Remembering Bharat Bhushan, one of the finest actors of Hindi cinema, on his 27th death anniversary today.

Remembering Bharat Bhushan, one of the finest actors of Hindi cinema, on his 27th death anniversary today.

Bharat Bhushan is one of the eminent personalities of Indian cinema, and is best known as a Hindi film actor, but has also been a scriptwriter and producer. Born on 14 June 1920 in Meerut, Bharat Bhushan spent his formative years in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. His older brother was R Chandra, who was a renowned film producer as well as the owner of Ideal Studio in Lucknow. Going against his parents’ wishes, he decided to pursue acting and went to Calcutta initially, after which he moved to Mumbai.

Bharat Bhushan made a successful debut with Chitralekha (1941). After this, he went on to appear in a few popular films of the 1940s including Samrat Chandragupta (1945) and Suhaag Raat (1948). The 1950s were a good time for him, and he delivered hits such as Ankhen (1950), Sagar (1951), Anand Math (1952), Ladki (1953), Mirza Ghalib (1954), Amanat (1955), Gateway of India (1957) and Sawan (1959). His role in Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1954) won him the Filmfare Award for the Best Actor.

Having established himself as one of the leading actors in the industry, the eras that came after saw him in iconic films such as Mud Mud Ke Na Dekh (1960), Angulimal (1960), Barsat Ki Rat (1960), Jab Jab Phool Khile (1965), Naya Kanoon (1965), Pyar Ka Mausam (1969), Jai Santoshi Maa (1975), Umrao Jaan (1981), Kala Dhanda Goray Log (1986). Even in supporting roles, his talent shone through, and he remains one of the most important figures in the history of Hindi cinema.

His last appearance was in the film Sabar (1996), which was released posthumously. Bharat Bhushan died at the age of 71 on 27 January 1992.