Dara Singh (19 November 1928 – 12 July 2012) was an Indian
wrestler-turned-actor from Indian Punjab. He was unquestionably India’s
original He-Man. Singh took part in about 500 professional fights, all
undefeated, for this, he won the title
of ‘Rustam-E-Punjab’ and ‘Rustam-e-Hind’ and later Rustam-E-Zamaan. He was the
first sportsman to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha by Bhartiya Janata Party
during August 2003 – August 2009. He has also worked as Hindi and Punjabi film
producer, director and writer in his career. He has also been an Indian
television actor. Actor Akshay Kumar remarked him as "Hanuman for every
kid and the God of all wrestlers, the original action hero who truly inspired
me."
Dara Singh was born as Deedar Singh Randhawa to father Surat Singh and
mother Balwant Kaur, on 19 November 1928 in Dharmuchak village, Amritsar
district in Punjab. Dara Singh married Surjeet Kaur Randhawa in May 1961. They
have five children, including actor Vindoo.
Colossal and strikingly handsome, Singh was one of India’s redoubtable
wrestlers best remembered for a fight against Australia’s King Kong. In what
was one of the most breathtaking fights in the ring, Singh (130 kg) lifted an
almost 200kg King Kong of Australia over his head and twirled him around in
dramatic fashion. He claimed the World Championship by defeating Lou Thesz of
America. As a wrestler, he fought more than 500 professional bouts and remained
undefeated in all of them. Singh retired from active wrestling in 1983. In 1996
he was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.
He started his career as an actor in 1952 with Sangdil. In Hindi and
Punjabi cinema, he made macho acceptable through more than a hundred films. In
1959, he starred in Jagga Daku. Following a number of such B-grade films, he
took to doing character actor roles and achieved success more in mythological
hits like Tulsi Vivah, Har Har Mahadev, Bajrangbali, Bhakti Mein Shakti. One of
his notable friends was the actress Mumtaz with whom he had performed in 16
Hindi films and had 10 of them as box office hits. His last notable act though
was in Imtiaz Ali’s Jab We Met. He carried his image into television as well.
His Hanuman in Ramanand Sagar’s epic series Ramayana is the stuff of popular
legend. He also produced 8 films and wrote the story for 7 films.
He was admitted in Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital on 7 July 2012
following a cardiac arrest. He was released from hospital on 11 July in
deference to the wishes of his family. He died on 12 July 2012 at his home in
Mumbai.
He was India's symbol of strength. He was also known for his generous
kind nature. Affable to the extreme, he made friends easily and never misused
his power even in his heydays. From ring to screen, he won the heart of
generations.
I don’t claim the information to be my own. The information is compiled from different sources
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ReplyDeleteThank u Shashi.....your appreciation will inspire us to keep up the good work.
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