Remembering Om Puri

Devesh Sharma profiles the prolific actor who passed away recently.

There’s a scene in Ardh Satya (1983), where Om Puri recites renowned Marathi writer Dilip Chitre’s poem Ardh Satya to the woman he loves, Smita Patil. The scene starts on a buoyant mood but as the actor goes deeper into the poem, his expressions change. The verse brings about the mindscape of Abhimanyu as he enters the chakravyuh and Puri subtly brought out the anguish of battling his own chakravyuh… In a short span, he managed to lay bare the scope of the character he essayed. Filmed in a single long take, it’s possibly the best example of an actor showcasing how emotions can change expressions. That, in nutshell, was Om Puri’s hallmark.

The Mahabharata scene from the satire Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983) comes to mind as well. Puri played a corrupt builder Ahuja in the film and was a hoot as the black glasses donning Bheem. He was known as a serious actor till then but gave evidence that he could mould himself for a comic role too. The other films where he made his comic presence felt were Chachi 420 (1997), Hera Pheri (2000), Chor Machaye Shor (2002), Malamaal Weekly (2006) and Teen Thay Bhai (2011).