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Dara Singh
Singh in 2010
Born	Deedar Singh Randhawa (1928-11-19)19 November 1928 Dharmuchak, Amritsar District, Punjab, British India (present-day Punjab, India)
Died	12 July 2012(2012-07-12) (aged 83) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Nationality	Indian
Occupations	Professional wrestler actor politician
Years active	1947–1983 (wrestler) 1950–2012 (actor) 2003–2009 (politician)
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Title	Rustam-e-Hind
Political party	Bharatiya Janata Party
Spouses	Bachno Kaur ​(m. 1942⁠–⁠1952)​ Surjit Kaur ​(m. 1961)​
Children	6, including: Vindu Dara Singh
Family	See Randhawa family
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Dara Singh
Billed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Billed weight	127 kg (280 lb)
Billed from	Punjab, India
Trained by	Harnam Singh
Debut	1948
Retired	1983
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
In office 27 August 2003 – 26 August 2009
Website	dara-singh.com

Dara Singh Randhawa (born Deedar Singh Randhawa; 19 November 1928 – 12 July 2012) was an Indian professional wrestler, actor, director and politician. He started acting in 1952 and was the first sportsman to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha (upper house) of India. He worked as Hindi and Punjabi film producer, director and writer, and he acted in films and television. His role of Hanuman in the film Bajrangbali (1976) and in Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan made him popular. Singh was inducted into the Legacy wing of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2018.

Early life

Singh was born in a Punjabi Jat Sikh family as Deedar Singh Randhawa to Surat Singh Randawa and Balwant Kaur on 19 November 1928 in the village of Dharmuchak in the Majha area of the Punjab region of India. At the time, it was still under British Raj colonial rule.

Career

Professional wrestling

He came to Singapore in 1947, where he worked in a drum-manufacturing mill and began his wrestling training under Harnam Singh in the Great World Stadium. As an adult he was 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall, weighed 127 kilograms (280 lb) and had a chest measurement of 53 inches (130 cm). Due to his physique, he was encouraged to take up pehlwani, a traditional Indian style of wrestling, in which he trained for several years. After switching to professional wrestling, he competed around the world with opponents such as Bill Verna, Firpo Zbyszko, John Da Silva, Rikidōzan, Danny Lynch and Ski Hi Lee. His flooring of King Kong is still remembered. He is credited to have remained undefeated in a professional wrestling bout.

In 1951, Dara Singh lost a traditional city-duel match in Greco-Roman style against Brahmdev Mishra of Gorakhpur in a stadium located at Dharmatala Maidan Calcutta.

In 1954, Dara competed in the Rustam-e-Hind (Champion of India) tournament where he won the final by defeating Tiger Joginder Singh and received a silver cup from Maharaja Hari Singh. In 1959, he won the Commonwealth Championship by defeating George Gordienko at Calcutta. On 29 May 1968 in Bombay, his victory over Lou Thesz earned him the World championship. According to Thesz, Singh was "an authentic wrestler, was superbly conditioned" and had no problem losing to the latter. His last tournament, where he announced his retirement, was held in Delhi in June 1983.

Films and television

Singh left his village for Singapore in 1948. He started his career as an actor in 1952 with Sangdil. He was a stunt film actor for many years and played his first lead role in Babubhai Mistry's film King Kong (1962). From around 1963, he partnered often with Mumtaz, with whom he performed in 16 Hindi films. The couple became the highest-paid B-grade actors, with Singh receiving nearly four lakh rupees per film.

He then went on to do television in the late 1980s, where he played the role of Hanuman in the television adaptation of the Hindu epic Ramayan. He also had roles in numerous films, such as Veer Bheem Sen and Ramayan, and in other television serials. He starred as Bhima in various Mahabharata movies, besides also playing Balram, he also starred as Shiva in various theological movies.

