There have been many such veteran actors in Bollywood, who still rule the hearts and minds of the audience. Today, we will tell you about an actor who might no longer be with us but his films, characters, and songs are still remembered by fans fondly. We are talking about the veteran actor Nazir Hussain who died in October 1987 at the age of 65.
Today is Nazir Hussain's birth anniversary. The actor is considered the 'Pitamah of Bhojpuri cinema' and has worked, in his career, in over 500 films. Nazir was famous for playing the roles of father, grandfather, uncle, and maternal uncle in films but despite having such a prolific career, Nazir Hussain could never earn the kind of respect that he should have.
In his career spanning over 30 years, Nazir Hussain worked with many superstars such as Dev Anand, Ashok Kumar, Guru Dutt, Amitabh Bachchan, and Dharmendra, among others. Some popular actresses like Madhubala, Meena Kumari, Wahida Rehman, Asha Parekh, Mumtaz, Hema Malini, and Rekha were all famous for playing Nazir Hussain's on-screen daughters. In the film 'Aap Ki Parchhaiyan' in 1964, Nazir Hussain became quite popular for his role as Dharmendra's father-in-law. He played a similar role again in Ashok Kumar's 'Parineeta' in 1953. He also played the role of Rajesh Khanna's father-in-law and Hema Malini's father in the film 'Prem Nagar' (1974).
From 1950 to 1970, Nazir Hussain worked in many films including superhits like 'Parineeta', 'Jeevan Jyoti', 'Musafir', 'Anuradha', 'Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam', 'Naya Daur', 'Kati Patang', and 'Kashmir Ki Kali'. Apart from being an actor, he was also a very promising scriptwriter and dialogue writer. He was also a film producer and director.
Let us tell you that Nazir Hussain was born in May 1922 and before entering films, he worked as a fireman in the railways. He then joined the British Army during World War II and was posted in Malaysia and Singapore where he became a prisoner of war.
After being freed and under the influence of Subhas Chandra Bose, Nazir Hussain joined the Indian National Army (INA). He was given the status of freedom fighter and was given a free railway pass for life.
After the INA, Nazir Hussain was unable to find jobs so he began performing in plays. Then, in 1950, along with Bimal Roy, he made the film 'Pehla Aadmi' which also marked his debut. The film was a superhit and established Nazir Hussain as a superstar.
Nazir Hussain is referred to as the father of Bhojpuri cinema as he was the first person who discussed the possibility of the Bhojpuri cinema industry with the first President of the country, Dr Rajendra Prasad. Nazir made the first Bhojpuri film 'Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo', which was released in the year 1963. He is also still known for the hit Bhojpuri film 'Balam Pardesia' in the late 1970s.
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