaries of Hindi Cinema'': "Not much has been written in praise of a great and very natural actor. He (Motilal) was greatly ahead of his times. Were he alive today his sheer versatility would have ensured a place for him even now. In fact, he would be doing much better than many of us."


Filmography


Actor

# ''
Yeh Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hai ''Yeh Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hai'' () is a 1966 Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by R. K. Nayyar. The film was produced by Nayyar fr his R. K. Nayyar Films banner. It had story and screenplay by Harish Kumar Mehra with dialogues by Agha ...
'' (1966) # '' Chhoti Chhoti Baten'' (1965) # '' Waqt'' (1965) # ''Solaho Singar Kare Dulhaniya'' (Bhojpuri) (1965) # '' Ji Chahta Hai'' (1964) # ''
Leader Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets vi ...
'' (1964) # ''
Yeh Rastey Hain Pyar Ke ''Yeh Rastey Hain Pyar Ke'' () is a 1963 Hindi film starring Sunil Dutt and Leela Naidu in the lead roles. This film was Sunil Dutt's debut production, directed by R.K. Nayyar, with music composed by Ravi. Premise Dutt's favourite writer A ...
'' (1963) # ''
Asli-Naqli ''Asli-Naqli'' () is a 1962 Hindi film produced by L.B Lachman and L.B Thakur. The film is directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and stars Dev Anand, Sadhana, Leela Chitnis, Anwar Hussain, Sandhya Roy and Keshto Mukherjee. The film's music is by ...
'' (1962) # '' Parakh'' (1960) # ''
Anari Anari may refer to: Films * ''Anari'' (1959 film), a Bollywood film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee * ''Anari'' (1975 film), a Bollywood film directed by Asit Sen, starring Shashi Kapoor, Sharmila Tagore and Moushumi Chatterjee * ''Anari'' (1 ...
'' (1959) # '' Paigham'' (1959) # '' Ab Dilli Dur Nahin'' (1957) # ''
Jagte Raho ''Jagte Raho'' () is a 1956 Bollywood/ Bengali film, directed by Amit Maitra and Sombhu Mitra, written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, and produced by and starring Raj Kapoor. The film centers on the trials of a poor villager (Kapoor) who comes to a cit ...
'' (1956) # ''
Devdas ''Devdas'' ( bn, দেবদাস, transliterated as ''Debdās'') is a Bengali romance novel written by Sarat Chandra Chatterjee. The story pivots a tragic triangle linking Devdas, an archetypal lover in viraha (separation); Paro, his forbidd ...
'' (1955) # ''
Dhoon ''Dhoon'' (Tune or Passion) is a 1953 Bollywood film directed by M. Kumar. The film was produced by Silver Kings, a production company formed by Kumar and his then wife, actress Pramila. The film stars Raj Kapoor, Nargis, Motilal, Kumar, Prami ...
'' (1953) # '' Ek Do Teen'' (1953) # '' Apni Izzat'' (1952) # ''
Mr. Sampat ''Mr. Sampat'' is a 1952 Indian Hindi-language satirical film produced and directed by S. S. Vasan of Gemini Studios. It is based on R. K. Narayan's 1949 novel '' Mr. Sampath – The Printer of Malgudi'', and the Tamil film ''Miss Malini ...
'' (1952) # ''
Hamari Beti ''Hamari Beti'' () is a 1950 Indian Hindi social comedy film. The directorial debut of Shobhna Samarth, it was the first film produced under her production company, Shobhana Pictures, to launch the acting career of her 14-year-old daughter Nutan ...
'' (1950) # ''
Hanste Aansoo ''Hanste Aansoo'' () is a 1950 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by K. B. Lall and starring Madhubala and Motilal, with Gope and Manorama appearing in supporting roles. The music for the film is composed by Ghulam Mohammed. ...
'' (1950) # ''
