Bollywood
In the 40s, Bhagwan Dada made his name by playing small roles. In 1942, he formed Jagriti Productions and became a producer. Making films away from mainstream cinema was his passion. Raj Kapoor also convinced him of this.
Updated : Jul 27, 2024, 11:36 AM IST | Edited by : Riddhima Kanetkar
It is impossible to predict when someone's luck will shine in the film industry. There have been many such stars in Bollywood who ruled the world of acting and earned a lot of name and fame. But, their last days were spent in poverty. One such actor was Bhagwan Dada.
Bhagwan Dada was born in the house of a textile mill worker. In the early days, he also worked as a labourer, but he was interested in acting since childhood. He entered Bollywood with the film 'Criminal'. In his film career, he worked in many hit films like 'Bahadur', and 'Kisan'. His film 'Albela' proved to be a super hit at the box office. Bhagwan Dada earned a lot of money in his career, but there came a time when he was completely ruined. In the 1940s and 50s, the condition of this actor had become such that he had to spend his last days in a chawl in Mumbai.
Bhagwan Dada earned a lot of money in his life. He was counted among the richest actors. He had everything - a luxurious 25-room bungalow on the seashore, 7 luxury cars, and servants. Bhagwan Dada also earned a lot of fame as an actor and director. After Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, and Raj Kapoor, he was the one who used to charge the highest fees at that time. But Bhagwan Dada was addicted to gambling and alcohol.
In the 40s, Bhagwan Dada made his name by playing small roles. In 1942, he formed Jagriti Productions and became a producer. Making films away from mainstream cinema was his passion. Raj Kapoor also convinced him of this. In 1951, he made 'Albela' which proved to be a big hit of that era. He became popular after the song 'Shola Jo Bhadke'. After this, he gave blockbuster films like 'Jhamela' and 'Bhagam Bhag'. But success started slipping out of his hands.
It is said that when he made the film 'Hanste Rehna', it was his biggest mistake. Bhagwan Dada had put everything at stake for this film but he had to stop the film in the middle. Because of this, he had to sell everything he had. He was almost completely ruined.
Let us tell you that by the 60s, Bhagwan Dada had started playing character roles. He was forced to sell everything to run his household. Finally, he sold his bungalow and started living in a chawl in Dadar. Then came a time when the industry completely forgot him and he was lost in the darkness of obscurity. He died in 2002 because of a heart attack.