A. K. Hangal,

Some Lesser Known Facts About A. K. Hangal

• A. K. Hangal was a veteran Indian actor who started his film career at the age of 40 and went on to act in more than 200 Bollywood films for which he was awarded Padma Bhushan in 2006 by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.

• A. K. Hangal belonged to a family of Kashmiri Pandit who had migrated to Peshawar from Lucknow. His grandfather was an assistant commissioner in the city of Peshawar.

• In his childhood, he would often visit the Parsi Theatrical Company along with his father in Peshawar. His father was very fond of drama and would take up the front row seats in the theatre.

• In 1936, A. K. Hangal became a part of an amateur theatre group called “Shri Sangeet Priya Mandal.”

• After completing his matriculation, he began to work as a tailor against the wishes of his father, who had recommended him for a government job.

  

• A. K. Hangal closely witnessed India’s struggle for independence, which shaped his revolutionary beliefs and ideas that helped him become a part of the anti-imperialist struggle in the country.

• He was imprisoned for two years for his Communist ideologies after he moved from Peshawar to Karachi. ^[7]Zee News

• In 1949, he moved to Bombay from Karachi, after the partition of India, and joined IPTA (Indian People’s Theatre Association), where he used to do theatre along with veterans including Balraj Sahni and Kaifi Azmi.

• At the age of 40, he made his film debut as Raj Kapoor‘s elder brother in Basu Bhattacharya’s Teesri Kasam (1966).

• A. K. Hangal appeared in many films alongside  Rajesh Khanna, especially in which Rajesh Khanna played lead roles like in Bawarchi (1972) and Sautela Bhai (1996). He worked alongside Rajesh Khanna in 16 films.

  

• A. K. Hangal’s portrayal as “Rahim Chacha” in the blockbuster Bollywood film Sholay (1975) is widely acclaimed. He also portrayed a character with the same name, i.e., “Rahim Chacha” in Bollywood film Khud-Daar (1982).

  

• A. K.  Hangal was shooting for two movies Ramesh Sippy‘s Sholay (1975) and Dev Anand‘s Ishk Ishk Ishk (1974) simultaneously. It was difficult for him to commute between the set locations of the two films; Dev Anand arranged a helicopter for him to help him commute to his film Ishk Ishk Ishk (1974) set location easily in Kathmandu.

• His character of Inder Mohan – a lecherous old man, alongside Ashok Kumar and Utpal Dutt in the Bollywood film Shaukeen 1982 was applauded by the audience.

• A. K. Hangal has also penned his autobiography named “Life & Times of A K Hangal”, where he talks about early life in Peshawar, Karachi, and struggle years in Mumbai.

• Some of his best performances came in his later years with movies such as Shararat (2002),  Tere Mere Sapne (1997), Lagaan (2001).

  

• A. K. Hangal made his last appearance in a TV show called Madhubala – Ek Ishq Ek Junoon (2012) aired on 1 June at 22:00 on Colors.

• A. K. Hangal’s financial condition was poor, and he was suffering from severe health issues during his final years. His son Vijay Hangal, who worked as a still photographer, had a back problem that kept him away from work, and A.K. Hangal’s wife had already predeceased him.