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Be it Dilip Kumar's 'Paigam' or 'Devdas' or Raj Kapoor's 'Jaagte Raho'. The one who proved his acting prowess in all these films was the best actor of the past, Motilal, whose 59th death anniversary is today.
Motilal worked in Hindi films for about three decades. During this period, he did about 60 films. He gained popularity by playing the character of Chunni Babu in the 1955 film 'Devdas'.
For his excellent acting, he was called the first natural actor of Hindi films. Motilal had come to Bombay to join the Navy, but fate brought him to films.
In the 1940 film 'Achhut', he played the role of an untouchable for which he received praise from Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Mohanlal remained in the news because of his style and personal life. He belonged to a very rich family, but due to some of his mistakes in the last days, he became penniless.
Talking about his personal life, his love story with the legendary actress of his time, Shobhana Samarth, was quite famous. She died in 1965 at the age of 54.
Motilal worked in around 60 films between the 30s and 60s.
Let's take a look at some interesting facts related to Motilal's life…
Went to join the Navy, got a movie
Motilal was born on 4 December 1910 in Shimla. His father was a well-known educationist who died when Motilal was only one year old. Motilal was brought up by his uncle who was a well-known surgeon in Delhi.
Motilal received his early education in an English school in Shimla. Later, he completed his school and college education in Delhi because his uncle brought him from Shimla to Delhi.
After completing his college studies, Motilal came to Bombay. He came here to join the Navy, but at the last moment he fell so ill that he could not take the test.
Fate had something else in store for him, so one day he went to watch the shooting of a film being shot at Sagar Studio in Bombay. Its director was KP Ghosh who was the owner of Sagar Production Company. When KP saw Motilal, he was impressed by his personality.
Motilal was offered a film by KP Ghosh. He offered 24-year-old Motilal to play the hero in the film 'Sheher Ka Jadoo'. Motilal did not know anything about acting, but on the insistence of KP Ghosh, he signed the film.
Motilal's acting was appreciated in the film and he got offers for many films. In 1934 itself, he was seen in the film Watan Parast. Even after this, he appeared back to back in films like Silver King, Doctor Madhurika, Do Ghadi Ki Mauj, Lagna Bandhan, Jeevan Lata, Do Deewane, Dilawar, Kokila, Kulvadhu, Jagirdar.
Around 1940, Motilal started experimenting with his roles. While other actors were choosing roles with a romantic image, Motilal started choosing bold roles which other actors were hesitant to do.
Motilal was the lead hero in 30 films in his career.
When Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel praised
Motilal surprised everyone by playing the role of an untouchable in the 1940 film 'Achhut'. Motilal did such a great job in this film giving a social message that he received praise from great personalities like Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. After this film, Motilal's name started being included in the list of big actors of the film industry.
One thing about Motilal that made him different from other actors was that he used to play his character in such a natural way that it did not look like acting at all. Because of this, he was given the title of the first natural actor of Hindi films.
He also received a lot of praise for his acting in the film 'Mr. Sampat', but Motilal's star reached new heights with Dilip Kumar starrer 'Devdas' in 1955. He played the role of Chunni Babu in this film for which he received the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Vyjayanthimala, Motilal and Dilip Kumar in the film 'Devdas'.
Actress Meena Shouri and Motilal during a cricket match.
Motilal's wealth was discussed in the film industry
Motilal did not enter films to earn money. He belonged to a rich family, so he had no shortage of money. His lifestyle also testified to this. Motilal liked to mingle with high class society.
He was famous in the entire film industry for his carefree nature. Motilal, who was always in tip top shape in suits and boots, was also very fond of wearing hats. Motilal was also very fond of driving cars at high speed, horse riding and playing cricket.
Even during shooting, whenever he got a break, he used to play cricket with his co-stars. He was also fond of flying planes for which he had even taken a license.
Shobhana Samarth and Motilal.
Had affair with two actresses, did not get married
Many actresses were also impressed by Motilal's carefree lifestyle, but only two actresses in the entire film industry were successful in winning Motilal's heart. These were Shobhana Samarth and Nadira. Motilal was in a relationship with Nadira, but they did not marry and then they broke up. After breaking up with Nadira, Motilal fell in love with Shobhana Samarth.
Motilal met Shobhana Samarth while working in Sagar Film Company's films. Both met during the shooting of a film. Soon both became good friends. Shobhana was a legendary actress of that era.
When she became friends with Motilal, she was married and a mother of four children. Shobhana was married to Kumarsen Samarth with whom her relationship was not going well.
Shobhana Samarth was Tanuja's mother and Kajol's maternal grandmother.
Shobhana saw Motilal only as a friend, but Motilal was infatuated with Shobhana. It did not matter to him that she was married and the mother of four children. Eventually, Shobhana's marriage with Sen broke.
Motilal proposed to her, but at first she did not agree, but after a lot of persuasion, Shobhana finally accepted Motilal's proposal. The two did not get married, but their closeness was always in the news.
At the last moment, he became desperate for every penny
Motilal lived most of his life in luxury, but he was troubled in his last days. Actually, his addiction to alcohol and gambling ruined him. He also bet a lot of money on horse racing and lost it.
Due to excessive drinking, Motilal's health started deteriorating around 1960, due to which he reduced his work in films. In an interview, Motilal himself revealed that he had suffered three heart attacks.
During this time, instead of acting in films, Motilal turned to script writing, direction and production. He wrote, produced and directed the film 'Chhoti Chhoti Baatein', but he passed away before its release.
For this film, he was given two National Awards posthumously. In 1965, Motilal also worked in a Bhojpuri film named 'Solah Singar Kare Dulhaniya'. This film was released just before his death. Motilal died on 17 June 1965.
