How Asrani got his big break after Indira Gandhi's intervention: ‘We complained to her’
Asrani once recalled that his big break came after Indira Gandhi’s intervention, which championed FTII graduates and opened Bollywood to trained talent.
Veteran actor and comedian Govardhan Asrani, fondly known simply as Asrani, passed away on October 20 at the age of 84 at Arogya Nidhi Hospital in Juhu, Mumbai. Despite a towering legacy in Indian cinema that spanned more than five decades and over 350 films, the actor had wished for a quiet and dignified farewell, instructing his wife, Manju, to keep his final moments away from public glare.
Asrani’s journey to stardom was far from easy. Hr trained at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, in 1964. But even with formal training, he faced repeated rejection in Mumbai. In an interview with Bollywood Thikana, he had once recalled those early struggles.
“I would roam around with my certificate, and they would shoo me away and say, ‘You think acting requires certificates? Big stars don’t have training here, and you think you’re special? Get lost’,” he had said.
The turning point in his career came through an unexpected but powerful ally — Indira Gandhi. At the time serving as the Information and Broadcasting Minister, her intervention changed the course of Asrani’s life and the prospects of FTII graduates as a whole.
“One day, Indira Gandhi came to Pune. She was the I&B minister at the time. And we complained to her. We told her that despite having a certificate, nobody gives us the time of day. Then she came to Mumbai and told producers that they should hire us. After that, work started coming in. Jaya Bhaduri was cast in Guddi, as was I. When Guddi became a hit, people started taking FTII seriously,” he had shared.
That endorsement from Indira not only gave Asrani his first major break but also legitimised trained acting talent in an industry that often relied on instinct over education. Guddi (1971) marked a turning point, and from there, he became a familiar face across genres — from earnest supporting roles to the unforgettable comic parts that made him a household name.
He went on to deliver some of Hindi cinema’s most memorable moments — none more iconic than his portrayal of the eccentric jailer in Sholay (1975), with the immortal line, “Hum angrezon ke zamaane ke jailer hain!” The performance cemented his place in Indian pop culture, even as he continued to charm audiences in classics like Chupke Chupke, Chhoti Si Baat, and Rafoo Chakkar.
In later decades, Asrani remained relevant, bringing his signature humour and timing to hits like Hera Pheri and Bhagam Bhag. Yet behind the fame was a man who, as family sources revealed, wished to be remembered simply — as one among the people, not apart from them.
