Govardhan
Asrani, popularly known simply as Asrani, is an Indian actor and
director whose Bollywood career has spanned five decades. He has
acted in over 350 Hindi films and over 35 Gujarati. His roles include
lead hero performances, character roles, comedic roles, as well as
supporting parts.
In
Hindi films, he played comedians role from the 1966 to 2013 and
played supporting actor's role as the close friend of the lead hero
in many films between 1972 and 1994. In a few Hindi films like Chala
Murari Hero Banne and Salaam Memsaab he played the main lead hero. In
Gujarati films he played the lead hero from 1972-1984 and played
character roles from 1985-2012. He also directed 6 films between
1974-1997.
Asrani
was born in a middle class Hindu Sindhi family. His father migrated
to Jaipur after the Partition of India and opened a shop selling
carpets. He has four sisters and three brothers: two elder and one
younger. Asrani was highly uninterested in business and very weak in
mathematics. He completed his matriculation from St. Xaviers School
and did his graduation from Rajasthan College, Jaipur. He
simultaneously worked as a voice artist at All India Radio, Jaipur,
to pay for his education. His ultimate aim was to become an actor.
He
is married to actress Manju (née Bansal), with whom he fell in love
working together in films like Aaj Ki Taaza Khabar and Tapasya. In
Aaj Ki Taza Khabar, Asrani played as Champak Boomia / Amit Desai and
Manju played role of Kesari Desai and for this role Asrani won
Filmfare Award for Best Comedian. Later the couple acted in Hum
Nahin Sudhrenge, a home production directed by Asrani in 1980. His
son Naveen Asrani is a dentist in Ahmedabad.
He
began to learn acting from Sahitya Kalbhai Thakkar from 1960 to
1962. In 1962, he travelled to Bombay and began to
seek opportunities to act. In 1963, on an accidental meeting with
Kishore Sahu and Hrishikesh Mukherjee, they advised him to learn
acting professionally.
In
1964 Asrani joined the Film Institute in Poona (now Film and
Television Institute of India, Pune) and finished his course in 1966.
He got his first break in Hindi films playing the friend of actor
Biswajeet in the film Hare Kaanch Ki Choodiyan in 1967. In the film
institute he had impressed many and made his acting break as a hero
in 1967 with a Gujarati movie opposite budding actress Waheeda (not
Waheeda Rahman; the Hindi actress). He acted in four other movies,
mainly as actor or supporting actor in Gujarati from 1967 to 1969. He
did not get much offers from Hindi film industry between 1967-69. His
old advisor, Hrishikesh Mukherjee then gave him role of supporting
actor in the film Satyakam in 1969. He got noticed then in the film
Mere Apne. It was from 1971 that he started getting more offers as
the main comedian in films or as the close friend of the lead actor.
Directors
like Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Atma Ram, Gulzar repeatedly cast him in
the period 1971-1974 and his work got noticed through these films.
These roles he did from 1971-1974 set the tone for a number of
supporting and comic roles in his career and in the 1970s his demand
was at its peak as he appeared in 101 films from 1970-1979 and had
effective roles in them. Though initially Rajesh Khanna and Asrani
had met only on sets of Bawarchi, they became close friends after
Namak Haraam, after which for the role of comedian Rajesh Khanna
insisted the producers and directors to make Asrani part of his
films. Asrani worked in 25 films with Rajesh Khanna from 1972-1991
from Bawarchi (1972) to Ghar Parivaar (1991). His most memorable
works as supporting actor from 1970-1979 are in Mere Apne, Koshish,
Bawarchi, Parichay, Abhimaan, Mehbooba, Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein, Do
Ladke Dono Kadke and Bandish. He played the lead hero in Chala Murari
Hero Banne, a Hindi film he wrote and directed in 1977, which was
critically acclaimed. His notable role as comedian from the 1970s are
in Aaj Ki Taaza Khabar, Roti, Prem Nagar, Chupke Chupke, Chhoti Si
Baat, Rafoo Chakkar, Sholay, Balika Badhu, Fakira, Anurodh, Chhailla
Babu, Charas, Phaansi, Dillagi, Heeralal Pannalal, Pati Patni Aur Woh
and Hamare Tumhare. Though he had played supporting character in many
films even before, he played a serious role for first time in Khoon
Pasina. He was hugely talked about in the 1970s and was one of Rajesh
Khanna's close friends. He became a regular feature in films produced
by D. Rama Naidu and those movies directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee,
B.R.Chopra, K. Bapaiah, Narayana Rao Dasari, K. Raghavendra Rao, Basu
Chatterjee in 1972-1992. He won the Filmfare award for Best Comedian
for his performances in Aaj Ki Taaza Khabar in 1974 and for Balika
Badhu in 1977. In 1974, he directed his first movie in Gujarati with
Asrani himself as the hero, and the song "Hu Amdavad No
Rikshawalo" sung by Kishore Kumar was picturised on Asrani. The
songs picturised on Asrani and sung by Kishore in Hindi are "Achcha
Chaloji Baba Maaf Kardo" from Hamare Tumhare, "Pyar Main
Karoonga" from Yeh Kaisa Insaaf. The song "Mannu Bhai Motor
Chali Pam" was sung by him with Kishore Kumar and was picturised
on Rishi Kapoor and him, in Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan in 1978.
