Manohar Singh
Encyclopedia
Manohar Singh was a distinguished India
n theatre actor-director and a character actor
in Hindi films. He is best known for his performances in films such as Party
(1984) and Daddy
(1989). Starting his acting career from theatre, he went on to become a theatre director and later the chief of National School of Drama
Repertory Company, 1976 to 1988, before switching to cinema. As a theatre actor his most know performances were in Tughlaq directed by Ebrahim Alkazi
, Himmat Mai and Begum Barve by Nissar and Amal Allana
.
He was awarded the 1982 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
for Acting (Hindi theatre) by Sangeet Natak Akademi
. In 2003, a photo exhibition on his work in theatre was organized at the Art Heritage gallery, Delhi chronicling his journey in theatre starting from his first play Caucasian Chalk Circle (1968) as a student at the National School of Drama
to plays like, Tughlaq, King Lear
, Kaho Katha Khajuraho Ki, Himmat Mai (Mother Courage
) and Three Penny Opera.
in Himachal Pradesh
, Manohar Singh got his first job in the state govt-run Drama Division. He graduated from National School of Drama
(NSD) in 1971, and soon after started directing plays with NSD Repertory Company, starting with Qatl Ki Hawas in 1971. Later in 1976 he became the second chief of the NSD Repertory Company and remained so until 1988. He was awarded the 1982 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
by Sangeet Natak Akademi
, India's National Academy of Music, dance and Drama.
He is best known for his spectacular performance in and as Tughlaq directed by his mentor Ebrahim Alkazi
, the founder of NSD. After quitting NSD in the late 80s, he got active on the Delhi theater scene, doing some memorable plays like Pagla Raja (King Lear
), Himmat Mai (Brecht
's Mother Courage
), Begum Barve and Nagamandalam (Girish Karnad
) with well known theater personalities, Amal and Nissar Allana.
He had a long film and television career that started with the controversial film based on emergency, Kissa Kursi Ka
, that also starred Shabana Azmi
. He did Govind Nihalani's Party
, Mrinal Sen's Ek Din Achanak
, Yeh Woh Manzil to Nahin, Rudali, Daddy
and went to play many powerful roles in over 27 films, including some mainstream films like Chandni
and Lamhe
with Yash Chopra
. His last film was Everybody Says I'm Fine!
in 2001.
He appeared in many successful serials on television including Neena Gupta
's Dard and Pal Chhin.
He died of lung cancer on 14 November 2002, in New Delhi.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n theatre actor-director and a character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
in Hindi films. He is best known for his performances in films such as Party
Party (1984 film)
Party is a 1984 Hindi film directed by Govind Nihalani. The film boasted an ensemble cast of leading art cinema actors of Parallel Cinema, including Vijaya Mehta, Manohar Singh, Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, and Rohini Hattangadi...
(1984) and Daddy
Daddy (1989 film)
Daddy was 1989, debut film of actress Pooja Bhatt, made under the direction of Mahesh Bhatt. The films boasts spectacular performances by its lead actors, Anupam Kher and Manohar Singh-Synopsis:...
(1989). Starting his acting career from theatre, he went on to become a theatre director and later the chief of National School of Drama
National School of Drama
National School of Drama is a theatre training institute situated at New Delhi, India, established . It is an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It was set up in 1959 by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and became an independent school in 1975...
Repertory Company, 1976 to 1988, before switching to cinema. As a theatre actor his most know performances were in Tughlaq directed by Ebrahim Alkazi
Ebrahim Alkazi
Ebrahim Alkazi is one of the most influential Indian theatre directors and Drama teachers in 20th century Indian theatre. He also remained the Director of National School of Drama, New Delhi He has also been a noted art connoisseur, collector and gallery owner, and found Art Heritage Gallery in...
, Himmat Mai and Begum Barve by Nissar and Amal Allana
Amal Allana
Amal Allana is an Indian theatre director, scenic designer and costume designer and presently she is in her second consecutive term as the Chairperson of National School of Drama, India's premier institute of Theatre training, she also runs the Dramatic Art and Design Academy , New Delhi, with her...
