Pundit Hulasa Ram Dutta
Encyclopedia
Hulasa Ram Dutta
Hulasa Ram Dutta (हुलासा राम दत्ता (Hindi
); ,was an India
tea trader and well esteblished businessman and social activist at his time.
He is well known in politics circles at the era of Raja of Mandi Riyasat, Himachal Pradesh (Old Himachal)
of Punjab, British India, in a Bhardwaj Brahmin family.
After the Partition of India
his family settled in a small village on the bank of river Yamuna called Mandoli in what was Ambala district
of East Punjab
(now Yamunanagar
district of Haryana
). The Partition had a great toll on his family who had lost all their wealth and, in fact, he was left begging in the streets of Delhi before he re-joined his family. Later he moved to lucknow and spent a long time in Aminabad Galli during graduation and to fulfill his dreams he moved to Bombay
. In Bombay, he joined Jai Hind College as an undergraduate and took up a job.
, the oldest radio station in South Asia. He moved to acting in Hindi
films and got introduced to the film industry in the 1955 film Railway Platform. He shot to the stardom in the 1957 film Mother India
in which he co-starred with Nargis
, whom he married on 11 March 1958. In the film, Dutt played a short-tempered, angry son of Nargis. During the making of this film a fire accident happened on the sets. It is believed that Dutt braved the raging fire to save Nargis and thereby won her love.
He had one son Sanjay Dutt
, also a successful film actor and two daughters, Priya Dutt
and Namrata Dutt(Anju). His daughter Namrata married Kumar Gaurav
, son of Rajendra Kumar
. The two fathers were good friends and also co-stars in Mother India.
Dutt was one of the major stars of Hindi Cinema in the late 1950s and 1960s and continued to star in many successful films which included Sadhna
(1958), Sujata (1959), Mujhe Jeene Do
(1963), Khandaan
(1965) and Padosan
(1967). His collaboration with B.R. Chopra proved to be successful in films such as Gumraah (1963), Waqt
(1965) and Hamraaz
(1967). One of his favourite writers and friend until the end was Aghajani Kashmeri
who wrote his Ghazal, Mujhe Jeene Do, Yeh Raaste Hain Pyar Ke, among others. Aghajani had a special connection to him because Sunil's wife Nargis was launched by Aghajani in a movie he wrote for the famous director-producer Mehboob Khan, called Taqdeer. Aghajani and Mehboob visited Nargis' mother's home on Marine Drive in Bombay as she came home from school and both decided she would play the lead role. "It was a heart rending letter of condolence that Sunil Dutt wrote to me", says Kashmeri's son Zuhair Kashmeri when the former died in 1998 in Toronto, Canada.
He created a record of sorts by directing and starring in the unique film Yaadein
(1964) in which he was the only actor in the cast. He later turned producer of the 1968 film Man Ka Meet which introduced his brother Som Dutt who was unsuccessful in films. In 1971 he produced, directed and starred in the big-budget period romantic film Reshma Aur Shera
(1971) which was a huge failure at the box office.
He bounced back when he continued to star in hit films which included Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye
(1974), Nagin
(1976), Jaani Dushman
(1979) and Shaan
(1980).
He also starred in a series of Punjabi religious movies in the 1970s: Man Jeete Jag Jeet (1973), Dukh Bhanjan Tera Naam (1974), and Sat Sri Akal (1977).
He launched his son Sanjay
's career with the film Rocky
in 1981 which was a success. However shortly after its release his wife died of pancreatic cancer
. He set up Nargis
Dutt foundation in memory of his wife for the cure of cancer patients. He was also a sponsor of the India Project, a Nobel Peace Prize-nominated organization akin to Operation Smile for the treatment of Indian children with facial deformities.
In 1982 he was appointed as the Sheriff of Bombay
, an apolitical titular position, a position bestowed on him by the Maharashtra
government for the period of a year. He turned character actor in the 1980s often playing an elderly police officer or family patriarch at the centre of family feuds. He retired from the film industry in the early 1990s to turn to politics after his last few film releases including Parampara
(1992) and Kshatriya
(1993).
His political career was halted for some years in the early 1990s when he worked to free his son from jail after he was arrested following Hindu-Muslim clashes in Mumbai.
In 1995 he won the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award
for his contribution to the film industry for four decades.
He returned to films shortly before his death in the 2003 film Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.
. In this film he shared the screen with son Sanjay for the first time although they had both appeared earlier in Rocky
(1981) and Kshatriya
(1993) but did not appear in any scenes together.
He died of a heart attack
at his residence in Bandra, Mumbai
in his sleep. His seat in Parliament was contested by his daughter, Priya Dutt who eventually won it and is a Member of Parliament from North West Mumbai. His death coincided with the death of film producer Ismail Merchant
who was famous for his Merchant-Ivory productions.
