Special Google Doodle on Amrish Puri’s 87th Birthday, Know the Unknown Struggles of His Career!

He was an iconic villain of Bollywood and one of the finest actors of Indian cinema. Amrish Puri… a personality so very familiar from 6 to 60, in every Indian household, was born today. And Google remembers this legendary personage through a beautiful Google Doodle.

In contrast with a background of orangish theme, Amrish Puri’s smiling sketch in black and white spreads a lot of good vibes on this Saturday morning. The text ‘Google’ has been etched in a retro font type on prototypical 70s graphic patterns. The entire illustration evokes a periodic nostalgia in one, including myself of course. So, take a trip down the memory lane looking back at the revered actor's life and career.

Born on 22nd June 1932, Punjab in British India, Amrish Puri came to Mumbai following the footsteps of his elder brothers, Madan Puri and Chaman Puri, who were also popular for playing negative characters during 60s-70s Bollywood. However, Amrish Puri failed his first screen test and found a job with Employees' State Insurance Corporation Ministry of Labour and Employment. But this failure actually turned out to be a blessing to him.

Amrish Puri with Madan Puri

Apart from doing the job, Amrish Puri started performing at Prithvi Theatre and got a chance to meet many theatre dignitaries like Satyadev Dubey. Theatre opened new avenues for him; famous playwright Satyadev Dubey offered Puri a role in one of his plays. But still, life didn’t become a cakewalk for him. His struggles were on and it was eminent actor, the evergreen Dev Anand who first cast him in his superhit film ‘Prem Pujari’ (1970). And Puri’s film career kick-started.

But, Puri didn’t become an icon overnight. Even after ‘Prem Pujari’ Amrish Puri kept getting the offers for sidekick roles, and being slow but steady in the race, eventually the industry, the mass and class accepted him as the no. 1 bad guy of Hindi cinema.

If films like ‘Reshma Aur Shera’ (1971), ‘Qurbani’ (1980), ‘Vidhaata’ (1982), ‘Hero’ (1983), ‘Nagina’ (1986), ‘Mr. India’ (1987) had given Puri the platform and fame he deserved, offbeat classics like ‘Nishant’ (1975), ‘Manthan’ (1976), ‘Bhumika’ (1977), ‘Gandhi’ (1982), ‘Ardhsatya’ (1983), ‘Mashaal’ (1984) made the cinelovers see Amrish Puri the actor in a whole new light.

Amrish Puri’s mastery earned international limelight when acclaimed director-producer Steven Speilberg desired him for ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’ (1984) alongside the very handsome Hollywood favourite Harrison Ford.

The actor’s works in other languages are also equally admired all over. 1971 released Marathi film ‘Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe’, which is still considered a landmark in Marathi cinema, had Amrish Puri playing one of its characters apace with another luminary from Indian drama and plays, Amol Palekar.

Thank you Google for this wonderful tribute to this outstanding performer, who has entertained the Indian audience over the years and irrespective of ages. I’m sure somewhere above, “Mogambo Khush Hua!”