M. D. Shetty

M. D. Shetty Biography

M. D. Shetty - known to be a father of henchman in Bollywood was one of the leading villains of Indian silver screen in the era of 1960s and 1970s. He was also an Indian stuntman and action choreographer of Hindi cinema. With his bald look and sharp eyes, he was truly a legend among Bollywood villains and henchmen. His role as Martin in Nasir Hussains movie “Yaadon ki Baarat” is one of his memorable roles. All his three sons are into film making in Bollywood of whom his youngest Rohit Shetty is an ace filmmaker known for his action and comedy films with Ajay Devgan (including Golmaal series), apart from Dilwale and Chennai Express with Shah Rukh Khan. His elder son Uday Shetty is a film producer while second son Hriday Shetty is a movie director, both associated with Bollywood.

His full name is Muddu D. Shetty, born in Mangalore in 1938. As an action director, he ruled the Bollywood in the 1970s when Bollywood itself witnessed a transition from romantic dramas to action thrillers with the rise of new star – Amitabh Bachchan, the angry young man of Bollywood. He was the action choreographer of the landmark action movies of Big B’s career - Don, The Great Gambler, Trishul and Deewar, which established him as the superstar. He played the role of an action director in over 700 films. His son Rohit Shetty too continued the legacy by making several action thrillers in Bollywood, mostly featuring Ajay Devgan.

He came to Mumbai from Udupi, Karnataka in the mid-1950s. Started off with odd jobs, he worked as a waiter in Cotton Green. He later got engaged to boxing and body-building, which marked the turning point of his life. His career started as a flight instructor in the 50s. He was later seen in small roles of Bollywood movies such as Tumsa Nahin Dekha, Detective, Sapera, China Town etc. Slowly with the early 1970s he turned to be the no-1 henchman of the industry, whom many aspiring villains idolized.  Even legendary actors of 60s era used to feel proud to act aside this strong henchman in action sequences. He achieved more success as an action director of Bollywood. He was credited as Shetty in his early movies. He died in his middle ages at the peak of his career.

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Updated: March 06, 2016