.
He was awarded the 1982 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists. The award consists since 2003 of Rs. 50,000, a citation, an angavastram , and a tamrapatra...
for Acting (Hindi theatre) by Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.-History:...
. In 2003, a photo exhibition on his work in theatre was organized at the Art Heritage gallery, Delhi chronicling his journey in theatre starting from his first play Caucasian Chalk Circle (1968) as a student at the National School of Drama
National School of Drama
National School of Drama is a theatre training institute situated at New Delhi, India, established . It is an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It was set up in 1959 by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and became an independent school in 1975...
to plays like, Tughlaq, King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
, Kaho Katha Khajuraho Ki, Himmat Mai (Mother Courage
Mother Courage and Her Children
Mother Courage and Her Children is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin...
) and Three Penny Opera.
Biography
Born in 1938 in a small village called Kwara near ShimlaShimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
in Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...
, Manohar Singh got his first job in the state govt-run Drama Division. He graduated from National School of Drama
National School of Drama
National School of Drama is a theatre training institute situated at New Delhi, India, established . It is an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It was set up in 1959 by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and became an independent school in 1975...
(NSD) in 1971, and soon after started directing plays with NSD Repertory Company, starting with Qatl Ki Hawas in 1971. Later in 1976 he became the second chief of the NSD Repertory Company and remained so until 1988. He was awarded the 1982 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists. The award consists since 2003 of Rs. 50,000, a citation, an angavastram , and a tamrapatra...
by Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.-History:...
, India's National Academy of Music, dance and Drama.
He is best known for his spectacular performance in and as Tughlaq directed by his mentor Ebrahim Alkazi
Ebrahim Alkazi
Ebrahim Alkazi is one of the most influential Indian theatre directors and Drama teachers in 20th century Indian theatre. He also remained the Director of National School of Drama, New Delhi He has also been a noted art connoisseur, collector and gallery owner, and found Art Heritage Gallery in...
, the founder of NSD. After quitting NSD in the late 80s, he got active on the Delhi theater scene, doing some memorable plays like Pagla Raja (King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
), Himmat Mai (Brecht
Brecht
Brecht is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Brecht proper, Sint-Job-in't-Goor and Sint-Lenaarts. On January 1, 2006 Brecht had a total population of 26,464...
's Mother Courage
Mother Courage and Her Children
Mother Courage and Her Children is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin...
), Begum Barve and Nagamandalam (Girish Karnad
Girish Karnad
Girish Raghunath Karnad is a contemporary writer, playwright, screenwriter, actor and movie director in Kannada language...
) with well known theater personalities, Amal and Nissar Allana.
He had a long film and television career that started with the controversial film based on emergency, Kissa Kursi Ka
Kissa Kursi Ka
Kissa Kursi Ka is a controversial Hindi movie directed by Amrit Nahata. Released in 1977, the film was banned by the Indian Government and all prints were confiscated....
, that also starred Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. An alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India of Pune, she made her film debut in 1974 and soon became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, an Indian New Wave movement known for its serious content and...
. He did Govind Nihalani's Party
Party (1984 film)
Party is a 1984 Hindi film directed by Govind Nihalani. The film boasted an ensemble cast of leading art cinema actors of Parallel Cinema, including Vijaya Mehta, Manohar Singh, Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, and Rohini Hattangadi...
, Mrinal Sen's Ek Din Achanak
Ek Din Achanak
Ek Din Achanak is a 1989 art film directed by Mrinal Sen, based on a Bengali novel, Beej by Ramapada Chowdhury..- Synopsis :...
