He wrestled his way from the ring to the big screen and the small one to enormous success. Dara Singh went from muscle man to hero and then uncle, father and friend in numerous character roles that endeared him to generations of fans
Few people would have made the transition from the 'akhara' to the showbiz stage with the success of Dara Singh, who passed away at his home in Mumbai Thursday morning at the age of 84 after a brief illness. u00a0A wrestling hero to some and a much loved cine artist to others, it was a long and eventful life that triumphed many odds.
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In his over five-decade long acting journey, he featured in over 140 films, including classics such as "Anand" and "Mera Naam Joker".u00a0It was a many splendoured life. There was Dara Singh the wrestler, Dara Singh, the hero of 'B' category action films such as "Tarzan Comes to Delhi" and "Samson" in the 1950s and 1960s, Dara Singh, the friendly 'pehelwan' in "Anand", and then Dara Singh who played Hanuman with great effect in the TV blockbusters "Ramayan" and "Mahabharat".u00a0
He was last seen in the Kareena Kapoor-Shahid Kapoor starrer "Jab We Met" as the stern, lovable 'Daarji' who ruled over a noisy, close-knit Sikh family. Quite like the real life man, who intimidated people with his 6' 2" frame but soon won them over with outgoing nature and warmth.
Born to Balwant Kaur and Surat Singh Randhawa Nov 19, 1928 in a village in Amritsar, Punjab, Dara Singh was encouraged to take up wrestling due to his imposing physique and trained in 'pehelwani', an Indian style of wrestling.u00a0He became a star wrestler - and not just on Indian turf.
Dara Singh took on international wrestlers like Lou Thesz and Stanislaus Zbyszko, and had over 500 professional fights to his credit - all undefeated.u00a0He won the Professional Indian Wrestling Championship in 1953, and took away the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship trophy in 1959 by defeating Canadian champion George Godianko.
A recipient of titles like Rustam-E-Punjab (1966) and Rustam-E-Hind (1978), Dara Singh retired from active wrestling in 1983. In 1989, he published his autobiography "Meri Atmakatha" in Punjabi, and seven years later was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.
And while he was wrestling, he was making a name in cinema - both Hindi and Punjabi.u00a0His first release was the 1952 "Sangdil" and then came a succession of films like "King Kong", "Faulad", "Sher-e-Watan" that earned him the name of Bollywood's action king.u00a0
During his hey day as a hero, he teamed up with Mumtaz in 16 Hindi films, including "Jawan Mard", "Raaka", "Aandhi Aur Toofan", "Daku Mangal Singh", "Boxer" and "Veer Bhimsen".u00a0Another successful phase in Dara Singh's acting career came when he bagged the role of Hanuman in Ramanand Sagar's epochal TV series "Ramayan" in 1986. People liked him so much that B.R. Chopra roped him in to play the same role in "Mahabharat".
Dara Singh gave viewers a glimpse of his humorous side through shows like "Hadd Kar Di" and "Kya Hoga Nimmo Ka".u00a0He became a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha from August 2003 to August 2009.u00a0Dara Singh also took on the role of a writer, director and producer. In 1978, he launched Dara Studio, a self-contained mini-city with all facilities within the compound, in Punjab's Mohali district.
Dara Singh, who was widowed and got married for the second time, leaves behind his wife, six children - three sons and three daughters. And legions of fans of a man who defined machismo.u00a0
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