Agha (actor)

Agha
Born Aghajan Baig
21 March 1914
Poona, Maharashtra, India
Died 30 April 1992 (aged 78)
Pune, Maharashtra, India
Occupation Actor, singer, director
Years active 1935–1986
Religion Islam
Children 4
Relatives Son Jalal Agha

Agha (21 March 1914-30 April 1992) was an Indian film actor of Bollywood films of Persian descent.[1] He was known for comic roles and modeled himself on Bob Hope's style of acting.[2] He appeared in over 300 Hindi films in his career between 1935 and 1986.[3] His son, Jalal Agha, also became an actor, most known for the song, Mehbooba Mehbooba in Sholay (1975).[4]

Early Years

Agha confessed that he went to school for just three days, "that was as long as I could stand it". He spent time "mooching" around the Poona Race Course as he wanted to become a jockey and loved horses. Agha came to Bombay and joined his neighbourhood drama group. His interest in acting took him to films where in 1933 he started as a production manager in Kanwal Movietone.[1]

Career

Agha’s first film was Kanwal Movietone’s Stree Dharma also called Painted Sin (1935) starring Mehtab and Nazir. However, his films Karwan-e-Husn (1935), Wadia Movietone's Rangila Mazdoor (1938), and Anuradha (1940) helped him gain recognition as a comic actor. He acted in Kikubhai Desai's (Manmohan Desai's father) Circus Ki Sundari (1941) which was popular and this helped in getting lead roles in films like Muqabala (1942), Laheri Cameraman (1944) and Taxi Driver (1944).[2] His most active years were from 1930s to 1960s.

Filmography

Selected list.[5]

Year Film Director
1935 Stree Dharma C. M. Rafi
1935 Karwan-e-Husn C. M. Rafi
1936 Berozgaar Rajhans
1937 Daulat S. M. Yusuf
1938 Rangila Mazdoor S. M. Yusuf
1939 Kahan Hai Manzil Teri S. M. Yusuf
1940 Anuradha Mohan Sinha
1940 Captain Kishori K. Amarnath
1941 Circus Ki Sundari Balwant Bhatt
1941 Nai Roshni Chimankant Gandhi
1941 Safed Sawar Nari Ghadiali
1941 Roti Mehboob Khan
1942 Apna Paraya Ramachandra Thakur
1942 Mera Gaon Prafulla Roy
1943 Amanat Lalit Chandra Mehta
1943 Mohabbat Ki Jeet Ramanlal Desai
1944 Laheri Cameraman Nari Ghadiali
1944 Taxi Driver S. M. Raza
1944 Bhagya Laxmi Sarvottam Badami
1945 Meghdoot Debaki Bose
1945 Chalis Karod Nanabhai Bhatt
1946 Khush Naseeb Vithaldas Panchotia
1946 Dhokhebaaz R. Shivraj
1947 Elaan Mehboob Khan
1947 Jugnu Shaukat Hussain Rizvi
1948 Jadui Bansuri Nanubhai Vakil
1948 Shikayat Shahid Lateef
1949 Balam Homi Wadia
1949 Bhool Bhulaiyan Taimur Behramshah
1950 Hamari Beti Shobhana Samarth
1951 Badal Amiya Chakravarty
1951 Ustad Pedro Harish
1952 Do Raha Bal Chhabda
1952 Ambar Jayant Desai
1953 Patita Amiya Chakravarty
1954 Bahut Din Huye S. S. Vasan
1954 Chandni Chowk B. R. Chopra
1955 Udan Khatola S. U. Sunny
1955 Mr. and Mrs. 55 Guru Dutt
1956 Parivar Asit Sen
1957 Bade Sarkar Kishore Sahu
1957 Nausherwan-E-Adil Sohrab Modi
1958 Kala Pani Raj Khosla
1959 Navrang V. Shantaram
1960 Ghunghat Ramanand Sagar
1963 Nartaki Nitin Bose
1964 Daal Mein Kaala Satyen Bose
1968 Padosan Jyoti Swaroop
1972 Bombay To Goa S. Ramanathan
1977 Admi Sadak Ka Devendra Goel
1981 Kranti British Soldier
1986 Love And God K. Asif

Death

Agha died on 30 April 1992 of a heart attack in Pune, Maharashtra, India. He was 80 years old. He was survived by three daughters and one son, Jalal Agha. Jalal Agha died on 5 March 1995, in New Delhi, also of a heart attack.[6]

Awards

He was nominated for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for the 1960 film Ghunghat.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Agha - Interview". cineplot.com. Cineplot. Retrieved 25 Aug 2014.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Narwekar, Sanjit (2012). Eena Meena Deeka The Storyof Hindi Film Comedy. India: Rupa Publications. p. 96. ISBN 9788129126252.
  3. "Agha". cineplot.com. Cineplot. Retrieved 25 Aug 2014.
  4. Khan, Mansoor. "Dilip Kumar discovered Jalal Agha". glamsham.com. A Fifth Quarter Infomedia Pvt. Ltd. Retrieved 25 Aug 2014.
  5. "Agha". citwf.com. Alan Goble. Retrieved 25 Aug 2014.
  6. Renu Saran (25 February 2014). Encyclopedia of Bollywood–Film Actors (Jalal Agha). Diamond Pocket Books Pvt Ltd. pp. 13–. ISBN 978-93-5083-690-3. Retrieved 6 December 2014.

External links