Career
Sahni was always interested in acting, and started his acting career with the plays of the Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA). He started his film career in Mumbai with the film Insaaf (1946), followed by Dharti Ke Lal directed by KA Abbas in 1946, Door Chalein in 1946, and other films. But it was in 1953, with Bimal Roy's classic Do Bigha Zameen, that his true forte as an actor was first recognised. The film won the international prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
He followed it up with an encore in the 1961 classic Kabuliwala penned by Tagore.
Sahni's wife Damayanti died at a young age in 1947, who was the heroine of his film, Gudiya (1947) and two years later he married his first cousin, Santosh Chandhok, later known as an author and television writer.
Sahni's acting was very well liked and appreciated in all his films. He acted opposite top heroines like Padmini, Nutan, Meena Kumari, Vyjayantimala, and Nargis in films like Bindya (1960)Seema (1955), Sone Ki Chidiya (1958), Sutta Bazaar (1959), Bhabhi Ki Chudiyaan (1961), Kathputli (1957), Lajwanti (1958) & Ghar Sansaar (1958). However, he is perhaps best remembered by the current generation for the picturisation of the legendary song Ae Meri Zohra Jabeen from the movie Waqt (1965) on him. Sahni appeared opposite Achala Sachdev in the number.
He also starred in the classic Punjabi film Nanak Dukhiya Sub Sansar (1970) as well as the critically acclaimed Satluj de kande.
His performance as the angst ridden but stoical Muslim man who refuses to go to Pakistan during partition in his last film Garam Hawa has often been called his best performance by critics. Balraj, however, could not see the completed film himself to rate his own performance, as he died just the next day after he finished dubbing for Garm Hava. The last lines he recorded for the film, and hence his last recorded lines are, Hindi:- "Insaan Kab Tak Akela Jee Sakta Hai?" which can be translated in English as:- "How long can a man live alone?"
Read more about this topic: Balraj Sahni
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