Last Updated: June 11, 2023, 10:51 IST
Mangal Dhillon passes away.
Mangal Dhillon was part of hit Bollywood movies like Khoon Bhari Maang, and Train to Pakistan.
Punjabi actor Mangal Dhillon passed away today. After fighting a critical condition at a cancer hospital in Ludhiana, the multi-talented actor, director, and producer breathed his last. His untimely demise has left a void in the Punjabi film fraternity.
Dhillon was a popular name in the Punjabi industry. Back in the 80s, he also worked in hit Bollywood movies like Khoon Bhari Maang, Train to Pakistan and Kahan Hai Kanoon. Apart from acting, Mangal had also set up his own production house and released the hit film titled Khalsa. For the same film he was also honoured with Baba Farid Award by the Punjab Government.
Mangal Singh Dhillon was a resident of District Faridkot, Punjab. He was born in Wander Jatana near Kotkapura in Faridkot district, Punjab. He worked in theatre in Delhi and joined the Indian Theatre department at Panjab University, back in 1979. In 1980, he completed his post-graduate diploma course in acting.
Back in 2018, in an interview with Hindustan Times, he had opened up about how his acting journey started in Chandigarh. “Chandigarh gave me wings. It was in Chandigarh that I honed my skills as a an actor. I was a village boy when I came here after having a fallout with my father. I didn’t have a penny in my pocket but the department made me an actor. It was here that I floated my theatre group called Natyalya in 1982. We used to perform everywhere, be it Sector 17 or Tagore theatre. ‘Baba Bolda Hai’ on the insurgency in Punjab, and ‘Sandhya Chhaya’, a play on the loneliness of an old couple were among the plays in which I acted.”
He had also added, “I have a very deep relationship with Chandigarh. It was here that I received my first lesson in love and betrayal. It was here I laid the foundation of my career as a thespian with a street play. It was here that I founded my theatre group, wrote my first poem. It also taught me to speak in English.”