Cinemaazi remembers Om Prakash on his death anniversary

Among the many character artistes to have graced the Indian silver screen, the genial and affable Om Prakash holds a special place. In a career that spanned nearly 5 decades, he acted in more than 300 films and also directed and produced some films. No matter what the role, Om Prakash always left an indelible mark, whether as villain or comedian.

Born in an affluent family in Jammu on December 19, 1919, Om Prakash was attracted to the performing arts from a young age. Om Prakash made his debut in Pancholi’s Dasi (1944), wherein he played a villain. It was his role in Azaad (1955) that brought him to prominence again. By the end of the 1950s and the early 1960s Om Prakash had carved a place for himself – working in diverse roles, comic and villainous, opposite all the top heroes of the time, including Dev Anand in Jaali Note (1960) and Tere Ghar Ke Samne (1963), Dilip Kumar in Azaad, and Raj Kapoor in Kanhaiya (1959), a movie that Om Prakash wrote and directed). 

Om Prakash’s prolific output continued over the next two decades, as he churned out stellar performances in Buddha Mil Gaya (1971), Chupke Chupke (1975), Julie(1975), Namak Halaal (1982) and Sharaabi (1984). By then a well-recognized character artist, Om Prakash was known to lend his inimitable touch to any character he took on, often acting well enough to rival the lead. Besides acting and writing, Prakash also received a chance to flex his classical music training when he sang a song for the film Bindiya (1960). He turned his remarkable talents to direction with Kanhaiya (1959) and Duniya Gol Hai (1955), and turned producer for films like Sanjog (1961) and Jahan Ara (1964). A giant of the industry, Om Prakash died on 21 February 1998, thus bringing to an end a glorious career.