Remembering 'Dadamoni' Ashok Kumar

Popularly known as 'Dadamoni', Ashok Kumar remains known as one of the finest Indian actors. This thespian, born as Kumudlal Ganguly in a wealthy family of Bengal, made his debut as an actor quite accidentally when an actor absconded with the actress on the sets of Jeevan Naiya at Bombay Talkies and the director Himanshu Rai asked a young laboratory assistant Ashok Kumar to step into the shoes of the actor.

Kumar, who never looked back after that break 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 its release.

Ashok Kumar also produced several movies for Bombay Talkies and graduated to character roles in his later years. Besides acting, he was an avid painter and a practitioner of homeopathy.

This veteran breathed his last at the age of 90 in Mumbai on 10 December 2001 owing to heart failure at his residence in Chembur, Mumbai.