Showing posts with label Kanhaiyalal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kanhaiyalal. Show all posts
Daughter feels that Nawazuddin Siddiqui can do justice to Kanhaiyalal in his biopic
8:47 AM
On Kanhaiyalal’s 40th death anniversary, daughter discusses following up the upcoming docu with a biopic on the iconic baddie
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; August 15, 2022)
In April 2021, mid-day had reported that Kanhaiyalal’s daughter Hemaa Singh was making a documentary on the late actor, who had become a popular villain in Hindi cinema between the ’50s and ’60s, most prominently as Sukhi Lala in Mother India (Big B, Dharmendra ji have paid tribute to dad, Apr 7).
On his 40th death anniversary yesterday, Singh said that the documentary — that sees Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Salim Khan, Javed Akhtar, Naseeruddin Shah, and many more paying tribute to her father — is in the final stages of being acquired by an OTT platform. Now, to offer a complete retelling of his contribution to cinema, Singh is writing a biography that she hopes to adapt into a biopic.
“In the documentary, we could only depict his life on the silver screen. My biography will give a lot of insight into the man behind the actor. It will showcase him as a family man, a benefactor who helped his relatives and the needy,” she says.
While the documentary has been helmed by Pawan Kumar, Singh will wield the directorial baton for the biopic. “Through the biopic, people will know about his love for writing and theatre, how he loved food, and was a champion of Marathi cinema. When he came to Mumbai, he didn’t want to become an actor.”
On her wish list to play Kanhaiyalal on screen are Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sanjay Mishra. “I think Nawaz could do justice to Babuji. That said, there are many fine actors out there. I’d love to cast a top star,” she says.
Kanhaiyalal and Hemaa Singh
Amitabh Bachchan ji, Dharmendra ji have paid tribute to dad, says Kanhaiyalal’s daughter Hemaa Singh
7:58 AM
Kanhaiyalal played a shrewd money-lender in Nargis’s Mother India
Kanhaiyalal’s daughter makes a documentary on the iconic baddie, best known for his Mother India role; hopes to highlight his contribution to Hindi cinema
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; April 7, 2021)
“The reason behind making the documentary is to highlight the [role] of veteran actors during that era, be it Motilal ji, Ishwarlal ji or my father. The [feature] will showcase all that is not known to the public — right from his childhood days in Varanasi, his migration to Mumbai, his struggles, personal life and work,” says Singh, who is hoping to release the yet-untitled project in the coming months.
In his three-decade career, Kanhaiyalal served as the perfect antithesis to the well-meaning heroes, sharing screen space with Dilip Kumar in Gunga Jumna (1961), Rajesh Khanna in Apna Desh (1972) and Dharmendra in Dost (1974). Singh is touched that many celebrities have supported her endeavour. “Amitabh Bachchan ji, Dharmendra ji, Asha Parekh ji, Jackie Shroff ji and Govinda ji have paid their shraddhanjali [tribute] to my father in the documentary. When I approached them, they enthusiastically agreed to do it. Johny Lever went out of his way and reached out to other [stars] on my behalf. Sunil Dutt ji and Dilip Kumar ji were close to my bauji; unfortunately, Dutt ji is no longer with us.”
While he paved the way for Bollywood villains, Singh says her father was a real-life hero. “He offered financial aid to so many people, never turning anyone away,” she recounts, lamenting that he didn’t get his due. “He never got the Dadasaheb Phalke award for his remarkable contribution. He was an effortless actor who never rehearsed his dialogues.”
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