Kanhaiyalal (actor)
| Kanhaiyalal | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Kanhaiya Lal Chaturvedi 1910 Benares (Varanasi), Uttar Pradesh, British India |
| Died | 14 Aug 1982 (72 Years) |
| Occupation | Actor, Production Manager |
| Years active | (1938–1982) |
| Parent(s) | Pandit Bhairodutt Choube (Father) |
Kanhaiyalal was a male Indian film actor who acted in 105 films in his career, primarily in Hindi films produced in Bollywood, the Mumbai-based film industry.
Born in 1910 in Varanasi, his father Pandit Bhairodutt Choube, popularly known as Choubheji, was the proprietor of the Sanatan Dharm Natak Samaj in Varanasi. Not in agreement with him taking up any form of stage work, he eventually wore out the father’s opposition and did odd jobs in the troupe. At 16, he started writing and then moved on to small roles. When the father died, the brothers tried for some time to run the dramatic company. Proving to be a pain, they downed the shutters and he decided to seek a film a career in Bombay. His elder brother Sankata Prasad Chaturvedi, had already set a precedent and established himself as an actor in silent films but Kanhaiyalal came to films without the slightest intention of acting, wanting to write and direct instead. Eventually capitulating, he began by working as an extra in Sagar Movietone’s ‘Sagar Ka Sher.’ He would have remained a background extra but for a fated twist.
He was fond of plays and came to Mumbai to find a space on stage. He staged his own written play Pandrah August in Mumbai, later he tried his luck in films. He also had written many plays. In the 1939 film Ek Hi Raasta as Banke he got a break in Hindi films and in 1940 he got a role of moneylender (Sahukar) in a Mehboob Khan's film Aurat as Sukhilala. After that he later acted in many films as a character artist. When Mehboob Khan was directed his film Mother India, he again picked Kanhaiya Lal to act as Sukkhi Lala, a character that came alive with his natural acting. After that Kanhaiya Lal played same type of roles in Ganga Jamuna, Gopi, Upkar, Apna Desh. His other notable movies are Dushman, Bandhan, Bharosa, Dharti Kahe Pukar Ke, Hum Paanch, Bhookh (1947). He is known for his roles in Mother India, Gunga Jumna, Upkar etc. His memorable roles include those as villainous scheming moneylender in the films Mother India and Upkaar. As he recalled in an interview, “An actor playing Motilal‘s father had not reported on the sets, so there was an opportunity to step into the breach. The dialogue I had to speak ran to a full sheet of foolscap paper. Almost everyone on the sets was ready to laugh at my trying to set up as an actor, but God helped me and I did my job.” The film was ‘Jhul Badn’, written by K. M. Munshi (the founder of Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan), directed by Sarvottam Badami and starring Motilal and Sabita Devi. To his elation, his speaking role début fetched a ten rupee increment as his salary rose to Rs.45 a month. “Another promotion I earned was to play grandfather instead of father. This was in ‘Sadhana’, also of Sagar. My grandson was the hero of the film, Prem Adib. That was my first big role after which I became ‘acceptable’. I was quite young but I thus started playing old roles. And, down the years, I got older and older but my roles didn’t grow younger and younger!”
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