Ajit's biography

Ajit also known as Hamid Ali Khan was born on January 27, 1922 in Golconda was a Bollywood film actor. Ajit was a popular villain of Hindi films and he was known for his stylish and peculiar dialogue delivery.




Ajit's dialogues Mona darling, smart boy, Lili don't be silly, went on to become a rage and they sometimes overshadowed his earlier remarkable performance. Ajit entered the film industry to become a hero and did quite a few creditable films as lead artiste in Nastik, Bada Bhai, Milan, Baradari, and later as a second lead in Mughal-e-Azam and Naya Daur to name a few. Film Director K.Amarnath, who directed him in Bekasoor, suggested that the actor change his long name of Hamid Ali Khan to something shorter, and Hamid homed in on Ajit.

Ajit started his career in the 40's. Luck did not favour him in the initial stages of his career, but the actor started with the 1946 movie Shahe Misra opposite heroine Geeta Bose and also did films as Sikander (van mala), Hatimtai(1947), Aap Beeti(Khursheed), Sone Ki Chidiya(Leela Kumari), Dholak(Meena Shori) and Chanda Ki Chandni(Monica Desai) as leading hero but flopped.

He did most of 15 films with Nalini Jaywant. Ajit switched over to play the villain and with films like Zanjeer, Yaadon Ki Baraat among others, there was no looking back for Ajit.

In the mid-seventies he had acted in over 57 films mostly as a villain. His dialogue delivery remains so popular even till this date. Ajit developed his own style of acting and delivery of dialogue. We still remember his style of acting which is guidance to the new generation of actors. It has also been noted that most of his gang members had Christian names like Robert, Michael, Peter etc. This also has been used for comic purposes in parodies.

It was the menacing voice he was most famous for. He is still remembered for bringing the most famous villains in the history of Indian cinema to life. His contemporaries include veteran actors like Amrish Puri, Pran, Prem Chopra and Amjad Khan.

Some of his popularity in present time is due to the innumerable jokes and parodies made on his famous lines by comedians. Ajit on October 22,1998 died of cardiac arrest in Hyderabad.

The Legend-Amrish Puri

Amrish Lal Puri was an iconic Indian actor who appeared primarily in negative roles in Hindi movies. His most remembered roles are Mogambo in Mr India (1987) and Mola Ram in the Hollywood film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984).

Amrish Puri played character roles and was well-known as a villain. Amrish's striking bass voice, the ability to extend his eyes widely out of their eyelids during climactic scenes and outsize acting style made him a convincing villain in even the most melodramatic movies.

Amrish Puri came to Mumbai, while his brother Madan Puri was already an established actor, known for playing villain roles.

Meanwhile Amrish Puri started performing at the Prithvi Theatre, in plays written by Satyadev Dubey, eventually became well-known as stage actor and won the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1979. This theatre recognition soon led to work in television ads and eventually to films at the age of 40.

Amrish went on to work in Hindi, Kannada, Hollywood, Punjabi, Telugu and Tamil films. Though he was successful in all of these industries, he is best known for his work in Bollywood cinema. He has appeared in over 400 movies. His dominating screen presence and booming voice made him stand out amongst a sea of actors.

Amrish Puri's last film was Kachchi sadak. The film was released a few days after his death. Amrish Puri died in Mumbai in 2005 at the age of 72. His autobiography The Act of Life was published in 2006 and is seen as the document of the cinema of his times.

The Legend-Amrish Puri

Amrish Lal Puri was an iconic Indian actor who appeared primarily in negative roles in Hindi movies. His most remembered roles are Mogambo in Mr India (1987) and Mola Ram in the Hollywood film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984).

Amrish Puri played character roles and was well-known as a villain. Amrish's striking bass voice, the ability to extend his eyes widely out of their eyelids during climactic scenes and outsize acting style made him a convincing villain in even the most melodramatic movies.

Amrish Puri came to Mumbai, while his brother Madan Puri was already an established actor, known for playing villain roles.

Meanwhile Amrish Puri started performing at the Prithvi Theatre, in plays written by Satyadev Dubey, eventually became well-known as stage actor and won the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1979. This theatre recognition soon led to work in television ads and eventually to films at the age of 40.

Amrish went on to work in Hindi, Kannada, Hollywood, Punjabi, Telugu and Tamil films. Though he was successful in all of these industries, he is best known for his work in Bollywood cinema. He has appeared in over 400 movies. His dominating screen presence and booming voice made him stand out amongst a sea of actors.

Amrish Puri's last film was Kachchi sadak. The film was released a few days after his death. Amrish Puri died in Mumbai in 2005 at the age of 72. His autobiography The Act of Life was published in 2006 and is seen as the document of the cinema of his times.