Arun Kumar Ahuja

Arun Kumar Ahuja Biography

Arun Kumar Ahuja was a noted actor of Bollywood screen 1940s and 1950s. He was married to Nirmala Devi - a classical vocalist and film actress in the 1940s. They together acted as lead pair in many movies of 1940s such as Savera, Chalis Karod, Sehra and Jai Mahalakshmi. The star couple had six children of whom two got associated with Bollywood. Their youngest son Govinda is one of the leading actors of Bollywood since 1980s, known for commercial hits and comedy entertainers in association with David Dhawan, while another son, Kirti Kumar has directed a few movies, though was not successful. He married Nirmala in 1942 and she entered acting field as lead heroine opposite Arun in Savera, released the same year.

Arun was active the Bollywood film industry in the 1940s and early 1950s. He was born in Gujranwala, Punjab in 1917. He was introduced to silver screen by Mehmood Khan through the movie - Ek Hi Raasta in 1939. He played lead hero in many movies thereafter. He married Nirmala Devi in 1942, and together they were actively involved in films. Though he has played numerous lead hero roles, he is best known playing the lead hero (grey shaded) in Sardar Akhtar’s Aurat directed by Mehmood Khan, which was later remade by the same director titled – Mother India. He played the role of the husband Shamu who leaves his wife and two children, when he can’t feed them.

After playing lead and supporting roles in numerous movies in the 1940s, he turned a producer in the early 1950s. But the movie was a flop and very soon he retired from silver screen. Aulad (1954) was his last release. When his movie turned a flop, he shifted his entire family to Virar where he lived a reclusive life. Even when his younger son Govinda became a big star of silver screen, he preferred to stay away from silver screen. He passed away in 1998, two years after his wife’s death. At that time, Govinda was at his career peak. He is the grandfather of Vinay Anand, Krishna Abhishek, Ragini Khanna, Aarti Singh, Soumya Seth Aryan Singh, Arjun Singh, Amit Khanna and Tina Ahuja – names associated with films and television at present.

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Updated: March 20, 2016