Cinema's 'tapori' no more

Hindi cinema's 'little man', ace comedian-dancer Bhagwan is no more.

On Monday, February 4, he succumbed to a prolonged illness. He is survived by a son.

He was born Bhagwan Abaji Palav on August 1, 1912. Forced to give up studies after std IV, Bhagwan did a lot of odd jobs. He was determined to join the film industry. So he would work out at the local gym to improve his physique.

He got his chance in 1930 with the silent film Bewafa Ashiq, after years of haunting the studios in the hope that he would some day be discovered.

He then acted in a series of action films like Bahadur Kisan, Criminal, Dosti, Jalan. Bhagwan was as popular a star as Fearless Nadia.

His most popular film, which was also his brainchild, was Albela. He is most remembered for two songs: Bholi surat dil ke chhote and Shola jo bhadke, dil mera dhadke. The film was a runaway hit, and Bhagwan Dada swept the public with his effervescent style of tapori dancing, which inspired even Amitabh Bachchan.

That popularity, though, quickly waned. Bhagwan was offered good roles in films like Mister Lambhoo and Bhagambaag. He then started getting only bit roles.

Later, Bhagwan Dada was forced to sell his cars and bungalow.