Mumbai, September 24, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Veteran actor Avtar Gill has revisited memories of working with legendary actor Amrish Puri in the 1988 film Waaris, remembering his former co-star not only as a powerful performer but also as a kind and affectionate person off screen.
Gill shared two photographs from the film on social media, including a black-and-white still featuring the two actors. Alongside the pictures, he described the experience of working with Puri as a “beautiful memory”.
“An icon of Indian cinema and an extraordinary actor, but for me, he was also a genuinely kind and warm person who always treated me with great affection,” Gill wrote. He added that he was grateful to have shared the screen with Puri and, more importantly, to have experienced his kindness.
Directed by Ravindra Peepat, Waaris featured an ensemble cast including Smita Patil, Raj Babbar, Amrita Singh, Raj Kiran, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Amrish Puri. The film was based on Sohan Singh Hans’ Punjabi novel Kaare Hatthi and centred on inheritance, family tensions and a dispute over ancestral land.
Puri played Dulla Singh in the film, while Gill portrayed Dara Singh. The film also became notable because Smita Patil, who played Paramjit “Paro”, died before its release. Her lines were subsequently dubbed by Rekha.
Puri entered the film industry relatively late, making his screen debut in Reshma Aur Shera in 1971 at around 39. His distinctive baritone and commanding screen presence made him a prominent choice for negative and powerful character roles.
Over a career spanning several decades, Puri appeared in films including Vidhaata, Shakti, Hero, Meri Jung, Nagina, Mr. India, Shahenshah, Ram Lakhan, Tridev, Ghayal, Saudagar, Damini and Karan Arjun. His portrayal of Mogambo in Shekhar Kapur’s Mr. India (1987) became one of Hindi cinema’s most recognisable characters.
He also delivered memorable performances in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Virasat, Gardish, Ghatak and Pardes, while earning international recognition through films such as Gandhi and Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, in which he played the antagonist Mola Ram.
Gill, meanwhile, established himself as a familiar character actor in Hindi cinema. Beginning his film career in the late 1970s, he featured in movies including Noorie, Saath Saath, Mashaal, Ghulami, Khamosh, Shahenshah, Kabzaa, Daddy, Awaargi, Agneepath, Aashiqui, Sadak, Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin, Mohra, Rangeela, Baadshah, Indian, Airlift and Wazir.
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