We often hear stories of Bollywood celebs, who struggle in their early life and finally attain stardom after making it big in the film industry. Today, we will take a look at the life of one such actor, whose early life was full of hardships. Wondering which actor we are talking about? He is none other than late actor Om Puri. Behind the tales of Om Puri’s glory was a man who had trained hard throughout his life to acquire the skill he was known for. The actor was born to a Punjabi Hindu family in Ambala. His father was an employee of the Indian Railways and Army. Om Puri’s childhood was not at all easy. He was the youngest of his eight brothers and sisters. Unfortunately, they all died during their childhood due to lack of proper medical facilities. Only his elder brother survived. His father was also put behind the bars after an alleged theft of cement. After this, their family became homeless. During that time, his brother worked as a coolie, while he used to work in a local tea shop. Om Puri used to also collect coal from nearby railway tracks to support his family during the tough days.
When he was seven years old, instead of studying he used to wash dishes at a roadside food stall because the condition of his family was very poor. Later, he worked as a clerk at a government office in Punjab. He was paid with a salary of Rs 600 per month. From there, he decided to leave the job and pursue a career in acting. Om Puri in an interview claimed that, “I knew that irrespective of how I fared, I would do better than making six hundred rupees”.
Om Puri later studied acting for five years including a course at the National School of Drama (NSD) in Delhi. He later moved to Mumbai after realising that he had acquired the requisite skill. His entry into the film world was also not easy as it took thirteen years to finally become successful.
Om Puri also met Naseeruddin Shah at the NSD, who encouraged him to follow him to the film and television institute of India in Poona. Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah later worked in 26 films together.
Om Puri passed away on January 6, 2017.
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