His last Hindi movie was Jab We Met and the last Punjabi movie released before his illness was Dil Apna Punjabi. He acted in National Award-winning film Main Maa Punjab Dee directed by Balwant Singh Dullat. He directed seven Punjabi films including Sawa Lakh Se Ek Ladaun, Nanak Dukhiya Sub Sansar, Dhyanu Bhagat and Rab Dian Rakhan. He also directed two films in Hindi; Bhakti Mein Shakti and Rustom (1982), which were produced and directed under the banner "Dara Film" which he set up in 1970. Singh acted as himself in the 1985 Malayalam film Mutharamkunnu P.O..

Dara Studio

Singh was the owner of Dara Studio at Phase 6, Mohali City, District SAS Nagar, Punjab. Dara Film Studio was founded in 1978. The studio was operational from 1980 as a film studio.

Politics

Singh joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in January 1998. He became the first sportsperson to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha – the upper house of the Parliament of India. He served in that role between 2003 and 2009. He was also president of the Jat Mahasabha.

Comics

Singh's son Vindu Dara Singh, launched his first comic book The Epic Journey of the Great Dara Singh at Oxford Bookstore in New Delhi in February 2019.

Personal life

Singh married twice. He had three sons and three daughters, including Vindu Dara Singh. His brother Randhawa was also a wrestler and actor.

Death

Singh was admitted into Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital on 7 July 2012 following a massive heart attack. Two days later, it was confirmed that he had brain damage due to the lack of blood flow. He was discharged from hospital on 11 July 2012, citing that nothing can be done to prolong life, and died the next day at his home in Mumbai. He was cremated at Juhu crematorium.

Awards and recognition

In 1996, Singh was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame. He was ranked 94 out of 100 wrestlers for Dave Meltzer's Top 100 Wrestlers of all time in 2002. In 2016, Dara was included in the list India's top wrestlers of all time. On 7 April 2018, WWE inducted him in WWE Hall of Fame Legacy class of 2018.

Filmography

Championships and accomplishments

• World Wide Wrestling Association
  • WWWA World Heavyweight Championship
• Maple Leaf Wrestling
  • NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Yukon Eric
• Indian promotions
  • Commonwealth Championship (1959)
  • World Championship (1968)
  • Champion of Malaysia (1951)
  • Rustam-e-Hind (1954)
  • Rustam-e-Punjab (1966)
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)
• WWE
  • WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2018)

