This actor was named by Jaya Bachchan, later became Rekha’s hero, came Mumbai with Rs 1500, became famous villain, name is…
Every year, several aspiring actors try their luck in films, but only few make it to the silver screens. However, those who struggled to sustain in the industry have now become superstars. Today, we will talk about one such actor, who came to Mumbai with just Rs 1500 in his pocket, and dreamt of becoming a Ghazal singer. However, destiny had its own plans, and he became one of Bollywood’s most popular villains.
He is none other than Danny Denzongpa, who was born as Tshering Phintso Denzongpa in 1948, in Sikkim. It was Amitabh Bachchan’s wife Jaya Bachchan who recommended him to change his name to Danny, as his original name was too difficult to pronounce. Danny wanted to join the Indian Army, and enrolled himself in Armed Forces Medical College, Pune. However, later he withdrew his admission and joined the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).
His acting career began when he made debut in BR Ishara’s Zaroorat. However, his breakthrough performance came with Gulzar’s Mere Apne (1971), where he portrayed a positive role. In 1973, Danny played the antagonist in film Dhundh, and garnered recognition for his ruthless villainous performance. Following that, from 1984 to the 1990, he played lead antagonist, opposite almost every superstar, including Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra, Jeetendra, Mithun Chakraborty, and others.
After completing 20 years of his acting career and working in over 190 films, Danny decided to take a break from acting. He did only 10 films between 2003 and 2009. His last major role was in Sooraj Barjatya’s 2022 film, Uunchai, where he shared screen-space with Amitabh Bachchan, Boman Irani and Anupam Kher. Before that, the veteran star starred in Manikarnika, opposite Kangana Ranaut.
Danny Denzongpa, who once dominated Bollywood with his intense performances, has now stepped away from the limelight, and prefers to live a quitter life away from the world of glitz and glam.
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