Hangal: Uncrowned king of theatre
Hailed once as the “uncrowned king of theatre”, A.K. Hangal was not very keen to join films but ended up playing roles of the loving father or grandfather and doting servant of Bollywood with elan.
He played roles in films like Sholay, Shaukeen, Namak Haram, Aaina, Avtaar, Arjun, Aandhi, Kora Kagaz, Bawarchi, Chitchor, Guddi, Abhimaan, Anamika and Parichay.
He was also a regular in Rajesh Khanna’s starrers like Aap Ki Kasam, Amar Deep, Naukri, Thodisi Bewafaii and Phir Wohi Raat.
Playing the role of Rahim Chacha in Sholay, he uttered those famous words, Itna sannata kyon hai, bhai.
In his autobiography, The Life and Time of A.K. Hangal, he recounted how he ended up joining films and how he struggled to shake off his “gentleman” image in Bollywood though without much success.
“I never had ambitions about pursuing a career in films and was quite content with my amateur theatre work... Circumstances pulled me into the film world, though I am not unhappy because of it. Here, I mingled with people from completely different sphere, called ‘Show Business’, and even after many years in it, sometimes I feel like an outsider,” he wrote.
Born as Avtaar Veenit Kishan Hangal into a Kashmiri Pandit family in Peshawar, he was an active member of the Communist party there while working as a tailor. He actively participated in union activities and was arrested.
Hangal moved to Bombay in 1949 after spending two years in Pakistan prison. He came in the city of dreams at the age of 21 with `20 in his pocket.
Hangal was drawn to Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) in India.
He started working with Balraj Sahni and Kaifi Azmi in IPTA.
In his late 40s, Hangal was offered the part of Raj Kapoor’s brother in 1966 film Teesri Kasam by director Basu Bhatta-charya but his scenes were removed from the film.
There was no looking back for him after that. He starred in over 200 films. His mostly played roles of father, uncle, grandfather or that of a meek and harassed old man, an image he could never get rid off.
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