References

1. ^ "Dara Singh Passes Away". The Times of India. 12 July 2012. Archived from the original on 16 September 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
2. ^ "Wrestler Finds Acting Easy, Is Idol Of India's Morie Fans, p.2". Bombay: The Milwaukee Journal. 9 May 1966.
3. "Remembering Dara Singh: 13 facts about India's most-loved wrestler". India Today. 19 November 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
4. "Dara Singh: The original muscle man of Bollywoo d". The Economic Times. PTI. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
5. ^ "WWE inducts Dara Singh in WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2018". India Today. 8 April 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
6. "Obituary: Dara Singh - the champion loses his final fight". Hindustan Times. IANS. 12 July 2012. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
7. Kahol, Vikas (13 July 2012). "People at ancestral village remember legendary wrestler and film actor Dara Singh". India Today. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
8. Lentz, Harris M. (2013). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2012. McFarland & Company. p. 266. ISBN 978-0786470631. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
9. ^ Rana, Yudhvir (13 July 2012). "Little Dara holds ray of hope in wrestler's village". The Times of India. TNN. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
10. ""Meri Atmakatha" (Autobiography)". Dara Singh. 1989. Archived from the original on 20 November 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
11. "When Rustam-e-Hind lifted King Kong off his feet and flung him". Times of India. 13 July 2012. Archived from the original on 11 January 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
12. ^ Jawed, Zeeshan (15 August 2012). "City duel that 'broke' Dara - Fans recall champ's stint in akhara on the bank of the Hooghly". The Telegraph. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
13. "The Wrestler's Body". publishing.cdlib.org. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
14. Gupta, Nitish (11 December 2019). "गोरखपुर के इस लाल ने चंद मिनटों में पहलवान दारा सिंह को दी थी पटखनी." Gorakhpur Live. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
15. Veda Prakāśa Pāṇḍeya, वेद प्रकाश पाण्डेय, ed. (2017). Śaharanāmā Gorakhapura (Prathama saṃskaraṇa ed.). Nayī Dillī: Vāṇī Prakāśana. ISBN 978-93-5229-698-9. OCLC 993096342.
16. "Free-Style Wrestling: Dara Singh Crowned Champion of Bharat". Bombay: The New Indian Express. 13 June 1954. Archived from the original on 14 November 2016.
17. "Dara Singh, Wrestler and Bollywood Action Hero, Dies at 83". The New York Times. 14 July 2012. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017.
18. ^ "Dara Singh: India's 'first all-action hero'". BBC News. Mumbai. 12 July 2012. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
19. Oliver, Greg (13 July 2012). "Dara Singh was an Indian icon in wrestling, Bollywood". Slam Wrestling. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
20. Molinaro, John F. (2002). Marek, Jeff; Meltzer, Dave (eds.). The Top 100 Pro Wrestlers of All Time. Winding Stair Press. p. 199. ISBN 978-1-55366-305-8.
21. ^ "Dara Singh taken home". The Times of India. Mumbai. TNN. 12 July 2012. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
22. ^ Gulzar; Nihalani, Govind; Chatterjee, Saibal (2003). Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema. Popular Prakashan. p. 629. ISBN 8179910660. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
23. "Mumtaz: Dara Singh's kindness got me my first role". The Times of India. TNN. 13 July 2012. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
24. ^ "Dara Singh: Bollywood's first macho man". India Today. New Delhi. 12 July 2012. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
25. "Dara Studio". Archived from the original on 18 November 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
26. "Dara Singh joins BJP". Rediff.com. 31 January 1998. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
27. "Hema garam, won't canvass for Dharam". The Times of India. TNN. 18 June 2009. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
28. "Vindu Dara Singh launches comic book - Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
29. "Wrestler-actor Dara Singh dies". The Indian Express. 11 July 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
30. "Dara Singh taken home, doctors say less chance of recovery". 10 July 2012. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
31. "Hundreds attend Dara Singh's funeral in Mumbai". Yahoo India news. 12 July 2012. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
32. "Legendary Indian Wrestler Dara Singh Passes Away, WWE Stars Comment". Wrestling Inc. 12 July 2012. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
33. "India's top wrestlers of all time". India Today. 26 August 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
34. "Bhakti Mein Shakti Cast & Crew- Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama. December 1977. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
35. MANMADHAN, PREMA. "The time when KING KONG almost hit him". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 February 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
36. Tarzan Comes to Delhi (1965) - IMDb, retrieved 2 September 2021
37. "Daku Mangal Singh (1966)". Indiancine.ma. Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
38. "How Dara Singh floored Mukesh ..." The Hindu. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
39. "Bollywood's first He-man". The Hindu Businessline. 12 July 2012. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
40. "Auto Driver (1998)". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
41. "Dara Singh dies at 83". Mumbai Mirror. Reuters. 12 July 2012. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
42. "Eijaz Khan talks about Dara Singh". Mumbai: Mid-Day. 13 July 2012. Archived from the original on 19 August 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
43. Jaspreet Pandohar (20 August 2006). "Dil Apna Punjabi (My Heart Is Punjabi) Review". BBC. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
44. "Stan Neilson - OWW". Archived from the original on 27 June 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
45. "Obituary: Dara Singh — Bollywood's original muscle man". The Hindu. 12 July 2012.
46. "MLG, Varsity, & The Singh's". Maple Leaf Wrestling. 24 January 2010. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
47. "Ten things you didn't know about Dara Singh". NDTV. 12 July 2012. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
48. "Congratulations to the 2018 WWE Hall of Fame Legacy inductees". WWE. 7 April 2018. Archived from the original on 8 April 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018.

Further reading

• Vitali, Valentina (2008). Hindi Action Cinema: Industries, Narratives, Bodies. Oxford University Press. pp. 144–180. ISBN 978-0-19-569244-0.

Autobiography

• Dara Singh Meri Atmkatha (en. My Autobiography by Dara Singh) 1993 Praveen Prakashan

External links

• Official Website
• Dara Singh at IMDb
• "Dara Singh' WWE profile". Wwe.

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