Hulasa Ram Dutta (हुलासा राम दत्ता (Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
); ,was an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
tea trader and well esteblished businessman and social activist at his time.
He is well known in politics circles at the era of Raja of Mandi Riyasat, Himachal Pradesh (Old Himachal)
Early life
Pandit Hulasa ram was born in the Hoshiarpur DistrictHoshiarpur District
Hoshiarpur District , is a district of Punjab state in northern India.In 2011, Hoshiarpur had population of 1,582,793 of which male and female were 806,921 and 775,872 respectively. There was change of 6.85 percent in the population compared to population as per 2001...
of Punjab, British India, in a Bhardwaj Brahmin family.
After the Partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
his family settled in a small village on the bank of river Yamuna called Mandoli in what was Ambala district
Ambala District
Ambala district is one of the 21 districts of Haryana state in India. Ambala town is the administrative headquarters of the district. The district has an area of 1568.85 km².-History:...
of East Punjab
East Punjab
East Punjab was the part of the Punjab region that went to India following the Partition of the Punjab Province of British India between India and Pakistan in 1947...
(now Yamunanagar
Yamunanagar
Yamuna nagar is a city and a municipal corporation in Yamuna Nagar district in the Indian state of Haryana. This town is known for the cluster of plywood units. The older town is called Jagadhri...
district of Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
). The Partition had a great toll on his family who had lost all their wealth and, in fact, he was left begging in the streets of Delhi before he re-joined his family. Later he moved to lucknow and spent a long time in Aminabad Galli during graduation and to fulfill his dreams he moved to Bombay
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. In Bombay, he joined Jai Hind College as an undergraduate and took up a job.
Career
Starting out in radio, Sunil Dutt was a hugely popular on the Hindi Service of Radio CeylonRadio Ceylon
Radio Ceylon is the oldest radio station in Asia. Broadcasting was started on an experimental basis in Ceylon by the Telegraph Department in 1923, just three years after the inauguration of broadcasting in Europe.- Edward Harper :...
, the oldest radio station in South Asia. He moved to acting in Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
films and got introduced to the film industry in the 1955 film Railway Platform. He shot to the stardom in the 1957 film Mother India
Mother India
Mother India is a 1957 Hindi film epic, written and directed by Mehboob Khan and starring Nargis, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar and Raaj Kumar. The film, a melodrama, is a remake of Mehboob Khan's earlier film, Aurat...
in which he co-starred with Nargis
Nargis
Nargis Dutt , born Fatima Rashid but known by her screen name, Nargis, was an Indian film actress. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Hindi cinema. She made her screen debut as a child in Talash-E-Haq in 1935, but her acting carer began in 1942 with Tamanna...
, whom he married on 11 March 1958. In the film, Dutt played a short-tempered, angry son of Nargis. During the making of this film a fire accident happened on the sets. It is believed that Dutt braved the raging fire to save Nargis and thereby won her love.
He had one son Sanjay Dutt
Sanjay Dutt
Sanjay Dutt is an Indian Hindi film actor and politician. Dutt, son of Hindi film actors Sunil and Nargis Dutt, made his acting debut in 1981.-Personal life:...
, also a successful film actor and two daughters, Priya Dutt
Priya Dutt
Priya Dutt Roncon is an Indian politician. She was first time elected to the 14th Lok Sabha from Mumbai North West constituency in Maharashtra on 22 November 2005, representing the Indian National Congress party...
and Namrata Dutt(Anju). His daughter Namrata married Kumar Gaurav
Kumar Gaurav
Kumar Gaurav is an Indian film actor and son of late actor Rajendra Kumar.-Career:He made his film debut with Love Story produced by his father and directed by Rahul Rawail which was a blockbuster. Many youngsters began to emulate him...
, son of Rajendra Kumar
Rajendra Kumar
Rajendra Kumar was one of the most successful Indian Bollywood actors in the 1960s and 1970s. He also produced several films in the 1980s starring his son Kumar Gaurav....
. The two fathers were good friends and also co-stars in Mother India.
Dutt was one of the major stars of Hindi Cinema in the late 1950s and 1960s and continued to star in many successful films which included Sadhna
Sadhna
Sadhna is a 1958 Hindi film produced and directed by B. R. Chopra. The film stars Sunil Dutt, Vyjayanthimala and Leela Chitnis.-Awards:* 1958 Filmfare Best Story Award: Mukhram sharma* 1958: Filmfare Best Actress Award : Vyjayanthimala...
(1958), Sujata (1959), Mujhe Jeene Do
Mujhe Jeene Do
Mujhe Jeene Do is a 1963 Hindi film directed by Moni Bhattacharjee. This dacoit-drama stars Sunil Dutt, Waheeda Rehman, Nirupa Roy, Rajendranath and Mumtaz....
