Amrish Puri (1932 - 2005)

Amrish Puri was an Indian veteran actor who was born on 22 June 1932 in Nawanshahr, British India (now in Punjab, India). He was born into a Punjabi family and was the son of Lala Nihal Chand Puri, a religious person and theatre artist.

Amrish Puri received his early education in Jalandhar and later he moved to Delhi to complete his education. He completed his graduation in commerce from the Hindu College, University of Delhi. After his graduation, he worked as a clerk at the Delhi Electricity Supply company for two years.

In the early 1950s, Amrish Puri joined his father’s theatre group, ‘Punjab Theatre’ and started performing in various stage plays. He gained popularity in the Delhi theatre circuit and later moved to Mumbai to pursue his career in the film industry.

At the age of 40, director Sukhdev saw him during a play and signed him for the film ‘Reshma Aur Shera’. This was his debut film.

Amrish Puri made his debut in the film industry with the film ‘Reshma Aur Shera’ in 1971. He played the role of a villain in the film and received positive reviews from the audience and critics. He went on to play the villain in various films like ‘Jawani Diwani’, ‘Don’, ‘Muqaddar Ka Sikandar’, ‘Shahenshah’ and many more.

Amrish Puri is considered one of the most iconic villains in the Indian film industry. He was known for his deep and commanding voice, which added to his on-screen persona and made him stand out as an actor. He received numerous awards and accolades for his performances in various films.

Whatever character Amrish Puri used to play, he used to kill it with his brilliant acting. He had worked in more than 450 films. Not only acting, but his powerful voice also left a deep impact on the people. He used to practice for hours on his voice as well. From ‘Mogambo’ in ‘Mr. India’ to ‘Bauji’ in ‘DDLJ’, Amrish Puri left an indelible mark on people’s hearts.

In 1997, Amrish Puri was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer and was hospitalized for a few months. Despite his illness, he continued to act in films and gave some of his finest performances during his final years. Amrish Puri passed away on 12 January 2005 in Mumbai, at the age of 72.

His legacy in the Indian film industry continues to live on. He is remembered as one of the greatest villains in the Indian film industry and has left a lasting impact on the Indian audience. He will always be remembered as an actor who could bring life to even the most complex characters on the big screen.

Awards & Achievements:

1968: Maharashtra State Drama

1979: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Theatre

1986: Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Meri Jung

1991: Maharashtra State Gaurav Pur Ghatak

1997: Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor – Ghatak: Lethal

1997: Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Ghatak: Lethal

1998: Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Virasat

1998: Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor – Virasat

Amrish Puri’s age was 72 years old in the year 2005. He is one of the greatest Bollywood veteran actors who has won the hearts of millions of fans with his acting.

Amrish Puri’s height was 5 feet 8 inches, which is equal to 173 cm. His body weight is about 72 kg, he takes a proper diet to keep his body fit so his body measurement is Not Known. His eye color is Brown, and his hair color is White.

Amrish Ji was born in a middle-class Punjabi Hindu family in Punjab. His family follows Hinduism. Amrish Puri’s father’s name was the late Lala Nihal Chand Puri and he was a theater artist. Amrish Puri’s mother’s name was Ved Kaur. Amrish had 4 siblings. His two elder brothers Chaman Puri and Madan Puri were actors in Bollywood.

He had a younger brother Harish Puri and an elder sister Chandrakanta. His marital status was married. Amrish Puri’s wife’s name was Urmila Diveker. He was married to Urmila Diveker in the year 1957. Amrish Ji met Urmila Diveker during his job.

Amrish Puri’s son’s name is Rajveer Puri and he also has a daughter named Namrata Puri. The grandson of Amrish Puri is Vardhan Puri and he recently made his Bollywood debut with the movie Yeh Saali Aashiqui. Vardhan Puri is the son of Amrish Puri’s son Rajeev Puri. Amrish Puri lived with his family in Mumbai until his death in 2005.

Amrish Puri’s total net worth was more than ₹200 crores. He had left his children in the inheritance of his property. Amrish Puri, who worked as a villain, used to charge a fee of around ₹1 crore. In the film in which he did not get a fee of ₹1 crore. He flatly refused to do that film.

He believed that he plays his role well on the screen, which also benefits the makers of the film, so he used to charge his fees accordingly. Apart from this, Amrish Puri was also very fond of luxurious vehicles of that era. He had many vehicles like Ambassador, Mercedes and so many others.

Some Interesting Facts About Amrish Puri:

He fluently spoke 12 languages like Urdu, Hindi, Hindko, Punjabi, Marathi, English, Bengali, Gujarati, Pashto, Persian, Awadhi, and Bhojpuri.

After his graduation, he worked as a clerk at the Delhi Electricity Supply company for two years.

Amrish Ji made his debut in the film industry at the age of 40 with the film ‘Reshma Aur Shera’ in 1971.

He married to his wife Urmila Ji in the year 1957.

It is said that when Hollywood director Steven Spielberg called Amrish Puri to America to audition for ‘Indiana Jones’, he flatly refused. Not only this, he had told Steven that if he wanted to audition, he should come to India himself.

Later, Amrish Puri played the role of ‘Molaram’ in this film and convinced the whole world of his acting prowess.