Parsuram

QAMYAB – THE FORGOTTEN GEMS OF BOLLYWOOD

Qamyab is our humble tribute to all those lesser-known actors, one hit wonders and junior artists who we see umpteen times but don’t know about; beyond their faces. These actors have been an integral part of Bollywood but didn’t get their due. This series is our sincere attempt to put a name to these faces, familiarize them to our readers and celebrate their achievements in life – however big or small. We believe that every artist contributes in his/her own way to the cinema’s success. Qamyab will explore the unknown lives of such actors and artists as we believe even these forgotten gems of Bollywood deserve their due recognition today.

Since the last few years, many stories have surfaced about former actors going bankrupt and being disowned by their own kin to live a life of loneliness and suffering until their last breath.

This tragedy has been faced by not only small-time actors or character artists but even stars, who ruled the film industry at one point of time but their later life was filled with poverty and neglect. Best example is Bhagwan Dada, who needs no introduction, was once living a rich lifestyle but lost everything and was forced to live in a dingy Mumbai chawl and make blink and miss movie appearances in his old age. Savi Sidhu, a character actor who was part of films like Black Friday (2005), Patiala House (2010), etc was spotted working as a security guard in 2019.

A few years ago, Pooja Dadwal, who was seen as heroine in Salman Khan’s Veergati (1995) and had a short career as an actress, was disowned by her family after she contacted tuberculosis and left penniless. Similar tragedies befell on established actors like A.K. Hangal, Mahesh Anand and Vimi while some like Parveen Babi and Achala Sachdev, who were financially secure, passed away lonely after being distanced from their families. Such is the harsh reality of Bollywood and life in general.

Our tragic and painful story for today is of an actor who saw it all – rise to fame, a tragic fall in fortune and an end in utter penury. Most of our young readers may not know him as he was part of the film industry from the ’40s till early ’70s. This actor was Parshuram, also credited as Parsuram in most movies.

Parshuram Laxman Sonnis was born in 1924 in a Maharashtrian family in Ahmednagar. As a kid, he was fond of reading and wanted to study a lot but his family couldn’t afford his studies and hence, Parsuram started working even before his teens.

When Parsuram was just ten years, he shifted to Bombay (now Mumbai) and got work as an extra in films. After a few days, there were riots in the city, which made Parsuram flee to his hometown. After returning back, the production company refused to re-hire him. His father managed to come in contact with the legendary filmmaker- actor V. Shantaram in Pune and requested work for Parsuram.

V. Shantaram owned Prabhat Studios in those days but refused to employ a kid like Parsuram. But on his father’s insistence, Shantaram heard the little boy sing. Yes, Parsuram was extremely good at singing too and this caught the attention of the legend, who promptly signed him for a five-years contract with Prabhat Studios. Parsuram’s father realized that his son is now in the safe hands and left for his native place.

V. Shantaram introduced the young Parsuram to the world of acting and singing. His first role was in the bilingual film Duniya Na Mane in Hindi and Kunku in Marathi (both 1937). He played a beggar boy in it and his song ‘Man saaf’ became a hit.

Soon enough, Parsuram became a regular in his mentor V. Shantaram’s films and was often seen in his bilingual movies, which were made simultaneously in Hindi and Marathi. He often got a chance to sing in these films. His famous movies of that time include Gopal Krishna (1938), Mansukha (1939), Mera Ladka and its Marathi version Maza Mulga (1938). Most of these were silent films but Parsuram’s talent got noticed by the audience.

With the arrival of ’40s, Parsuram became a big name and had hits like Parbat Pe Apna Dera (1944), Jeevan Yatra (1946), Matwala Shair Ramjoshi (1947) and its Marathi version Ramjoshi, Andhon Ki Duniya (1947), Bhool (1948) and Apna Desh (1949).

Around that time, V. Shantaram was facing problems in running Prabhat Studio and finally, decided to quit the studio founded by him. Since Shantaram had no projects in hand for some time, Parsuram was also left without work and used to take care of his household chores in those days.

Parsuram was a talented guy but was frustrated at this sudden turn of events. He decided to take up a job in Indore as a mill worker just to make ends meet. But as the saying goes, one good turn deserves another…

It was matter of time before V. Shantaram started his new Rajkamal Kalamandir and thankfully, he didn’t forget his favourite artist from Prabhat. Parsuram was called to join Rajkamal pronto. This time, he even got the liberty to work outside Shantaram’s banner.