Om Puri’s death personal loss to Patialavis

Gagan K Teja

Tribune News Service

Patiala, January 6

The sudden demise of veteran actor Om Puri has come as a shocker for the Patialavis, who see it as their personal loss.

Since Om Puri has spent crucial and struggling years of his life in Patiala, people from different walks of life feels an indirect bond with the star, who had even made his way in the Hollywood movies. His role in Hollywood blockbuster Ghosts and the Darkness was much appreciated at the international level.

Om Puri, who hails from a humble background used to cycle more than 30 km a day to complete his studies at the local Khalsa College. It was during his student days that he came in contact with legendary threatrist Harpal Tiwana and soon joined his troop and started his acting career by participating in a number of plays numerous plays such as Chamkaur Di Garhi, The Father, Ratta Sallu, Kanak Di Bali, Maseya Di Raat and Baherupia to name a few.

His roles in these plays soon saw him rising as an artiste. Before he went to Mumbai to try his luck in commercial movies, Om Puri had already earned a name for himself courtesy his golden voice and polished acting skills. 

His role in Tamas made him a household name and there was no looking back for him after that. His schoolmates, who went on to become acclaimed writers, journalists and lyricists, still recall his great contribution to the field of art. He also remained a close associate of legendary gazal singer Jagjit Singh whom he met while performing stage plays along with Harpal Tiwana.

Even as he had make a name for himself at the international level, he never forgot his roots and whenever he came here, he would recall his childhood days that he had spent struggling along with his family on dusty roads of Sanour.

Recalling Om Puri’s early life, popular Punjabi actress Neena Tiwana, wife of late legendary actor Harpal Tiwana, said Om caught the fancy of my husband while performing the play during a college youth fest in early 1967 at Khalsa College, Patiala. My late husband offered him to come and work with him in his theatre company Punjab Kala Manch and after that, there was no separating them.

The authorities of Khasla College, where he studied in 1965 and the faculty and staff of Punjabi University’s Centre for Advanced Media Studies (CAMS) expressed deep shock over his untimely demise. They observed two-minute silence and prayed for the peaceful heavenly abode for this film star who, through his superb acting in Punjabi and Hindi films, won laurels and did proud to Punjab and its people.