Amrish Puri

Some Lesser Known Facts About Amrish Puri

• Did Amrish Puri smoke:? Not Known

• Did Amrish Puri drink alcohol:? Yes

• He was born in Nawanshahr, Punjab to a Punjabi-speaking family. 

• He had 4 siblings- 2 elder brothers, 1 elder sister and 1 younger brother.

• His elder brothers, Chaman Puri and Madan Puri were also actors.

• Amrish Puri was a fitness freak and he never rarely missed his daily exercises. 

• He also loved to read newspapers and it had become a part of his daily routine. 

• Amrish Puri was also the first cousin of the veteran actor and singer K. L. Saigal.

• After completing his graduation from B. M. College in Shimla, he moved to Bombay (now Mumbai) to pursue his acting aspirations.

• He failed his first Screen-Test. Later, he found a job with the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation Ministry of Labour and Employment (ESIC).

• It was Ebrahim Alkazi who got him into theatre in 1961.

• Amrish Puri started performing at the Prithvi Theatre in plays written by Satyadev Dubey.

• He became an assistant to Satyadev Dubey and in an interview, Amrish Puri revealed that he considered Satyadev Dubey as his “Guru.”

• He started working in films at the age of 40.

• He was first noticed in the movie Hum Paanch (1980).

• He had always loved to do theatres and to his love for theatres, once he said, “I do theatre even now. People generally use theatre as a stepping stone and never turn back once they are into films… Yet, theatre is something I will always do; it gives me great satisfaction. The response is instant. You are either appreciated or rejected. Besides, it gives you a chance to play all the roles that you would like to. I turn to the theatre for creative satisfaction.”

• With his croaky voice and intense expressions, he had created a niche in the Film Industry. 

• Amrish Puri had done almost 60 full-length plays and in one such play “Aadhey Adhure,” he essayed 5 roles- that of the husband, the lover, the wife’s boss and two other characters.

• Eventually, Amrish Puri became a well-known theatre artist and for his contribution to theatres, he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1979.

• His dialogue delivery was so intense that even today they reverberate in our ears.

• He played the character of Mola Ram in Steven Spielberg’s Hollywood film ‘Indiana Jones’ and the ‘Temple of Doom’ (1984).

• It was for the Hollywood film ‘Indiana Jones’ that he had his head shaved for the first time. 

• Asking his inspirations for acting, Amrish Puri said, “I do want to play ‘King Lear’ and ‘Hamlet.’ And the father in “All My Sons,” the protagonist in “A View from the Bridge,” or Van Gogh in “Lust for Life.” You also tend to draw inspiration for your roles in films from these characters — and from real life. But you can’t pinpoint these characters. They are in my subconscious mind. I’d also love to do historical roles. But that isn’t practical. I can do “Macbeth” or “Lear” only in the theatre. There are so many roles like that I’d like to do…”

• When asked about his favourite roles, the very first role that came into his mind was the role of a village chief in Girish Karnad’s Kannada Film- “Kaadu (1973).” The other roles that he considered very close to his heart were from the films- ‘Nishant,’ ‘Manthan,’ ‘Bhumika’ and ‘Sooraj Ka Saatvan Ghoda.’

• Steven Spielberg is a great fan of Amrish Puri and he often quotes in his interviews: “Amrish is my favourite villain. The best the world has ever produced and ever will!” 

• No one was as good at playing it bad like Amrish Puri. In fact, he was the benchmark for a Bollywood villain.

• Once he said, “I just worked and worked relentlessly. I do not remember how and when I got popular with the filmmakers and what they sought in me.”

• Here’s a glimpse of Amrish Puri’s life and his film career: