Ashok Kumar

Sanjay Ashok Kumar (October 13, 1911 – December 10, 2001) was an Indian Bollywood actor/singer. Born and brought up as Kumudlal Kunjilal Ganguly in Bhagalpur, Bengal Presidency (now in Bihar) and educated at the prestigious Presidency College, Kolkata, he stands apart as a cinema icon of the 20th century. He broke apart from the theatrical role playing then prevalent in Indian cinema and started a natural style of acting.

Devika Rani and Ashok Kumar did a string of films after this including Izzat 1937, Savitri 1937 and Nirmala 1938. But she was the bigger star and Ashok Kumar was definitely in her shadow. He came into his own with three films opposite Leela Chitnis: Kangan in 1939, Bandhan in 1940, Jhoola in 1941, singing his own songs as was the custom then. He acquitted himself creditably and came away with several hits including most famously Main Ban ka Panchhi.

Ashok Kumar challenged the prevailing more traditional theatrical acting style and developed his own more natural style. He was also not afraid to take risks and was one of the first anti-heroes of Indian Cinema with his role in Kismet in 1943. This movie went on to create a record for the highest grossing film in India at the time of it's release.