In
the 1980s, he acted in 107 Hindi films. Asrani holds record for
appearing as a character actor/comedian in most number of Hindi films
in a decade – 101 in the 1970s and 107 in the 1980s. Unlike his
roles in 1970-84 which were pivotal to the plot, most of his roles
from 1985-1993 were very minor mainly because the concept of a
comedian was getting phased out and heroes preferred to do their own
comedy and action films were ruling the roost in the period
1985-1994. In the 1980s his memorable performances were in Hamari
Bahu Alka, Ek Hi Bhool, Yeh Kaisa Insaf, Kaamchor, Agar Tum Na Hote,
Asha Jyoti, Maqsad, Main Intequam Loonga, Love 86 and Biwi Ho To
Aisi. During this period in 1982, he set up a small Gujarati
production company with fellow artistes Dinesh Hingoo, Harish Patel
and Salim Parvez (son of famous supporting actor Yunus Parvez). The
company dissolved in 1996 with a large profit. Asrani also invested
mainly in cloth and acted as investor for other actors, until 1991
when he lost a lot of money. From 1988 to 1993, he was a director for
the Film Institute in Pune. It was only from 1985-1994 that his
screen space in the Hindi films was for less duration. In the 1990s
he did only 73 Hindi movies due to lack of good scope for him to
perform. Muqabla (1993) saw him in a serious role after long time.
Simultaneously
he kept working in Gujarati films in the 1970s and 1980s as a lead
hero and achieved success as the lead protagonist in Amdavad No
Rikshawalo, Saat Qaidi, Sansar Chakra, Pankhi No Malo, Jugal Jodi,
Maa Baap, Chel Chabilo Gujarati. From the 1990s he played as comedian
or supporting actor in Gujarati films like Mota Ghar Ni Vahu, Piyu
Gayo Pardesh, and Baap Dhamal Dikhra.
D.Rama
Naidu gave a pivotal role to Asrani in Taqdeerwala in 1995 and once
again comedy movies were being made from there on . Asrani started
getting good roles in films directed by David Dhawan and Priyadarshan
from 1993 until 2012. His most memorable performances as comedian
from the 1990s are in Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Gardish, Taqdeerwala,
Gharwali Baharwali, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Hero Hindustani.
The
2000s saw Asrani in a number of films like Hera Pheri, Chup Chup Ke,
Hulchul, Deewane Huye Paagal, Garam Masala, Chup Chup Ke, Malamaal
Weekly, Bhagam Bhag, De Dana Dan, Bol Bachchan, Kamaal Dhamaal
Malamaal which had him in effective comedy roles. He appeared in a
serious role in Kyun Ki. He was an integral part of comedies by Sajid
Nadiadwala, Priyadarshan after 2000. His screen space in films of
Rohit Shetty and others has got reduced gradually after 2009.
Asrani
and Mallika Sherawat were the judges of the 18th annual Naya Andaz
competition on 17 April 2010, in New Jersey.
G. Asrani's Filmography with Super Star Rajesh Khanna :
- 1971 - Guddi : as Kundan
- 1972 - Bawarchi : as Vishwanath Sharma/Babbu
- 1973 - Namak Haraam : as Dhondu, Shyama's brother
- 1974 - Roti : as Ramu
- 1974 - Prem Nagar
- 1974 - Humshakal : as Chakram
- 1974 - Badhti Ka Naam Dadhi : as guest appearance
- 1974 - Ajnabee : as Chetan Kumar
- 1974 - Aap Ki Kasam : as Dr. Ghad-Ghad Singhwala
- 1976 - Mehbooba : as Sinha
- 1977 - Chhailla Babu : as Chitku
- 1977 - Chalta Purza : as Shankar / Ahmed
- 1977 - Ashiq Hoon Baharon Ka : Murlidhar
- 1977 - Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein : as Ragh
- 1977 - Anurodh : as Bhishan Singh
- 1977 - Karm
- 1980 - Bandish : as Murli
- 1983 - Agar Tum Na Hote : as Chandu
- 1984 - Aaj Ka MLA Ramavtar
- 1985 - Asha Jyoti : as Mauji Lal
- 1985 - Maqsad : as Bhagwan Das
- 1985 - Masterji : as Pandit
- 1985 - Aakhir Kyon : as Radha Raman Goswami
- 1990 - Jai Shiv Shankar
- 1991 - Ghar Parivar : as Seth's Man.
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