Bhagwan Dada

2021-05-14T16:47:28Z

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{{about||the film|Bhagwan Dada (film)|Indian spiritual leader|Dada Bhagwan}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{more citations needed|date=February 2013}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Bhagwan Dada
| image = BhagwaanDada 1949.jpg
| caption =
| birthname = Bhagwan Aabaji Palav
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1913|08|01|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Amravati]], [[Maharashtra]] [[India]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2002|02|04|1913|08|01|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Mumbai]], India
| othername =
| yearsactive =
| spouse =
| homepage =
| notable role =
| academyawards =
| emmyawards =
| tonyawards =
}}

'''Bhagwan Dada''' (Marathi,1 August 1913 – 4 February 2002), also credited as '''Bhagwan''', was an Indian actor and film director who worked in [[Hindi cinema]]. He is best known for his social film ''[[Albela (1951 film)|Albela]]'' (1951) and the song "Shola Jo Bhadke".

==Early life==

Bhagwan Dada was born in 1913 as Bhagwan Abhaji Palav in [[Amravati]], Maharashtra. He was the son of a textile-mill worker who worked in Mumbai textile mills and was obsessed with films. He worked as labour, but dreamt of films. He got his break with bit roles in silent films and got totally involved with the studios. He learned film-making and at one stage used to make low-budget films (in which he arranged for everything including the design of costumes and arranging meals for the cast) for Rs. 65,000.

==Career==
[[File:Bhagwan dada photo .jpg|thumb|Bhagwan Dada]]
Bhagwan Abhaji Palav, popularly known as Bhagwan dada, mainly due to his love for wrestling, made his debut in the silent era with the film ''Criminal''.<ref>{{cite news|work=[[The Hindu]]|url=http://hindu.com/2002/02/05/stories/2002020503130500.htm|title=Bhagwan Dada|access-date=27 January 2012|location=Chennai, India|date=5 February 2002|archive-date=11 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201011124022/https://www.thehindu.com/archive/print/2002/02/05/|url-status=live}}</ref>

He co-directed his first film ''Bahadur Kisan'' with Chandrarao Kadam in 1938. From 1938 to 1949 he directed a string of low-budget stunt and action films that were popular with the working classes. He usually played a naive simpleton. One of the notable films that he made during this period was the Tamil film ''[[Vana Mohini]]'' (1941) that starred [[M. K. Radha]] and [[Sri Lanka]]n actress [[K. Thavamani Devi|Thavamani Devi]].<ref name=vanam>{{cite news|last=Guy|first=Randor|title=Blast from the Past - Vana Mohini 1941|url=http://www.thehindu.com/arts/cinema/article2057112.ece|access-date=27 December 2011|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=28 May 2011|location=Chennai, India|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130614085425/http://www.thehindu.com/arts/cinema/article2057112.ece|archive-date=14 June 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1942, as part of a scene, he had to slap actress [[Lalita Pawar]] hard. He accidentally slapped her too hard, which resulted in facial paralysis and a burst left-eye vein. After three years of treatment, Pawar was left with a disabled left eye.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cineplot.com/lalita-pawar-memories/|title=Lalita Pawar – Memories|publisher=cineplot.com|access-date=9 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316161513/http://cineplot.com/lalita-pawar-memories/|archive-date=16 March 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

He turned producer in 1942 with Jagruti Pictures, purchased some land and set up Jagriti Studios in Chembur in 1947. On advice from [[Raj Kapoor]], he turned to making a social film called ''[[Albela (1951 film)|Albela]]'', starring Bhagwan and [[Geeta Bali]], and featuring music by his friend [[Chitalkar]], or [[C. Ramchandra]]. The songs of the film, in particular "Shola jo bhadke" are still remembered. Albela was a huge hit. After Albela, Bhagwan got C. Ramchandra and Geeta Bali together again in ''[[Jhamela]]'' (1953), where he tried to recreate the formulaic success of ''Albela'' with little success.<ref name="Narwekar2012">{{cite book|author=Sanjit Narwekar|title=Eena Meena Deeka: The Story of Hindi Film Comedy|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KbSbAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT186|access-date=30 July 2015|date=12 December 2012|publisher=Rupa Publications|isbn=978-81-291-2625-2|pages=165–|chapter=The Image Manipulators}}</ref> He also directed and acted in Bhagam Bhag in 1956.

==Later life==
After that, Bhagwan did not have any more hits and eventually had to give up producing and directing films, and sell his 25-room waterfront bungalow in Juhu and his fleet of seven cars (one for each day of the week).<ref>[http://cineplot.com/bhagwan/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303165652/http://cineplot.com/bhagwan/ |date=3 March 2014 }} Bhagwan Dada profile on Cineplot.com</ref> He took whatever roles he could get, but apart from ''[[Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje]]'' (1955), ''[[Chori Chori]]'' (1956) and ''[[Gateway of India (1957 film)|Gateway of India]]'' (1957), none were roles of note, and he eventually took on bit parts in which he did his famous dance (made even more famous by [[Amitabh Bachchan]] using it as his default dance step).

Most of Bhagwan's associates left him in his time of need, apart from [[C. Ramchandra]], [[Om Prakash]] and lyricist [[Rajinder Krishan]], who continued to meet him even in his chawl. Bhagwan died of a massive heart attack at his residence in Dadar on 4 February 2002.<ref name="Arts Tribune 2002">{{cite web | title=The Tribune, Chandigarh, India | website=Arts Tribune | date=8 February 2002 | url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020208/art-trib.htm | access-date=21 March 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170422004645/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020208/art-trib.htm | archive-date=22 April 2017 | url-status=live }}</ref>

== In popular culture ==
In 2016, a [[Marathi language|Marathi]] movie ''[[Ekk Albela]]'' released which was a biopic of the actor.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/marathi/movie-reviews/ekk-albela/movie-review/52916583.cms |title=Archived copy |access-date=26 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227010141/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/marathi/movie-reviews/ekk-albela/movie-review/52916583.cms |archive-date=27 December 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dada, Bhagwan}}
[[Category:1913 births]]
[[Category:2002 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian male film actors]]
[[Category:Male actors in Hindi cinema]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian film directors]]
[[Category:Hindi-language film directors]]
[[Category:Film directors from Mumbai]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian male actors]]
[[Category:Male actors from Mumbai]]

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Bhagwan Dada