Dara Singh, the He-Man of the 60's, wrestler and veteran
actor 83, died today in Mumbai. He was admitted to Kokilaben Dhirubhai
Ambani Hospital
On Wednesday evening Dr Ram Narain, COO, Kokilaben hospital
said, “As Dara Singh's condition was deteriorating fast, respecting wishes of
his family, he has been shifted home with ventilator and medicines. A nurse and
a doctor are at his home. There are no medicines that will reverse the brain
damage... only if a miracle happens. He might even slip into coma”.
Later his son Vindu Dara Singh in extreme dejection told to
reporters, “He is already home. Please don't follow us. When he breathes his
last, I'll let you know. There is no hope”.
Referred with titles such as Rustum-e-Punjab and
Rustum-e-Hind for his wrestling poweress, Dara Singh Randhava was born in Amritsar in 1928. He
studied pehelwani as a child. A wrestling champ, he made his way from local
tournaments to the international arena competing with some of the biggest names
like Oriental Champion King Kong, George Gordienko. The wrestler who had over
500 fights to his credit was the Commonwealth champion in 1959 and Champion of
the World in 1968. He retired from wrestling in 1983.
He made his entry into films in early 1960s and was cast
opposite actress Mumtaz in several movies. Often regarded as the Action King of
Bollywood in the Hollywood inspired Hindi
films such as Tarzan and King Kong amongst many others. However, Dara Singh’s most
memorable performance remains as Hanuman on the popular 1980's television
series Ramayan. The actor who also directed several Punjabi films continued to
act in films and was last seen in the super hit movie of Imtiyaz Ali, Jab We
Met in 2007.
