Anwar failed to create his own identity.
Anwar Hussain acted in Hindi films from the 1940s to the 1980s.
Fans go crazy about the leading men and women in cinema, but supporting artists play an equally important role in a film’s success. Their contributions to scenes with lead actors, be it in comedy, emotional or action scenes, are crucial. It enhances the scenes and makes the lead actors look better on screen. While many supporting artists are getting more fame and recognition in today’s times, this was not the case decades ago. Audiences knew them by their face, having seen them in countless films, but did not know their names. One of those many supporting actors in Hindi cinema was late actor Anwar Hussain. Today, let us take a look at his journey.
Anwar Hussain acted in Hindi films from the 1940s to 1980s. He never had any dearth of offers in his career, but he never achieved the kind of recognition he was looking for. This was all the more prominent as he was the brother of an Indian cinema legend. Yes, not many people know that Anwar Hussain was the maternal half-brother of legendary actress Nargis. When Sunil Dutt made his son Sanjay Dutt’s debut film Rocky in 1981, he cast his brother-in-law Anwar Hussain in an important role as Ratanlal in the movie. Rocky was the only time Anwar shared screen space with his nephew Sanjay Dutt. It remains one of his most well-known movies.
Anwar Hussain was born on November 11, 1925 in Kolkata. His mother’s name was Jaddan Bai, who was a famous classical singer of her time. Anwar had an elder brother named Akhtar Hussain, who was a film producer. Anwar made his debut in the film world as a child artist with the film Raja Gopichand.
When he was older, after working as a child artist, he travelled to Bhopal in search of employment. He was not very successful in his attempt, so he went back to Mumbai. After that, in 1943, he received his big break in movies, thanks to the movie Sanjog. He made a mark with his acting in many films as a supporting character.
During multiple interviews in the 70s, Anwar Hussain had said that he always regretted that he was always known as Nargis’ brother in the industry and failed to carve an identity of his own. Anwar Hussain passed away on January 1, 1988, at the age of 62.