(1963), Khandaan
Khandaan
Khandan is a 1965 Hindi film. Produced by Vasu Menon and directed by A. Bhimsingh. The film stars Sunil Dutt, Nutan, Pran, Om Prakash, Lalita Pawar, Helen and Mumtaz. The films music is by Ravi. A box-office success, the film became the seventh highest earning film of 1965, earning an approximate...
(1965) and Padosan
Padosan
Padosan is a 1968 Indian Hindi film. Directed by Jyoti Swaroop, Produced by Mehmood, N. C. Sippy, and written by Rajendra Krishan. The music is by R.D. Burman. The movie stars Sunil Dutt, Saira Banu in the lead roles. Kishore Kumar, Mukri, Raj Kishore and Keshto Mukherjee played the supporting roles...
(1967). His collaboration with B.R. Chopra proved to be successful in films such as Gumraah (1963), Waqt
Waqt (1965 film)
Waqt is a 1965 Indian film directed by Yash Chopra. It made it onto the BFI's long list of films in consideration for their top ten of Indian films award. It was produced by B.R...
(1965) and Hamraaz
Hamraaz
Hamraaz is a 1967 Hindi film produced and directed by B. R. Chopra. The film stars Sunil Dutt, Raaj Kumar, Mumtaz, Sarika, Madan Puri, Iftekhar, Balraj Sahni, Jeevan, Helen and Vimi. The films music is by Ravi...
(1967). One of his favourite writers and friend until the end was Aghajani Kashmeri
Aghajani Kashmeri
Syed Wajid Hussain Rizavi Syed Wajid Hussain Rizavi Syed Wajid Hussain Rizavi (Urdu: , Hindi: सैय्यद वाजिद हुसैन रिज़वी, (16 October 1908 - 27 March 1998), better known by his Bollywood film name, Aghajani Kashmeri (Urdu: , Hindi: आग़ाजानी कश्मीरी) or Kashmiri (Urdu: , Hindi: कश्मीरी), also Agha...
who wrote his Ghazal, Mujhe Jeene Do, Yeh Raaste Hain Pyar Ke, among others. Aghajani had a special connection to him because Sunil's wife Nargis was launched by Aghajani in a movie he wrote for the famous director-producer Mehboob Khan, called Taqdeer. Aghajani and Mehboob visited Nargis' mother's home on Marine Drive in Bombay as she came home from school and both decided she would play the lead role. "It was a heart rending letter of condolence that Sunil Dutt wrote to me", says Kashmeri's son Zuhair Kashmeri when the former died in 1998 in Toronto, Canada.
He created a record of sorts by directing and starring in the unique film Yaadein
Yaadein (1964 film)
Yaadein is a 1964 B&W Hindi film directed and produced by Sunil Dutt also starring himself...
(1964) in which he was the only actor in the cast. He later turned producer of the 1968 film Man Ka Meet which introduced his brother Som Dutt who was unsuccessful in films. In 1971 he produced, directed and starred in the big-budget period romantic film Reshma Aur Shera
Reshma Aur Shera
Reshma Aur Shera is a 1972 Hindi film starring Waheeda Rehman as Reshma and Sunil Dutt as Shera. Sunil Dutt had also produced and directed the film. The film also stars Vinod Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Raakhee and Amrish Puri...
(1971) which was a huge failure at the box office.
He bounced back when he continued to star in hit films which included Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye
Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye
Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye is a 1974 Hindi film produced by Ratan Mohan and directed by S. Ali Raza. The film stars Sunil Dutt, Rekha, Iftekhar, Premnath, Jeevan, Bindu, Madan Puri, Ranjeet and Jayshree T. The film's music is by O. P. Nayyar.-Awards:...
(1974), Nagin
Nagin (1976 film)
Nagin is a 1976 Hindi horror fantasy thriller film produced and directed by Rajkumar Kohli. It features a huge ensemble cast including Sunil Dutt, Reena Roy, Jeetendra, Feroz Khan, Sanjay Khan, Vinod Mehra, Kabir Bedi, Rekha, Yogeeta Bali and Mumtaz...
(1976), Jaani Dushman
Jaani Dushman
Jaani Dushman is a 1979 Bollywood popular horror film with a large starcast including Sunil Dutt, Rekha, Shatrughan Sinha, Vinod Mehra, Sanjeev Kumar, Neetu Singh, Jeetendra, Reena Roy, Aruna Irani, Madan Puri, Amrish Puri, Shakti Kapoor and Premnath. It was directed by Rajkumar Kohli...
(1979) and Shaan
Shaan (film)
Shaan is a 1980 Indian Hindi film. It is director Ramesh Sippy's 2nd film with Amitabh Bachchan after Sholay. The story was written by Salim-Javed....
