Amrish Puri was a brilliant actor with a powerful voice who has born on 22nd June 1932 in Nawanshahr, Punjab, India. His height was 5.10 feet. Doesn’t matter, Whether it is a theatre or silver screen, Puri left his mark everywhere. One audience cheered him he said, “Mogambo Khush Hua.”
Full Name | Amrish Lal Puri |
Nickname | Mogambo (Character Name) |
Born | 22.06.1932 |
Died | 12.01.2005 (Aged 72) |
Birthplace | Nawanshahr, Punjab, India |
Nationality | Indian |
Profession | Actor |
Net worth | $20 Million (In 2005) |
Zodiac Sign (Sun Sign) | Cancer |
Social Profiles |
Amrish Puri’s Family Background and Relatives
Table of Contents
He was the son of Ved Kaur (Mother) and Lala Nihal Singh Puri (Father). Amrish Lal Puri was the fourth child among five children. Siblings are Madan Puri (Brother), Chaman Puri(Brother), Harish Singh Puri (Brother), and Chandrakanta Mehra (Sister). His two older brothers Chaman Puri and Madan Puri were also famous actors. Amrish got married to Urmila Diveker. He had two children with Urmila, a son Rajiv, and a daughter Namrata.
Father | Lala Nihal Singh Puri |
Mother | Ved Kaur |
Brother | Madan Puri, Chaman Puri & Harish Singh Puri |
Sister | Chandrakanta Mehra |
Marital Status | Married |
Wife/Spouse | Urmila Diveker |
Children | Two |
Amrish Puri Son | Rajiv |
Amrish Puri Daughter | Namrata |
Affairs/Girlfriends | Not Known |
Educational Qualification
Educational Qualification | Graduate |
College | BM College, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh |
School | Not Known |
Amresh Puri Height, Weight & Physical Stats
Height (Approx) | In Centimeters: 178 cm In meters: 1.78 m In feet inches 5’10” |
Weight (Approx) | In Kilograms: 80 kg In Pounds: 176 Lbs |
Hair Colour | White |
Eye Colour | Brown |
He followed in his elder brother’s footsteps Chaman Puri and Madan Puri and came to Mumbai. This was the time when his elder brother Madan Puri had stabilized himself as a villain but Amrish Puri’s fate had something else in store for him.
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Amrish Puri Career
Initial Stage
Puri failed the first screen test. And he found a job with the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation. But for how long his talent would have remained hidden? 1961 theatre Stalwart Ebrahim Alkazi encourage Puri to work in theatre. And thereafter he actively joined the theatre in 1961. Later, he started working as an assistant to famous theatre artist Satyadev Dubey. Puri has called Satyadev Dubey his teacher in many interviews.
He was performing on stage but the silver screen was far away from him. What’s even more surprising is that Puri also did a government job for 21 years. He became so well known as a stage actor that he won the Sangeet Natak Academy Award. Slowly he ventured into TV commercials.
Amrish Puri Debut in Film Industry
He did his first film at the age of 40. According to a famous story, a famous director spotted Amrish during a drama play. Then he was signed for Reshma Aur Shera. He was one of those actors who wasn’t renowned only for his acting abilities but also for his baritone voice. Very few people know that Puri used to practice every day for 3-4 hours to make his voice more powerful.
On the other hand, he was amazing as a brilliant villain, on the other hand, he was garnering accolades in parallel cinema as well. Amrish Puri won critical acclaim for Shyam Bengal’s films like Nishant, Manthan, Bhoomika, and Suraj Ka Satavan Ghoda.
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Amrish Puri in Hollywood Films
His talent became so recognizable that Hollywood director Steven Spielberg also cast him. The story behind this is also truly interesting. American director Steven Spielberg invited Amrish Puri to America to take his screen test but he flatly refused. he said he will have to come to India if he wanted to take his screen test. And then it happened that no one imagined.
Americans had to come to India for Puri and then he signed a contract within a few days for movies The Temple Of Doom and Indiana Jones. Amrish Puri’s character was critically acclaimed. He was a complete actor.
Amrish Puri in Powerful Roles
He played not only villainous roles but also some positive characters that bring to the eyes. The movie Ghatak is a fine example of it. He played powerful roles in Gardish, Muskurahat, and Virasat. The character that he played in the Virasat movie was earlier declined by Dilip Kumar and Rajesh Khanna.
Finally, he got the role. But the character that memorialized Amrish Puri as a villain was Mr. India’s Mogambo. Mogambo was one of Hindi films’ unforgettable villains. He was such a villain in the film industry that it was challenging for even the greatest actor to face him.
Amrish Puri Death
Amrish might have begun his career on the silver screen at the age of 40 but as an artist, his career had started long back. He left his mark. There came a time when the mention of a villain in Indian cinema would bring Amrish Puri’s name to the mind. Amrish Puri expired on 12th January 2005 due to a brain hemorrhage. He was 72 years old. He left but his fans will never forget his contribution to the Bollywood industry. Even today no one has been able to replace this great artist in the Bollywood industry.
Frequently Asking Questions
- Who was Amrish Puri?
Ans: The Late Amrish Puri was an Indian actor. He is known as the man who played the iconic role of Mogambo in the 1987 Shekhar Kapur film, Mr. India. While he was mostly known for his work in Hindi films, he had also appeared in Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, and Marathi. - Which was the first and last film of Amrish Puri?
Ans: He debuted in 1970 with the film Prem Pujari. Puri appeared last time in the film Kisna: The Warrior Poet as Bhairo Singh.