Before he was seen on the big screen as a brawny bare-chested hero beating up goons, wrestler-turned-actor Dara Singh was busy defeating men much bigger than him in real life.
Before he was seen on the big screen as a brawny bare-chested hero beating up goons, wrestler-turned-actor Dara Singh was busy defeating men much bigger than him in real life.
A star wrestler not just on the home turf, but also in the international arena, Singh was the undefeated champion of nearly 500 professional fights in India and abroad. He bagged the Professional Indian Wrestling Championship in 1953 and won the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship in 1959. Singh retired from the sport in 1983 after receiving several coveted titles such as Rustam-e-Punjab (1966) and Rustam-e-Hind (1978).
And through it all, he effortlessly shuttled between the akhara and the silver screen. Thanks to his towering presence, Singh began his film career in the early 1950s essaying the roles of macho men such as Alexander, Samson and Tarzan. “He was the original action hero who has always inspired me,” said actor Akshay Kumar. The titles of the movies from Singh’s heydays say it all — Jawan Mard, King Kong, Faulad, Aandhi Aur Toofan, Daku Mangal Singh, Boxer and Veer Bhimsen. He also played Hanuman in the TV series Ramayan.
“I met him first when he was shooting with dad for Mard. I was convinced then that he was the only human who could not be pulled apart even by airplanes,” said actor Abhishek Bachchan, who worked with Singh in Shararat.
In a five-decade-long career in Hindi and Punjabi films and TV serials, Singh donned several hats – that of actor, writer, director and producer. His last film as an actor was Jab We Met, where he played Kareena Kapoor’s stern but lovable grandfather.
“He was a very kind and generous man. Even though he had a dominating physique, he was shy and took his work seriously,” recalled actor Om Puri, who has worked with Singh in Farz.
Son Vindu Dara Singh, who is also an actor, remembers his father as a “tough but angelic guy” who took physical fitness seriously.
Singh passed away at his Juhu home on Thursday morning at the age of 83 following a cardiac arrest a few days ago.
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