Once A Superstar On Television, Now A Supporting Actor: Decoding The Journey Of Kanwaljit Singh
When we first saw him in?Buniyaad?in the role of an idealist who was constantly trying to fight his inner demons, we became a fan of his earnest performance. He was trying to fit into the society wherein moral scruples could easily be bought.?Kanwaljit Singh was a sight to behold.
And then, one after the other, his magnifying performances made a superstar of TV.?
Remember?Saans?in which he essayed the role of a husband who had an extramarital affair. It was over two decades ago. In the show, he starred alongside Neena Gupta who became a household name too after the grand success of the TV serial that was watched in almost all households.?
Before venturing into the world of TV,?Kanwaljit Singh was tried his luck in the movie world as well.?Shankar Hussain, Satte Pe Satta, Ashanti and Seepeeyan were some of the films, he featured in. Hum Rahe Na Hum and Shaque were two films that he heavily banked on. When they failed, he moved to TV. The success of Buniyaad gave him many opportunities and he became a star.
He has featured in some iconic shows like Family No 1, a show that was quite progressive even at that point in time.?The story followed two single parents, Kanwaljeet Singh and Tanvi Azmi, living in the same house that had a LOC separating their spaces. To see the constant fights and bickering between their kids was a laughter riot.
Some of his other popular TV shows include Farmaan, Daraar, Dil Deke Dekho, Andaaz, Siski, Abhimaan, Aisa Des Hai Mera and films like MP3: Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and Bang Bang! among others.
He juggled between TV and movies quite successfully. While he was once the star of television, now he gets supporting roles, which again he aces to perfection.?
In recent times, he was seen in films like?Rustom, Happy Bhag Jayegi, Tum Bin II, Raazi, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga, Tribhanga and Sardar Ka Grandson. On TV, he was last seen in Sabki Laadli Bebo and Ek Nanad Ki Khushiyon Ki Chaabi...Meri Bhabhi.?
Keeping up with the new-age content, he even made his OTT debut with?Typewriter,?a horror web series, which also starred Purab Kohli, and Hotstar Special Hostages starring Tisca Chopra and Ronit Roy among others.
With so many years of experience and a plethora of great roles, Kanwaljit Singh remains to be one of the highly acclaimed and respectable actors in the industry.
Born in Kanpur and raised in Saharanpur, Singh spent his childhood in Mussoorie where his schooling happened. At 17, he applied for NDA Airforce as well as Merchant Navy. However, destiny had its own plans. When Film Institute in Pune announced an acting course, he was enticed and applied there too. At the age of 19, the journey to acting began.??
He mastered the art of acting from Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), an institute that has given the industry impeccable talents like Rajkummar Rao, Jaideep Ahlawat, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and many more.
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Just like many other actors, Kanwaljit Singh also faced the wrath of the lockdown.?
When last year actors above the age of 65 were prohibited from working, Kanwaljit Singh was one amongst actors like Raza Murad, Suhasini Mulay, Prithvi Zutshi and Farida Dadi, who questioned the new norm of shooting.
He revealed that he lost a project. He was replaced on his show Sandwich by a younger actor since older actors weren't allowed to work on TV and film sets.?
"I have nothing against the new actor or the channel. But this rule needs to be changed. Otherwise, what will the hundreds of actors like me do? We are fond of working, we love our work, how can the government stop us? Will the authorities wake up when one senior actor, in depression for being out of work, commits suicide? Not every senior actor or unit member is well placed enough to tide over these difficult times by simply sitting at home, not working. Most of them need to work, some for financial reasons, others for the sheer love of work," he told Film Information.
?In his last film, he interestingly essayed the role of a son to Neena Gupta's character - the actress who played his wife in the acclaimed show Saans.?
On the personal front, he is happily married to Ashok Kumar's granddaughter Anuradha Patel. The couple has two sons Sidharth and Aditya and a god-daughter, Mariam, living in the United States with Akash.?
