What is now Pakistan, is the birthplace of many of Bollywood’s finest stars. Have a look at Indian actors who were born in Pakistan and went on to dominate Bollywood.
Several people from places like Peshawar, Balochistan, and Rawalpindi moved to India after partition. The largest population shift in history resulted in the displacement of around 15 million people. A large number of people belonging to the Sikh and Hindu communities migrated to India, while Muslims settled in Pakistan. What is now Pakistan is the birthplace of many of Bollywood’s finest stars. While some arrived in India before Partition, others did so after it. Let’s have a look at the list of Indian actors who were born in Pakistan and went on to dominate Bollywood.
Raj Kapoor: The Bollywood ‘showman’ stands at the top of the list. Few people are aware that on December 14, 1924, he was born Shrishti Nath Kapoor in his grandfather’s home in Kapoor Haveli, in the Qissa Khwani Bazaar neighbourhood of Peshawar, British India. Ramsarni Devi Kapoor and Prithviraj Kapoor were his parents. He received the Padma Bhushan and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
Dilip Kumar: Born Mohammed Yusuf Khan in Peshawar in 1922, Dilip Kumar is regarded as the tragedy king of Bollywood. He worked on more than 60 films during his six-decade career. He received the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan’s highest civilian honour, and the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honour. Did you know that Dilip, who was from Peshawar, was Raj Kapoor’s boyhood friend?
Sunil Dutt: Pakistan is also where the late actor Sunil Dutt was born. His hometown was Nakka Khurd in the Punjab province of British India’s Jhelum district. Balraj Dutt was his birth name; his mother was Kulwanti Devi Dutt, and his father was Dewan Raghunath Dutt.
Amrish Puri: Born into a Punjabi Hindu household in Nawanshahr, Punjab (now in Pakistan) to Lala Nihal Chand and Ved Kaur, Amrish is a well-known Bollywood villain. In films like Vidhaata, Shakti, Hero, Meri Jung, Nagina, Mr. India, Shahenshah, Ram Lakhan, Tridev, Ghayal, Saudagar, and others, Puri portrayed some of the most well-known antagonists and is still regarded for his acting calibre.
Gulzar: Born in 1934 to Sampooran Singh Kalra, Makhan Singh Kalra, and Sujan Kaur, Gulzar was raised in a Sikh household in Dina, Jhelum district, British India. He decided on Gulzar as his last name. He is a fantastic poet, filmmaker, lyricist, and writer. He has received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the Padma Bhushan and National Awards.
Suresh Oberoi: Veteran actor and Vivek Oberoi’s father was born on December 17, 1946, in Quetta, in the British Raj region of Balochistan (now Balochistan, Pakistan), to Anand Sarup Oberoi and Kartar Devi. Along with his four siblings, his family relocated to India following Partition. Later, they settled in Hyderabad, where they established a network of pharmacies.
Shekhar Kapur: This highly regarded filmmaker was born in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1945. He began working behind the camera as a filmmaker in India and later in Hollywood after not being successful as an actor in Bollywood. His most famous works include Masoom, Mr India and Bandit Queen.
Also Read: Aamir Khan’s Sitaare Zameen Par trailer launch delayed after Pahalgam terror attack | Details
