Dara Singh: Rustam-E- Hind lost his battle and bid adieu

	DARA SINGH

Body builders all over the world after making their mark in the arena these days choose to grace the spot light and venture into the world of entertainment in a big way and this trend is very popular in Hollywood these days. But in our country a lead was taken more than 40 years ago, when Dara Singh, after making his mark in the world of wrestling, decided to walk into the world of cinema and made his mark in a very emphatic manner and the country should be proud about the fact that he was the first wrestler who could make his presence felt in the world of Hindi cinema, as also in the regional films- especially Punjabi, as well. It would not be an exaggeration to underline the fact that it was Dara Singh’s success as a body builder graduating to world of cinema that fired the imagination of more such body builders, to try their luck under the arc lights, be it in the world of Hindi cinema or Punjabi cinema.

In his passing away, the world of Hindi cinema may indeed has lost a towering grandfather who could enact the role of a grandfather having an exterior of a hard man, but having a heart of a child from inside, as he had displayed in JAB WE MET.

CHECK OUT: Bollywood celebs mourn Dara Singh’s death

When he was practicing wrestling, he fought against all the famous wrestlers of his time, including King Kong from Australia, George Gordienko from Canada, etc., and was conferred the titles of ‘Rustam-E-Punjab and ‘Rustam-E-Hind’.

He made an impressive debut in the world of Hindi cinema when he enacted the role of SIKANDER-E-AZAM way back in 1965. He also had enacted the role of Hanuman in RAMAYAN in the early sixties. One does not know whether Ramanand Sagar had seen the role of Hanuman enacted by him in RAMAYAN made in the early sixties, but indeed, the kind of wide recognition and acceptability that Dara Singh got all over the country was owing to the role of Hanuman that he had enacted in the magnum opus of Ramanand Sagar, ‘Ramayan’. Dara Singh literally enjoyed playing the role of Hanuman in the serial and his enactment also paved the way for his political flirtations as well, but it was a short lived affair and he returned back to acting.

CHECK OUT: Dara Singh passes away at 84

Most of the roles that he enacted harped on his muscular prowess and this could have the reason why when Manmohan Desai decided to make his MARD, he did not think twice before casting him as the father of MARD and Dara Singh enacted the role of the freedom fighter in a charming manner. As a matter of fact Dara Singh enacted the role of father of Rajinikanth as well in the Tamil adaption of MARD named as MAAVERAN in 1986.

Though Dara Singh had shifted to Mumbai in the early sixties, his style and diction of delivery continued to be flavored with the rustiness of Punjabi and this is what endeared his fans back in his ‘pind’ in Amritsar from whose soils he had risen to make his mark in the world of wrestling and acting. No wonder, in various Gurudwaras around Amritsar kirtans were held for his longevity, but god seemed inclined to bring him over to his arena to enjoy his style of wrestling. Wrestlers would come and go but a character like Dara Singh would be difficult to replace in the world of entertainment as also in the world of wrestling. It would be difficult as Dara Singh continued to maintain his simplicity and rustic nature till the end of his life. May his soul rest in peace.