A. K. Hangal Biography

Personal Life

A.k. Hangal was born in 1917, Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan his full name is Avtar Kishan Hangal, He is a well known character actor of Indian Hindi films.

Profession Life

By profession he was tailor and active participant in the Indian freedom struggle. He spent his childhood in Peshawar, where he had performed in theatre for some major roles. His primary occupation for the early part of his life was that of a tailor. after his father's retirement his family shifted from peshawar to Karachi. He moved to Bombay after the Partition of India in 1949 after a 3 year prison in Pakistan. He was involved with the theatre group IPTA along with Balraj Sahni and Kaifi Azmi, both of whom had Marxist leanings. Started his hindi film career at the very late age of 49 with Basu Bhattacharya's Teesri Kasam in 1966, and went on to play the old man in innumerable Hindi movies. His favourites roles, he played in Sholay and Shaukeen. In movies he has played a very large number of character roles, mostly positive. He has acted in more than 125 films so far.Hangal lives in Santa Cruz,Mumbai-India.

Awards

He has been awarded prestigious Padma Bhushan for his contribution to Hindi Cinema in 2006 by Government of India.Controversy In year 1993 he had applied for a visa to visit his birthplace in Pakistan, and the embassy invited him to Pakistan day celebration. Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray took offence and there was a talk of a boycott and having his scenes removed from films. Bal Thackeray clarified a year later that he had not asked for a boycott and roles started coming back to Hangal.

Family After the death of his wife,He has a son,He lives alone in his flat in Santa Cruz,Mumbai. His son Vijay has been workin photographer in Bollywood.