, Yeh Woh Manzil to Nahin, Rudali, Daddy
Daddy (1989 film)
Daddy was 1989, debut film of actress Pooja Bhatt, made under the direction of Mahesh Bhatt. The films boasts spectacular performances by its lead actors, Anupam Kher and Manohar Singh-Synopsis:...
and went to play many powerful roles in over 27 films, including some mainstream films like Chandni
Chandni
Chandni is a Hindi film released in 1989. The film stars Sridevi, Rishi Kapoor and Vinod Khanna, and was directed by Yash Chopra....
and Lamhe
Lamhe
Lamhe is a 1991 Hindi film directed by Yash Chopra and starring Anil Kapoor and Sridevi. The story was written by Honey Irani. The film was critically acclaimed, had exceptional music, and did brilliant business in UK. Unfortunately, it was not a box-office success in India...
with Yash Chopra
Yash Chopra
Yash Raj Chopra is an Indian filmmaker, film director, screenwriter, and a highly successful Bollywood producer. Waqt, Deewar, Kabhi Kabhie, Silsila, Lamhe, Chandni, Darr, Dil To Pagal Hai, and Veer-Zaara are some of his highly popular movies...
. His last film was Everybody Says I'm Fine!
Everybody Says I'm Fine!
Everybody Says I'm Fine! is an Indian English language film, released on 12 September 2001 at the Toronto Film Festival. It marks the directorial debut of Indian actor Rahul Bose...
in 2001.
He appeared in many successful serials on television including Neena Gupta
Neena Gupta
Neena Gupta is an Indian film and television actress and director-producer. She won the 1994 National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for Woh Chokri. She is a popular actress in Indian commercial cinema, but it is her work with art filmmakers of India, like Shyam Benegal that got her...
's Dard and Pal Chhin.
He died of lung cancer on 14 November 2002, in New Delhi.
Films
- Kissa Kursi KaKissa Kursi KaKissa Kursi Ka is a controversial Hindi movie directed by Amrit Nahata. Released in 1977, the film was banned by the Indian Government and all prints were confiscated....
(1977) - PartyParty (1984 film)Party is a 1984 Hindi film directed by Govind Nihalani. The film boasted an ensemble cast of leading art cinema actors of Parallel Cinema, including Vijaya Mehta, Manohar Singh, Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, and Rohini Hattangadi...
(1984) - DamulDamulDamul is a 1985 Hindi film directed by Prakash Jha, based on a story by Shaiwal, a native of Gaya district of Bihar. , and Annu Kapoor, Sreela Mazumdar, Manohar Singh, Deepti Naval, Ranjan Kamath and Pyare Mohan Sahay in lead roles.-Plot:The story is about a bonded labourer who is forced to steal...
(1985) - Tamas (1986)
- New Delhi TimesNew Delhi TimesNew Delhi Times is 1986 Hindi film directed by Ramesh Sharma and written by Gulzar, starring Shashi Kapoor, Sharmila Tagore, Om Puri and Kulbhushan Kharbanda in lead roles...
(1986) - Yeh Woh Manzil To Nahin (1987)
- Main Azaad HoonMain Azaad HoonMain Azaad Hoon is a 1989 Hindi film, an Indian adaptation of 1941 Frank Capra film, Meet John Doe by Javed Akhtar about an opportunistic journalist who concocts a fictitious man "man of the masses" in an fictitious article to boost newspaper sales, but when the article gets huge response finds an...
(1989) - DaddyDaddy (1989 film)Daddy was 1989, debut film of actress Pooja Bhatt, made under the direction of Mahesh Bhatt. The films boasts spectacular performances by its lead actors, Anupam Kher and Manohar Singh-Synopsis:...
(1989) - Ek Din AchanakEk Din AchanakEk Din Achanak is a 1989 art film directed by Mrinal Sen, based on a Bengali novel, Beej by Ramapada Chowdhury..- Synopsis :...
(1989) - ChandniChandniChandni is a Hindi film released in 1989. The film stars Sridevi, Rishi Kapoor and Vinod Khanna, and was directed by Yash Chopra....
(1989) - LekinLekinLekin is a Hindi drama film made in 1991, loosely based on a short story by Rabindranath Tagore, and directed by Hindi lyricist Gulzar...
(1990) - Patthar Ke PhoolPatthar Ke Phool*For the cooking ingredient see KalpasiPatthar Ke Phool is a 1991 Bollywood film starring Salman Khan who plays a police officer fighting an underworld gang. Raveena Tandon, plays the female lead role, while Vinod Mehra, Kiran Kumar, Reema Lagoo and Manohar Singh appear in supporting roles...