(1980).
He also starred in a series of Punjabi religious movies in the 1970s: Man Jeete Jag Jeet (1973), Dukh Bhanjan Tera Naam (1974), and Sat Sri Akal (1977).
He launched his son Sanjay
Sanjay Dutt
Sanjay Dutt is an Indian Hindi film actor and politician. Dutt, son of Hindi film actors Sunil and Nargis Dutt, made his acting debut in 1981.-Personal life:...
's career with the film Rocky
Rocky (1981 film)
Rocky is a 1981 Bollywood film produced and directed by Sunil Dutt who also has a cameo role. The film marks the debut of Sunil Dutt's son Sanjay Dutt and also stars Reena Roy, Tina Munim, Amjad Khan, Raakhee Gulzar, and Shakti Kapoor...
in 1981 which was a success. However shortly after its release his wife died of pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
. He set up Nargis
Nargis
Nargis Dutt , born Fatima Rashid but known by her screen name, Nargis, was an Indian film actress. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Hindi cinema. She made her screen debut as a child in Talash-E-Haq in 1935, but her acting carer began in 1942 with Tamanna...
Dutt foundation in memory of his wife for the cure of cancer patients. He was also a sponsor of the India Project, a Nobel Peace Prize-nominated organization akin to Operation Smile for the treatment of Indian children with facial deformities.
In 1982 he was appointed as the Sheriff of Bombay
Sheriff of Mumbai
The Sheriff of Mumbai is an apolitical titular position of authority bestowed for one year on a prominent citizen of Mumbai. The current Sheriff of Mumbai is Indu Shahani, principal of H. R...
, an apolitical titular position, a position bestowed on him by the Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
government for the period of a year. He turned character actor in the 1980s often playing an elderly police officer or family patriarch at the centre of family feuds. He retired from the film industry in the early 1990s to turn to politics after his last few film releases including Parampara
Parampara (film)
Parampara is a 1993 Bollywood movie starring Sunil Dutt, Vinod Khanna, Ashwini Bhave, Aamir Khan, Ramya Krishna, Saif Ali Khan, Raveena Tandon, Neelam Kothari and Anupam Kher. The film is produced by Firoz A. Nadiadwala and directed by Yash Chopra. Aditya Chopra wrote the screenplay for the film...
(1992) and Kshatriya
Kshatriya (film)
Kshatriya is a 1993 Bollywood film directed by J.P. Dutta. The film features an ensemble star cast including Sunil Dutt, Dharmendra, Vinod Khanna, Sunny Deol, Sanjay Dutt, Raveena Tandon, Meenakshi Seshadri and Divya Bharti. The film has Sunil Dutt and Dharmendra playing fathers to their real-life...
(1993).
His political career was halted for some years in the early 1990s when he worked to free his son from jail after he was arrested following Hindu-Muslim clashes in Mumbai.
In 1995 he won the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award
Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award
The Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award, initially named Raj Kapoor Award for Lifetime Achievement after Raj Kapoor is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films....
for his contribution to the film industry for four decades.
He returned to films shortly before his death in the 2003 film Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.
Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.
Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. is a 2003 Indian comedy directed by Rajkumar Hirani and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. The story involves protagonist Munna Bhai , a goon, going to medical school. He is helped by his sidekick, Circuit . It is the first film in the popular Munna Bhai series...
. In this film he shared the screen with son Sanjay for the first time although they had both appeared earlier in Rocky
Rocky (1981 film)
Rocky is a 1981 Bollywood film produced and directed by Sunil Dutt who also has a cameo role. The film marks the debut of Sunil Dutt's son Sanjay Dutt and also stars Reena Roy, Tina Munim, Amjad Khan, Raakhee Gulzar, and Shakti Kapoor...
(1981) and Kshatriya
Kshatriya (film)
Kshatriya is a 1993 Bollywood film directed by J.P. Dutta. The film features an ensemble star cast including Sunil Dutt, Dharmendra, Vinod Khanna, Sunny Deol, Sanjay Dutt, Raveena Tandon, Meenakshi Seshadri and Divya Bharti. The film has Sunil Dutt and Dharmendra playing fathers to their real-life...
(1993) but did not appear in any scenes together.
He died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at his residence in Bandra, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
in his sleep. His seat in Parliament was contested by his daughter, Priya Dutt who eventually won it and is a Member of Parliament from North West Mumbai. His death coincided with the death of film producer Ismail Merchant
Ismail Merchant
Ismail Merchant was an Indian-born film producer, best known for the results of his famously long collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions which included director James Ivory as well as screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala...
who was famous for his Merchant-Ivory productions.
Awards and honours
- Unknown Year - Honoured with the Title "Rais Mandi State" by the Raja of mandi state for His works in public interest and services for the Mandi state