This superstar lost all his money, bungalows to gambling, was one of India’s richest actor, died in...

Bharat Bhushan was the superstar of 1950s and was regarded by many as one of the best actors of his time. In 1950s, Bharat Bhushan was the romantic heart throb of India and he enjoyed a massive fan following. Bharat Bhushan succeeded in carving a niche for himself in Hindi cinema despite the presence of superstars like Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand and Dilip Kumar. Bharat Bhushan worked in over 30 films in his career and had delivered several hit films like Baiju Bawra (1952), Anand Math (1952), Mirza Ghalib (1954) and Mud Mud Ke Na Dekh (1960), among others.

But, Bharat Bhushan failed to handle success and despite being one of the richest actors of his time, Bharat Bhushan lost all his money and died in abject poverty. Bhushan was in 1920 in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh and came to Mumbai to try his hand in acting after competing his studies in Aligarh. Bharat Bhushan made his debut in 1941 with Chitralekha and his first hit was Baiju Bawra opposite Meena Kumari.

Bharat Bhsuhan then went on to act in several hit films like Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1954) and Barsaat ki Raat (1960). Baiju Bawra made Bharat Bhushan a household name. In the film, he played the role of a musician who challenged ‘Tansen’. According to Scroll, “In his celluloid avatar, he melted marble with the ardour of his music, wooed the ascetic guru Swami Haridas with Man Tarpat in Malkauns, and romanced Meena Kumari with Tu Ganga ki Mauj in Bhairavi.” Bharat Bhushan worked with nearly all popular actresses of his time, including Geeta Bali (Suhaag Raat), Nirupa Roy (Aurat Teri Yahi Kahani), Nargis (Saagar) and Madhubala (Phagun).

Bharat Bhushan however failed to handle the huge success and celebrity status which he received after Baiju Bawra. The actor decided to enter into production with his brother and faced massive monetary loss. According to reports, Bhushan was one of the richest actors in Bollywood at the peak of his career but he went bankrupt. Bharat Bhushan’s career ended after the emergence of stars such as Shashi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna and Dharmendra. Bharat Bhushan sold off most of his property and started living in a chawl. The superstar also worked as junior artist in some films only to make two ends meet. There was a time when Bharat Bhushan was the owner of several bungalows of Mumbai. The actor used to travel in luxurious cars. But his downfall started after he turned producer. According to a report published in Times of India, Bharat Bhushan lost a lot of money and properties in gambling too. Just like Bhagwan Dada, Bharat Bhushan too lived in chawl after losing all his money. Bharat Bhushan died on 27 January 1992 at 72 in an impoverished state.