(1991) - KasbaKasbaKasba is a suburb of the city of Kolkata, India. It is situated in the southern part of the city encircled by the Sealdah South section of the Eastern Railways to the west, Dhakuria and Haltu to the south, the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass to the east and the locality of Tiljala to the...
(1991) - DikshaDiksha (film)Diksha is 1991 Hindi film directed by Arun Kaul and his only feature. The film is based on a novella by eminent Kannada writer U. R...
(1991) - LamheLamheLamhe is a 1991 Hindi film directed by Yash Chopra and starring Anil Kapoor and Sridevi. The story was written by Honey Irani. The film was critically acclaimed, had exceptional music, and did brilliant business in UK. Unfortunately, it was not a box-office success in India...
(1991) - SadakSadakSadak is a 1991 Bollywood film directed by Mahesh Bhatt.-Plot:The film was made famous by the excellent portrayal of a eunuch - Maharani by [Sadashiv Amrapurkar] who is an evil madam running a brothel that employs many girls including the characters of Pooja Bhatt and Neelima Azim. Sanjay Dutt's...
(1991) - TirangaaTirangaaTirangaa is an Indian Patriotic film starring Raaj Kumar, Nana Patekar and Mamta Kulkarni, released in 1993.- Cast :* Raj Kumar as Brigadier Suryadev Singh* Nana Patekar as Inspector Shivajirao Wagle* Suresh Oberoi as Rudrapratap Chouhan...
(1992) - Karm Yodha (1992)
- RudaaliRudaaliRudaali is a 1993 Hindi film directed by the feminist Indian director Kalpana Lajmi, based on the short story written by famous Bengali litterateur Mahasweta Devi.-Cultural background:...
(1993) - GunaahGunaahGunaah is a 2002 Bollywood thriller written by Mahesh Bhatt, directed by Amol Shetge and starring Bipasha Basu and Dino Morea in the lead roles. The film was released on 16 October 2002.-Plot:...
(1993) - Divya ShaktiDivya ShaktiDivya Shakti is a 1993 Bollywood action film directed and written by Sameer Malkan. The film stars Ajay Devgan, Raveena Tandon and Satyendra Kapoor.-Cast:* Ajay Devgan as Prashant Varma* Raveena Tandon as Priya* Satyendra Kapoor as Monto...
(1993) - Aaja Meri Jaan (1993)
- 1942: A Love Story1942: A Love Story1942: A Love Story is a 1994 Bollywood film starring Anil Kapoor, Manisha Koirala, Jackie Shroff, Anupam Kher, Danny Denzongpa, and Pran. The film was the first ever to be given a U/A rating while featuring a scene, previously considered inappropriate for young children, showing the actors kissing...
(1993) - Tarpan (1994)
- Dushmani: A Violent Love Story (1995)
- Bhairavi (1996)
- Everybody Says I'm Fine!Everybody Says I'm Fine!Everybody Says I'm Fine! is an Indian English language film, released on 12 September 2001 at the Toronto Film Festival. It marks the directorial debut of Indian actor Rahul Bose...
(2001)
Television
- Raag Durbari (TV series)
- Mullah Nasiruddin (TV series)
- Raj Se Swaraj (TV series)
- Dard (TV series) (1993)
- Gumraah (TV series) (1995)
- Khamosh (TV series) (1996)
- Mahayagya (TV series) (1997)
- Tere Mere Sapne (TV series)Tere Mere Sapne (TV series)≈Tere Mere Sapne is an Indian television series that airs on STAR Plus since November 4, 2009,this serial is produced by sphere Origins. The show is going to be off air on 16 December 2011.-Tere Mere Sapne Episodes:...
(1998) - Pal Chinn (TV series) (1999)
Theatrography
- Caucasian Chalk Circle (1968)
- Antigone (1975)
- Tughlaq (1975)
- Look Back in Anger
- Othello
- Danton's Death
- King Lear
- Three Penny Opera
- Nagamandal
- Kaho Katha Khajuraho Ki
- Himmat Mai
- Begum Barve