Pradeep Kumar (born Sital Batabyal; 4 January 1925 – 3 November 2001) was an Indian actor who is recognized for his work in

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 of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

and English-language films.

Career

When Kumar was 17 years old, he decided to take up acting. He started his film career in Bengali films. His notable roles in Bengali films were in ''Alaknanda'' (1947), directed by renowned filmmaker Debaki Bose, and in ''42'' (1951). Pradeep Kumar Batabayal then shifted to

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

and Filmistan studios, and had an important role in the film '' Anand Math'' (1952). He played the lead role with

Bina Rai Bina Rai (13 July 1931 – 6 December 2009), sometimes referred to as Beena Rai, was an Indian actress, primarily of the black and white era of Hindi cinema. She is most known for her roles in classics such as ''Anarkali'' (1953), '' Ghunghat' ...

in ''Anarkali'' (1953) and with

Vyjayanthimala Vyjayanthimala (born 13 August 1936) is a former Indian actress, dancer and parliamentarian. She is the recipient of several accolades, including two BFJA Awards and five Filmfare Awards. She made her screen debut at the age of thirteen wit ...

in ''Nagin'' (1954). Both films were very popular and had songs that added to the movies' success. He worked with

Madhubala 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 ...

in eight films, of which '' Raj Hath'' (1956), ''

Shirin Farhad Shirin Farhad or Shirin Farhaad may refer to: * A version of the classic Persian story of Khosrow and Shirin * ''Shirin Farhad'' (1931 film), an Indian musical film directed by J.J. Madan, the second Indian film with sound * ''Shirin Farhad'' (19 ...

'' (1956), ''

Gateway of India The Gateway of India is an arch-monument built in the early 20th century in the city of Mumbai (Bombay), India. It was erected to commemorate the landing of King-Emperor George V, the first British monarch to visit India, in December 1911 a ...

'' (1957), ''

Yahudi Ki Ladki ''Yahudi Ki Ladki'' (The Jew's Daughter) is a historical Urdu play by Agha Hashar Kashmiri, on the theme of persecution of Jews by the Romans. It was first published in 1913. The play became his best known work, and a classic in Parsi-Urdu theatr ...

'' (1957) and ''

Passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal ...

'' (1961) were massive hits. He had a spate of releases in the second half of the 1950s. He did not enjoy as much success in the 1960s, though '' Ghoonghat'' (1960), ''

Aarti ''Arti'' (Sanskrit: Ārātrika, Hindi: Ārtī) is a Hindu ritual employed in worship, often part of '' puja'', in which light (usually from a flame) is offered to one or more deities. ''Arti(s)'' also refers to the songs sung in praise of the ...

'' (1962) & ''

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal (; ) is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his favourite wife, ...

'' (1963) were successful. He worked with Meena Kumari in seven films; '' Adil-E-Jahangir'', ''Bandhan (1956 film)'', '' Chitralekha'', ''

Bahu Begum ''Bahu Begum'' is a 1967 Hindi film directed by M. Sadiq, and starring Pradeep Kumar, Meena Kumari and Ashok Kumar. The film has music by Roshan and lyrics by Sahir Ludhianvi. This film is known for songs, "Hum Intezaar Karenge Tera Qayamat T ...

'', '' Bheegi Raat'', ''

'' and ''Noorjehan''; and with Mala Sinha in eight films; ''

Naya Zamana ''Naya Zamana'' () is a 1971 Indian Hindi-language film produced and directed by Pramod Chakrovorty. The film stars Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Ashok Kumar, Mehmood, Pran, Lalita Pawar and Aruna Irani. The music is by S. D. Burman. It was wri ...

'', ''Hamlet'', '' Baadshah'', ''Detective (1958 movie)'', ''Fashion (1959 film)'', ''

Ek Shola ''Ek Shola'' is a 1956 Hindi film starring Pradeep Kumar and Mala Sinha. Soundtrack References External links * 1956 films 1950s Hindi-language films Films scored by Madan Mohan Indian black-and-white films Indian romantic comedy fi ...

'', ''Duniya Na Maane'', and ''Mitti Mein Sona''. He also worked with the legendary Bengali actor and matinee idol

Uttam Kumar Uttam Kumar ( bn, উত্তম কুমার; born Arun Kumar Chattopadhyay; 3 September 1926 – 24 July 1980), popularly known as the Mahanayak, was an Indian actor, producer, director, script writer, composer, and singer who predom ...

in '' Grihadaha'' in 1967 which was produced by Uttam himself and worked in '' Plot No 5.'' He did not get to act with the newer heroines of the 1960s such as Sadhana,

Saira Banu Saira Banu (born 23 August 1944) is a former Indian actress who mainly worked in Hindi language films. She was one of the most popular actresses in her heyday in the Indian film industry in the 1960s and early 1970s. Career Saira Banu was the ...

, Babita or

Sharmila Tagore Sharmila Tagore (also known as Begum Ayesha Sultana; born 8 December 1944) is a retired Indian actress, primarily known for her work in Hindi and Bengali cinema, Tagore is the recipient of two National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award, and the F ...

, though he did work with Asha Parekh in '' Ghoonghat'' and ''Meri Surat Teri Aankhen'' and with Waheeda Rehman in ''Rakhi'' (1962). In 1969, he moved to character roles with ''Sambandh'' and ''

Mehboob Ki Mehndi ''Mehboob Ki Mehndi'' is a 1971 Indian Hindi-language romantic musical film produced and directed by H. S. Rawail. The film stars Rajesh Khanna and Leena Chandavarkar. The music is by Laxmikant Pyarelal with lyrics by Anand Bakshi. It was base ...

'', but did not have many visible roles until ''

Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

'', which won several

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

and was his debut Hollywood movie. Some of his later films include '' Jaanwar'' and '' Razia Sultan'' in 1983. He won the Kalakar Award-Lifetime Achievement Award (1999).

Death

Pradeep Kumar died in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commer ...

on 3 November 2001, at the age of 76. His daughter

Beena Banerjee Beena Banerjee (born 19 February 1943), also known as Beena or Bina, is an Indian actress in Bengali and Hindi films and television. Biography Beena Banerjee was born as Beena Batabyal on 19 February 1943, the daughter of film actor Pradee ...

plays character roles in movies and TV serials including ''

Uttaran ''Uttaran'' () is an Indian soap opera that was broadcast on Colors TV on weeknights from 1 December 2008 to 16 January 2015. It is the third longest-running Indian television series of Colors TV with 1,549 episodes. The series starred Tina Dat ...

''; her son Siddharth Banerjee worked as assistant director in

Sajid Khan Sajjad Khan (born 28 December 1951) is an Indian actor and singer. Born into poverty in the Bombay slums, he became the adopted son of Bollywood filmmaker Mehboob Khan, founder of Mehboob Studios. He worked in a handful of Indian films, debutin ...

's ''

Housefull 2 ''Housefull 2'', sometimes called ''Housefull 2: The Dirty Dozen'', is an 2012 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film written and directed by Sajid Khan. Brothers Sajid Samji and Farhad Samji co-wrote the film under their duo Sajid-Farhad, b ...

'' (2012) and '' Himmatwala'' (2013).

Filmography

Bengali

Pradeep kumar played Bandit Mohan (Dosshu Mohan in Bengali), a character based on the very popular Bengali crime thriller series "Dossu Mohan".

Hindi films

References

External links

An article from rediff.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kumar, Pradeep 1925 births 2001 deaths 20th-century Indian male actors Indian male film actors Male actors in Bengali cinema Male actors in Hindi cinema Male actors from Kolkata