New Delhi .The birth anniversary of veteran Indian cinema actor Om Puri is celebrated on 18 October. Born on 18 October 1950 in Ambala, Haryana, Om Puri faced poverty, family problems and struggle in his life. Despite this, he made his own identity in the world of acting. On the basis of his impressive acting, he not only earned name in Hindi films, but also showed his talent in international cinema. His journey is counted among those artists who, despite limited resources, achieved remarkable success in the field of acting through hard work.
Om Puri was born in a Punjabi family. His father worked in Indian Railways, but the financial condition of the family was not good. A major crisis befell his childhood when he was about six years old. His father was sent to jail on charges of cement theft. After this, a crisis arose in front of the family to meet their daily needs. The family had to leave home and Om Puri and his brother had to take up responsibilities at an early age.
To help the family, his brother worked as a porter, while Om Puri washed utensils at a dhaba. He also used to collect coal from nearby areas so that the stove could be lit for cooking at home. After these difficult circumstances, he went to his maternal home, where he completed his early studies. Even amidst financial difficulties, his interest in acting remained and gradually this interest became the basis of his career.
During his studies, Om Puri also worked as a clerk in a lawyer's office. Once he could not attend work due to his participation in a play, after which the lawyer fired him from his job. After this incident, the principal of his college got him a job as an assistant in the chemistry laboratory. While participating in plays in college, he met Harpal and Neena Tiwana. With their support, he joined a theater organization called Punjab Kala Manch. After this, he went to the National School of Drama to move ahead in the world of acting.
Om Puri worked in the children's film 'Chor Chor Chhup Jaa' in the year 1975. In the initial phase, he also worked in the Actors Studio to meet his financial needs. Artists like Gulshan Grover and Anil Kapoor were his students there. Later he made his presence felt in mainstream cinema through 'Ghashiram Kotwal'. The film 'Ardh Satya' released in the year 1983 was included in the important films of his career. His performance in this film brought him widespread recognition.
Om Puri showed his talent on television also. He played many roles in 'Bharat Ek Khoj' aired in the year 1988. Apart from Hindi, he also worked in Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarati, Urdu and South Indian films. His different characters in films like 'Aakrosh', 'Sparsh', 'Mandi', 'Aarohan', 'Mirch Masala', 'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro', 'Chachi 420', 'Hera Pheri' and 'Malamaal Weekly' became popular among the audience.
His acting journey was not limited to Indian films. Om Puri also worked in international films like 'East is East', 'City of Joy', 'Wolf' and 'The Ghost and the Darkness'. The specialty of his acting was that he could easily adapt to different types of roles. An incident related to Anil Kapoor also reminds of his early days. Om Puri had to play the role of a rich man in a play. For this he had asked for a gold chain from his student Anil Kapoor. Anil Kapoor gave him his chain without any delay.
In his personal life, Om Puri had married twice. After his divorce from his first wife Seema, he married Nandita Puri. They have a son Ishaan. Om Puri died on 6 January 2017 at the age of 66. He left behind a film legacy in which the imprint of struggle, diversity and strong acting is still visible.