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Om Puri Age, Death Cause, Affairs, Wife, Children, Biography & More

Om Puri

Bio
Real NameOm Rajesh Puri
NicknameSikandar of art movies
ProfessionActor
Physical Stats & More
Heightin centimeters- 170 cm
in meters- 1.70 m
in Feet Inches- 5’ 7”
Weightin Kilograms- 82 kg
in Pounds- 181 lbs
Body Measurements- Chest: 42 Inches
- Waist: 36 Inches
- Biceps: 13 Inches
Eye ColourDark Brown
Hair ColourWhite
Personal Life
Date of Birth18 October 1950
Date of Death6 January 2017 in Andheri, Mumbai, India
Death CauseHeart Attack (under mysterious circumstances)
Age (as in 2016)66 Years
Birth PlacePatiala, Punjab, India
Zodiac sign/Sun signLibra
NationalityIndian
HometownMumbai, Maharashtra, India
SchoolNot Known
CollegeFilm and Television Institute of India, Pune
National School of Drama, New Delhi
Educational QualificationsGraduate in Acting
DebutFilm Debut: Ghashiram Kotwal (1972, Marathi film)
Ghashiram Kotwal
Godhuli (1977, Bollywood)
Godhuli
City of Joy (1992, Hollywood)
TV Debut: The Jewel in the Crown (1984, English TV series)
FamilyFather- Rajesh Puri (Worked in the Indian Army and Indian Railways)
Mother- Not Known
Brother- Ved Puri
Sister- N/A
ReligionHinduism
HobbiesTravelling
Controversies• His first wife Seema was tortured and victimized, but she didn't go public even after she got divorced.
• His Ex-wife Nandita accused him of domestic abuse, saying he beat her with a stick.
• Once his then wife Nandita claimed that Om Puri had sex with his maid Shanti at the age of 14. She has also exposed Om's relationship with a woman named Laxmi with whom Om was sexually and emotionally involved. Om got upset with his wife's statement and said that "My wife has reduced a very important and sacred part of my life to cheap and lurid gossip. I had shared these dark secrets with my wife as all husbands do. If she chose to make them public at least she should've made sure to maintain a dignity about experiences that are a valuable part of my life. Has she forgotten that I have a standing in society and I've worked hard to achieve all that I have today? I won't allow her to throw it all away for the sake of sensationalism."
• In October 2016, during a live news show, he said, "Who had asked the soldiers to join the army? Who told them to pick the weapons?", for which, he was highly criticized.
Favourite Things
Favourite FoodBrain curry
Favourite ActorAlec Guinness, Amitabh Bachchan, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Kamal Haasan, Vikram
Favourite ActressShabana Azmi, Smita Patil, Nutan, Madhuri Dixit, Priyanka Chopra, Rani Mukerji, Kajol
Favourite FilmHollywood: Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
Bollywood: Naikan, Pushpak (1987), Dev (2004)
Girls, Affairs and More
Marital StatusSeparated
Affairs/Girlfriends Seema Kapoor
Nandita Puri (Journalist)
Wife/SpouseSeema Kapoor (Divorced, m.Not Known-div.1991)
Om Puri Ex-wife Seema Kapoor
Nandita Puri (Journalist, Separated, m.1993-s.2013)
Om Puri with Ex-wife Nandita Puri and son Ishaan
ChildrenSon- Ishaan
Daughter- N/A
Money Factor
Salary15-25 lakh/film (INR)
Net Worth $20 million

Om Puri

Some Lesser Known Facts About Om Puri

  • Did Om Puri smoke?: Yes
  • Did Om Puri drink alcohol?: Yes
  • Puri initially wanted to join Indian Army as his father worked in Indian Army.
  • During his college days, he used to a part-time job of a lab assistant, with a salary of rupees 125 (INR).
  • During his college days, he developed an interest in theatre acting and later, started participating in theatre drama competitions. After watching his work in one of such competitions, Harpal Tiwana, a prominent Punjabi playwright, invited him to join his theatre group, with an offer of rupees 150 (INR).
  • A supporter of his theatre group, Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Kapoor, provided him with a government job.
  • He and Naseeruddin Shah became good friends during his acting training in National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi. Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah in 1970s
  • He was a vegetarian when he joined NSD, but turned non-vegetarian because of Naseeruddin Shah.
  • Once Naseeruddin Shah’s former friends stabbed him with a knife at a restaurant, watching it, Om Puri jumped across their table, stopped the attacker to avoid further attacks, took Shah to the hospital in a police van, and saved his life.
  • In 1975, he got the breakthrough with a child right promoting film, Chor Chor Chhup Ja (Robber Take Care), for which he was paid rupees 3000 (INR).
  • His role as Lahanya Bhiku in the film Aakrosh (1980), was critically acclaimed and earned him a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award. Om Puri in Aakrosh
  • He won the National Film Award for Arohan (1982) and Ardh Satya (1983).

  • Amitabh Bachchan was the first choice for Ardh Satya, but he refused the offer, and luckily it went to Om Puri.
  • In the era of 70’s and 80’s, Om Puri was the most popular actor of art movies. He said he enjoyed more while acting in art movies but he had to move to the commercial cinema in order to earn money to buy cars and bungalows.
  • In 2004, he was honoured with the Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to The British Film Industry.
  • His first wife, Seema Kapoor (divorced), is the sister of actor Annu Kapoor.
  • In 2013, he released his book Unlikely Hero: Om Puri, which was written by his then wife Nandita C. Puri. Unlikely Hero - Om Puri
  • He lent his voice for Bagheera in the Hindi version of The Jungle Book (2016).
  • He was last seen in Sunny Deol’s Ghayal Returns (2016).
  • He worked in 15+ languages.