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Dara Singh Height, Age, Death, Family, Wife, Children, Biography & More

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Death Date: 12/07/2012
Age: 83 Years (At The Time Of Death)
Hometown: Dharmu Chak Village, Gurdaspur

Dara Singh

Bio/Wiki
Real NameDeedar Singh Randhawa
NicknameDara
Title(s) Earned• Ironman of Indian Cinema
• The Original Muscle Man of Bollywood
• Action King of Bollywood
Profession(s)Wrestler, Actor, Director, Producer, Politician
Famous ForHis undefeated worldwide streak in wrestling and for playing the role of 'Hanuman' in the Indian mythological television series "Ramayan"
Dara Singh as Hanuman in Ramayan
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)in centimeters- 188 cm
in meters- 1.88 m
in feet & inches- 6’ 2”
Weight (approx.)in kilograms- 130 kg
in pounds- 287 lbs
Body Measurements (approx.)- Chest: 52 inches
- Waist: 38 inches
- Biceps: 18 inches
Dara Singh physique
Eye ColourDark Brown
Hair ColourSalt & Pepper
Career
Wrestling Career
DebutYear 1948
RetiredJune, 1983
MentorHarnam Singh
Most Memorable FightOn 12 December 1956, when he lifted the "King Kong" of Australia who was around 200 kg over his head and twirled him around.
Awards, Achievements • Won Professional Indian Wrestling Championship (1953)
• Won Commonwealth Wrestling Championship by defeating Canadian Champion "George Godianko" (1959)
• Rustam-e-Punjab (1966)
• Won World Wrestling Championship by defeating "Lou Thesz" of America (1968)
• Rustam-e-Hind (1978)
Acting Career
DebutBollywood (Actor): Pehli Jhalak (1954)
Dara Singh Bollywood debut as an actor - Pehli Jhalak (1954)
Tamil Film (Actor): Engal Selvi (1960)
Dara Singh Tamil film debut as an actor - Engal Selvi (1960)
Punjabi Film (Actor/Director/Writer): Nanak Dukhiya Sub Sansar (1970)
Dara Singh Punjabi film debut as an actor, director & writer - Nanak Dukhiya Sub Sansar (1970)
Malayalam Film (Actor): Mutharamkunnu P.O. (1985)
Dara Singh Malayalam film debut as an actor - Mutharamkunnu P.O. (1985)
Telugu Film (Actor): Auto Driver (1998)
Dara Singh Telugu film debut as an actor - Auto Driver (1998)
Hindi TV (Actor): Ramayan (1987-1988)
Dara Singh Hindi TV debut as an actor - Ramayan (1987-1988)
Bollywood (Producer): Bhakti Mein Shakti (1978)
Dara Singh Bollywood debut as producer - Bhakti Mein Shakti (1978)
Last Film(s) & TVBollywood (Actor): Ata Pata Laapata (2012)
Dara Singh last Bollywood film as an actor - Ata Pata Laapata (2012)
Punjabi Film (Actor): Dil Apna Punjabi (2006)
Dara Singh last Punjabi film as an actor - Dil Apna Punjabi (2006)
Hindi TV (Actor): Kyaa Hoga Nimmo Kaa (2006)
Dara Singh last Hindi TV as an actor - Kyaa Hoga Nimmo Kaa (2006)
Bollywood (Director): Rustom (1982)
Dara Singh last Bollywood film as director - Rustom (1982)
Bollywood (Producer): Karan (1994)
Dara Singh last Bollywood film as producer - Karan (1994)
AwardBest Actor Award for the film 'Jagga' (1964) by the Government of India which was presented by the Indira Gandhi
Politics
Political PartyBharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
Dara Singh supported BJP
Political Journey• Campaigned for the Congress with Zail Singh and Sanjay Gandhi for the mid-term Lok Sabha election in 1979.
• Joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in January 1998.
• Member of the Rajya Sabha for BJP from 2003 to 2009.
Personal Life
Date of Birth19 November 1928 (Monday)
BirthplaceRatangarh Village, Gurdaspur District, Punjab, India
Date of Death12 July 2012 (Thursday)
Place of DeathMumbai, Maharashtra, India
Age (at the time of death)83 Years
Death CauseCardiac Arrest
Zodiac SignScorpio
NationalityIndian
HometownDharmu Chak Village, Amritsar, Punjab Province, British India
CasteJat
Food HabitNon-Vegetarian [1]India Today
HobbiesTravelling
ControversyIn the mid 1970s, Dara Singh's film titled Raj Karega Khaalsa attracted a controversy when the then ruling government at the center banned the film on the pretext of "Seditious Elements." When Dara Singh went on to lobby for his film, a veteran politician Giani Zail Singh asked him to replace the word sarkar with any suitable word to which Dara had agreed and replaced the word "sarkar" with "raj." The film had also faced opposition from several factions of hardcore sikh organisations. Later, when Dara Singh came into the politics, the film was released with the title 'Sava Lakh Se Ek Ladaun.'
Relationships & More
Marital StatusMarried (At the time of death in 2012)
Marriage Date• Year, 1937 (with Bachno Kaur)
• 11 May 1961 (with Surjit Kaur)
Family
Wife/SpouseFirst Wife- Bachno Kaur (Divorced)
Second Wife- Surjit Kaur Aulakh (Homemaker; died)
Dara Singh with his wife Surjit Kaur Aulakh
ChildrenSon(s)- 3
• Parduman Randhawa (from Bachno Kaur; Actor)
Virender Singh Randhawa (from Surjit Kaur; Actor)
• Amrik Singh Randhawa (from Surjit Kaur; Film Producer)
Dara Singh's son Parduman Randhawa
Daughter(s)- 3
• Deepa Singh (from Surjit Kaur)
• Kamal Singh (from Surjit Kaur)
• Loveleen Singh (from Surjit Kaur)
Dara Singh's wife Surjit Kaur Randhawa; three daughters - Deepa Singh, Kamal Singh, and Loveleen Singh; and two sons - Virender Singh Randhawa and Amrik Singh Randhawa
ParentsFather- Surat Singh Randhawa (Farmer; died)
Dara Singh's father 'Surat Singh Randhawa'
Mother- Balwant Kaur Randhawa (Homemaker; died)
Dara Singh's mother 'Balwant Kaur Randhawa'
SiblingsBrother- Sardara Singh Randhawa (Wrestler & Actor; died in 2013)
Dara Singh with his brother Sardara Singh Randhawa
Sister- Not Known
Money Factor
Salary (approx.)₹4 Lakh/film
Net Worth (approx.)$4 million (as in 2012)

