Words have inherent power that can make or break any person. This is exactly why it is repeatedly argued to measure one’s words before speaking on any issue or about anything. Careless, rude or uncouth commentary can ruin years or even decades of hard work within a blink of an eye. No matter how brilliant, talented or capable someone is, the utterance of a few unthoughtful words is enough to destroy one’s legacy. There can’t be a perfect example of this important life lesson than Bollywood veteran actor Om Puri.
Battling hardships
Om Prakash Puri was born on 18th of October, 1950 on the auspicious day of Vijayadashami in a Punjabi Hindu family. Growing up in the streets of Ambala, he faced several hardships. When he was just six years of age, his father, Rajesh Puri who worked in the Indian Railways, was jailed on the allegation of stealing cement. Nobody can vouch for whether the charge was true or not, but it rendered Om Puri and his family homeless.
Young Om Puri and his brother Ved Prakash Puri did odd jobs to make their ends meet. When his brother Ved worked as a coolie at the railway station, Om Puri worked at a tea shop. Other times, they took care of the family with whatever earnings they could get by working at dhabas or selling coal near the railway station. Later, Shanti, their former house-help, adopted the Puri family.
But all these hardships couldn’t deter Om Puri. He completed his primary education alongside these odd jobs. Afterwards, he went to the National School of Drama to learn the traits of acting.
It is ironic that Naseeruddin Shah who is always in news for all the wrong reasons was the one who gave sound advice to Om Puri and shaped his cinematic career. Understanding Puri’s talent and capabilities, Shah suggested him to join Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) along with him. It was from here on that they forged a life-long friendship.
But financially strained Om Puri could not afford decent clothing when he joined FTII or pay fees of the institution.
Stellar acting career of actor Om Puri
Actor Om Puri began his acting career with a children’s film, Chor Chor Chup Jaa. To supplement his income at the time, he also worked at the Actors’ Studio. There he taught aspiring actors like Gulshan Grover and Anil Kapoor.
Several times, fate played a cruel role. Certain roles that were earlier offered to him ended up proving a launch pad for other actors. Had it not been a twist of fate, we would have seen actor Om Puri in the role of Advocate Govind in the film Damini which gave unparalleled success to Sunny Deol.
From the very beginning, actor Om Puri never refrained from experimentation. Even after coming from a Punjabi background, he didn’t let language barrier come in the way of his acting career. Evidently, his debut film in mainstream cinema was with a Marathi film named “Ghasiram Kotwal”.
On account of his acting talent, actor Om Puri gradually became a mainstay of parallel cinema. He gained wide recognition among the audience with the film “Aakrosh”. The year of 1982 proved to be a major turning point for his acting career.
First, he made his presence felt as Jimmy, Mithun Chakraborty’s manager, in the insanely popular film “Disco Dancer”. Second, in the film ‘Ardh Satya’, actor Om Puri played the role of Sub Inspector Anant Velankar who put his life at stake in the pursuit of his integrity.
For this film, he was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award. He was also awarded the Best Actor Award at the National Film Awards ceremony.
Then Om Puri demonstrated his acting masterclass in each of his films. Irrespective of the movies’ success or failure, Om Puri never disappointed audiences with his craft. Apart from playing villainous roles, Om Puri equally impressed the viewers with his comic timing and roles in light hearted comedy films. His roles in ‘Ghayal’, ‘Maachis’, ‘Hera Pheri’ and ‘Dhoop’ among others prove his acting mettle.
He performed in both domestic and foreign films. He also worked in Bengali, Kannada, English, Punjabi, and one Telugu film in addition to Bollywood. actor Om Puri is praised as one of Indian cinema’s top performers. He received the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honour, two Best Actor National Film Awards, two Filmfare Awards, and other accolades in 1990.
The controversy that tarnished his entire legacy
In October 2016, in the aftermath of Pakistan-backed dastardly Uri attack, there were widespread demands to ban Pakistani artistes from working in Indian Entertainment industries. News channels invited Om Puri to know his stand and discuss the issue.
When the heated debate escalated and things started to go out of hand, an indignant actor Om Puri made a highly reprehensible remark. He said, “Did anybody force them (the soldiers) to join the army?”
Only Om Puri could go into questions like what was the background, and why did he make such a disparaging remark? But it was this highly disreputable but avoidable controversy that completely destroyed his otherwise rich legacy.
This completely destroyed his legacy and made him notorious for making such a deplorable statement and not for his flawless acting career.
However, feeling guilty for his culpable statement, he profusely apologised for the same.
He said, “I am very embarrassed at what I said and I deserve punishment, not forgiveness. I first apologise to his (a Uri attack martyr) family, if at all they will forgive me, I apologise to the whole country, the army. I know it’s not justified that you say so much and then think sorry will make it right.”
But the apologies couldn’t completely undo the damage done by his despicable remark.
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Later, on 6th January 2017, actor Om Puri died of a heart attack leaving the world as a withered artist before he could redeem himself from this highly controversial statement on Army personnel.
Notably, no one is perfect. The majority of us have faltered on various occasions. And that is why it is argued that people shouldn’t judge others in their weak moments and indulge in ‘cancel culture’ because of that.
Furthermore, Bollywood is full of personalities that regularly indulge in vile running commentary on the country’s premier reputable institutions. But they get away in the smoke screen of ‘freedom of speech’. Then there was Om Puri who kept seeking an apology till his last breath. It will be a grave injustice to the man to attach various meanings to his apology and not allow redemption to his last wish.
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