Manik Irani

Manik Irani Biography

Manik Irani was a popular character artist associated with Bollywood cinema. He was known for his grey shaded and villain roles. This 6 feet tall handsome Parsi man played henchman in numerous movies of Bollywood particularly in the 1980s. Though stayed in Bollywood for a long time he was one among those unlucky actors of Bollywood who never made it big in the magic world of cinema. Yet his presence was always noted. Only less data available on net, some sites point out that he died due to excess drinking in the mid-1990s, though exact date is not known. It’s also cited that he committed suicide. Truth is that Bollywood didn’t notice the silent passing away of Manik – one of the best henchmen Bollywood Cinema has ever seen. Mard (1985), Khoj (1989), Laparwah and Ram-Avtar (1988) are among his noted appearances.

Known for his physique this actor has hardly delivered any dialogue for movies, though he stayed here for more than two decades. Manik got into movies in the early 1970s and stayed here till 1990s, most probably till his death. Manik was a Parsi Iranian with a strong physique who spent a lot of time in body building. He used to frequently go to National Health League gymanisum pumping irons and hefty bulging biceps, which created envy in everyone. A stone body, Manik didn’t take any steroids.

Paap Aur Punya (1974) is his first credited role, followed by Kalicharan in 1976, where he played Hitman (Madan Puri's son). Since then he exhibited his physique in all his movies and played henchman in almost all his appearances. He was a regular fix in almost all action movies of Bollywood at a time, mostly in the 1980s. Either doing some comic kungfu steps or the role of a kidnapper, he played similar roles for more than a decade or two.

He played the role of a dumb assassin in Mr. Natwarlal. His physical appearance too was enough to frighten children. Unfortunately he never got a decent role in Bollywood, which he always desired. He actually dreamt to become a hero!

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Updated: March 06, 2016