Many characters have become immortal in the history of Hindi cinema, but if anyone has left an indelible mark as a villain, it is Amrish Puri. His role as Mogambo in the 1987 film ‘Mr. India’ is still alive in the hearts of people. Amrish Puri played many great characters in his film career, but ‘Mr. India’s Mogambo took him to a different height.
Mogambo’s character was that of a dreaded villain who wanted to rule India. This villain also had a very famous dialogue in Mr. India – ‘Mogambo khush hua’, which is still very famous among the people. This dialogue and Amrish Puri’s acting made this character one of the most memorable villains of Bollywood.
Amazing role of Mogambo
Mr. India was directed by Shekhar Kapoor. Anil Kapoor and Sridevi played the lead roles along with Amrish Puri. However, all the attention went to Amrish Puri. Mogambo’s look, his costumes, and his dangerous laughter scared everyone from children to adults. Amrish Puri’s deep voice and his tremendous acting breathed life into this character. The director also put in a lot of effort to create this character of Mr. India.
Where did the name Mogambo come from
Though the entire character of Mogambo in Mr. India is interesting, but the most novelty was in its name. Before Mr. India, the name Mogambo was not heard in any other film. Amrish Puri had revealed in his autobiography where the name of this character was taken from.
Connection with Hollywood
The name Mogambo is a gift of a Hollywood film. In his autobiography The Act of Life, Amrish Puri said that the name of the villain in Mr. India was taken from actor Clark Gable’s 1953 film Mogambo. This is an adventure film starring Clark Gable along with Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly. The story of the film is set in the dense jungles of Africa, where Victor Marcel (Clark Gable) runs a safari company. The story of Mogambo shows romance, adventure and personal conflicts.