Ek Thi Ladki ''Ek Thi Larki'' (Hindi: एक थी लड़की, There Was A Girl) is a 1949 Hindi action comedy film by director Roop K. Shorey. It had the famous Punjabi song "Laara Lappa Laara Lappa Layi Rakhda" by Lata Mangeshkar, G. M. Durrani and Mo ...
'' (1949) # ''Lekh'' (1949) # '' Gajre'' (1948) # ''
Mera Munna Mera may refer to: Places *Mera, Pastaza, a town in Ecuador *Shell Mera, Pastaza, a town in Ecuador * Mera people, a community in Tulunadu, India *Mera, Dhanbad, a town in India * Méra, a village in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, Hungary *, a ...
'' (1948) # '' Aaj Ki Raat'' (1948) # '' Do Dil'' (1947) # ''
Phoolwari ''Phoolwari ''() is a 1946 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Chaturbhuj Doshi for Ranjit Studios. The film starred Motilal and Khursheed in lead roles, with Madhubala and Dixit appearing in supporting roles. Its music was ...
'' (1946) # ''Pehli Nazar'' (1945) # '' Dost'' (1944) # '' Mujrim'' (1944) # ''
Raunaq ''Raunaq'' is a 1944 Bollywood film directed by Dwarka Khosla and starring Chandraprabha, Noor Mohammad Charlie (billed as Charlie), Chandra Mohan, Motilal and Subarnalata Subarnalata. It was released in 1944 Events Below, the events ...
'' (1944) # '' Umang'' (1944) # ''
Aage Kadam Aage Kadam (English translation - Forward March) is 1943 Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts o ...
'' (1943) # '' Taqdeer'' (1943) # '' Tasveer'' (1943) # '' Armaan'' (1942) # '' Pardesi'' (1941) # '' Sasural'' (1941) # ''
Achhut ''Achhut '' (''The Untouchable'') is a 1940 social Indian Bollywood film based on untouchability. It was the third highest grossing Indian film of 1940. The film was produced by Chandulal Shah for his Ranjit Studios. He also wrote the story and ...
'' (1940) # ''
Holi Holi (), also known as the Festival of Colours, the Festival of Spring, and the Festival of Love,The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...". is an ancient Hindu religious festival ...
'' (1940) # ''
Aap Ki Marzi ''Aap Ki Marzi'' () is 1939 Hindi romantic comedy film directed by Sarvottam Badami. The film was produced under the Sudama Productions banner. The music composer was Gyan Dutt with lyrics credited to Pyare Lal Santoshi and S. P. Kalla. It starr ...
'' (1939) # '' Sach Hai'' (1939) # '' Hum Tum Aur Woh'' (1938) # '' Teen Sau Din Ke Baad'' (1938) # '' Captain Kirti Kumar'' (1937) # '' Jagirdar'' (1937) # '' Kulvadhu'' (1937) # '' Kokila'' (1937) # '' Dilawar'' (1936) # '' Do Diwane'' (1936) # ''
Jeevan Lata ''Jeevan Lata'' () is a 1936 Hindi social drama film directed by Sarvottam Badami. The film was produced by Sagar Movietone and had music by Pransukh M. Nayak. Sabita Devi and Motilal paired in several films right from Motilal's first ''Shaher K ...
'' (1936) # ''
Lagna Bandhan In Vedic Astrology Hindu Astrology, Jyotiṣa, the Lagna (') or Hour Marker, is the first moment of contact between the soul and its new life on earth in Jyotisha, Jyotiṣa.''The Essentials of Vedic and thantrik Astrology'', by Komilla Sutton, T ...
'' (1936) # '' Do Ghadi Ki Mauj'' (1935) # '' Dr. Madhurika'' (1935) # '' Silver King'' (1935) # '' Shaher Ka Jadoo'' (1934) # '' Vatan Parasta'' (1934)


Director

# '' Chhoti Chhoti Baten'' (1965)


References


External links

*

* http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/A-trip-down-memory-lane-with-actor-Motilal/articleshow/47697183.cms {{DEFAULTSORT:Motilal 1910 births 1965 deaths Indian male film actors Male actors in Hindi cinema People from Shimla 20th-century Indian male actors Hindi-language film directors Male actors from Himachal Pradesh Film directors from Himachal Pradesh 20th-century Indian film directors Best Story National Film Award winners Filmfare Awards winners