Govardhan Asrani death: How Indira Gandhi helped struggling actor find work in Bollywood

Veteran Bollywood actor Govardhan Asrani, famed for his comedic timing and memorable roles in over 350 films—acted across a career spanning five decades—died on Monday night at the age of 84.

Notably, behind Asrani's stellar career in the industry was former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, without whom Asrani may have remained a Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) graduate with no future.

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Asrani once told entertainment portal Bollywood Thikana that when he first came to Mumbai, he spent a month in pursuit of music director Naushad, hoping to get into Bollywood.

However, when that did not work out, he applied to the FTII against his parents' wishes. Despite graduating from the prestigious institute—and even teaching students there for a time—Asrani was constantly turned away by producers.

"Do you need a certificate to act?! Big stars do it without training—who are you? Get lost," was often the reaction he would get from the producers that turned him away.

After two years of unemployment, he appealed to Indira Gandhi, who was then the Minister for Information and Broadcasting.

"Then she came to Mumbai and told producers that they should give us work. After that, work started coming," Asrani recollected, adding that Jaya Bachchan (then Jaya Bhaduri) also found her footing in Bollywood that way.

More than 50 years later, he is remembered as the eccentric Hitler-like jailer in 'Sholay' (1975), in addition to career-defining roles in films like 'Anhonee' (1973), 'Aaj Ki Taaza Khabar' (1973), and 'Bhool Bhulaiya' (2007). He also directed six films, and shot scenes opposite Akshay Kumar for 'Haiwaan' just last week.

Asrani is survived by his wife, actress Manju Asrani (nee Bansal).