Dara SinghSome Lesser Known Facts About Dara Singh

  • Did Dara Singh drink alcohol?: No [2]Times of India
  • Dara Singh was born in a middle-class family in Ratangarh Village, Gurdaspur.
  • He grew up in the Dharmu Chak village.
  • Singh gave up his studies at an early age and started carrying out farming activities for his family.
  • At the age of 9, he was married to Bachno Kaur and their first child, Parduman Randhawa was born in 1945. However, the couple got divorced soon.
  • At the time of his marriage, his wife, Bachno Kaur, was more healthy and fit than Dara Singh.
  • While in his village, Singh did non-professional wrestling for a while.
  • In 1947, he moved to Singapore with his paternal uncle and started working there in a drum-manufacturing mill.
  • During his stay in Singapore, people encouraged him to become a professional wrestler because of his build, height, and inclination towards wrestling.

    Dara Singh's physique

    Dara Singh’s physique

  • Dara Singh then worked at Singapore’s ‘Happy World Stadium’ for six months, but, he didn’t get any opportunity in wrestling.
  • After that, he got an opportunity to receive his wrestling training at Singapore’s ‘Great World Stadium’ under the guidance of “Harnam Singh.”
  • Basically, he received his training in an Indian style of wrestling called ‘Pehlwani.’
  • Singh fought his first professional wrestling match with an Italian wrestler and the match was a draw.
  • After playing the match, he received a prize money of $50 as an appreciation.
  • In 1950, Dara Singh defeated wrestler “Tarlok Singh” and became the ‘Champion of Malaysia’ in Indian Style Wrestling.
  • He received huge fame in 1951; when he defeated the Australian-Indian professional wrestler “King Kong” in Sri Lanka.

  • In 1952, he became the first sportsman to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha.
  • In 1953, during the Rustam-e-Hind freestyle wrestling tournament in Bombay, Dara Singh defeated “Tiger Joginder Singh” and became the Indian Champion. For this, he received a silver cup from “Maharaja Hari Singh.”
  • In the film ‘Pehli Jhalak’ (1954), there was a scene in which “Om Prakash” dreams of wrestling with “Dara Singh.” He neither had to speak any dialogues nor act. The scene was shot without any difficulties.
  • In 1959, he competed against so many great professional wrestlers like “King Kong” (Australia), “John Desilva” (New Zealand), “George Gordienko” (Canada), etc. and became the Commonwealth Champion.

    Dara Singh vs King Kong wrestling

    Dara Singh vs King Kong wrestling

  • In 1960, Dara Singh got an offer to wrestle with “Bhagwan Dada” in the film ‘Bhakt Raj’ (1960), but he had to speak four to five small dialogues in the film. Though he was not able to speak the dialogues at that time, his dialogues were dubbed by some other artist.
  • After that, he acted in the Devi Sharma’s super hit film ‘King Kong’ (1962).
  • According to him, his command over languages was poor, and therefore, tutors had been kept teaching him Urdu and Hindi.
  • After the release of the film ‘King Kong’ (1962), an admirer sent him a letter by asking, ‘You are India’s Bheem, why do you play Bheem.’ This remark motivated him to win the World Wrestling Championship.
  • In 1963, the film director Mohammed Hussain & film producer Vinod Doshi of the film ‘Faulad’ wanted to sign a famous actress to act opposite “Dara Singh,” but no one was ready to act opposite him. Then, they signed actress “Mumtaz” who used to play minor roles at that time. The film became a hit at the box office.

    Dara Singh and Mumtaz in 'Faulad' (1963)

    Dara Singh and Mumtaz in ‘Faulad’ (1963)

  • After that, Dara Singh acted in over 16 films with actress “Mumtaz,” and among them, 10 films were hit at the box-office. They were the highest paid B-Grade actors of that time, and his fee was ₹4 lakh per film.
  • In 1968, he defeated “Lou Thesz” of America and became the ‘World Wrestling Champion.’ Before him, Gama Pehalwan was the only Indian wrestler to win the World Championship.

    Dara Singh became the World Wrestling Champion in 1968

    Dara Singh became the World Wrestling Champion in 1968

  • In 1978, he founded the ‘Dara Film Studio’ in Mohali, Punjab, India.

    Dara Singh - Founder of 'Dara Film Studio'

    Dara Singh – Founder of ‘Dara Film Studio’

  • His last film as a lead actor was ‘Rustom’ (1982). After that, Dara Singh played character roles in the films.
  • In the 1960s and 1970s, he was popularly known as the ‘Action King of Bollywood.’
  • He had also acted in some shelved films like ‘Naagvanshi’ (1993), ‘Hamara Kanoon’ (1998), ‘Lohe Ka Dil’ (1999), and ‘Balle Balle America’ (2000).
  • Dara Singh served as the chairman of ‘Cine and TV Artist Association’ (CINTAA) for several years.
  • In June 1983, he took retirement from his wrestling career, and his last tournament was held in Delhi.

    Dara Singh at one of his wrestling tournaments

    Dara Singh at one of his wrestling tournaments

  • He is popularly known for his role of Lord Hanuman in the mythological TV serial ‘Ramayan’ (1987-1988).

    Dara Singh in Ramayan

    Dara Singh in Ramayan

  • In 1989, Dara Singh published his autobiography with the name ‘Meri Aatm Katha’ in Punjabi.

    Dara Singh's autobiography - Meri Aatm Katha

    Dara Singh’s autobiography – Meri Aatm Katha

  • For wrestling tournaments, he travelled all over the world except China.
  • During his wrestling career, he did 500 professional fights, and he didn’t even lose a single one.
  • Apart from wrestling on a professional level, Dara Singh had also wrestled on the invitation of the Kings of various Indian princely states.
  • In 1996, he was inducted into the ‘Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.’
  • In January 1998, he joined the ‘Bharatiya Janata Party’ (BJP).
  • Dara Singh was a member of the Rajya Sabha for BJP from 2003 to 2009.

    Dara Singh during an election campaign

    Dara Singh during an election campaign

  • On 7 July 2012, he was admitted to the hospital after a heart attack, and on 11 July 2012, he was discharged; however, as per doctors’ report, he had very little recovery chances; as his brain had damaged significantly. On 12 July 2012, he died at his home in Mumbai due to cardiac arrest.
  • Singh was the brother-in-law of the Bollywood actress, Malika.
  • Dara Singh’s nephew, Shaad Randhawa is also an actor.

    Dara Singh's nephew, Shaad Randhawa

    Dara Singh’s nephew, Shaad Randhawa

  • He is the brother-in-law of the actor, Ratan Aulakh.

    Dara Singh brother in law, Ratan Aulakh

    Dara Singh brother in law, Ratan Aulakh

  • His eldest daughter, Kamal, is married to the actor, Daman Maan.
  • Till his death, he was also the president of ‘Jat Mahasabha,’ an organization of Jats in India.
  • In December 2016, Akshay Kumar launched Seema Sonik Alimchand’s book ‘Deedara aka Dara Singh,’ which was based on his life.

    Akshay Kumar launched Seema Sonik Alimchand's book 'Deedara aka Dara Singh'

    Akshay Kumar launched Seema Sonik Alimchand’s book ‘Deedara aka Dara Singh’

  • In April 2018, Dara Singh was inducted into the ‘WWE Hall of Fame.’
  • On his 90th birthday in 2019, a huge statue of him was unveiled in his honour at Phase 6, Mohali, Punjab, next to Dara Studio.

    Dara Singh's statue in Mohali

    Dara Singh’s statue in Mohali

  • He featured in around 122 Hindi films and 22 Punjabi films in his entire acting career.
  • Singh was a part of two national award winning Punjabi films, “Jagga” and “Mai Maa Punjab Dee.”
  • In 2019, a comic book titled “The Epic Journey of the Great Dara Singh” was launched by his son, Vindu Dara Singh at the Oxford Bookstore in New Delhi.

    The book launch of The Epic Journey of the Great Dara Singh

    The book launch of The Epic Journey of the Great Dara Singh

References/Sources:[+]