Childhood photos of Parikshit Sahni with father and sisters
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′7″
Hair Color: Salt & Pepper
Eye color: dark brown
family
Parents and siblings
His father Balraj Sahni (original name Yudishthir Sahni) is an Indian film and stage actor. His father died on April 13, 1973, at the age of 59. Before India’s independence in 1947, Balraj Sahni lived with his family in Rawalpindi (Pakistan). In 1936, he married fellow actor Damayanti Sahni. According to reports, when Parikshit was born, his parents were working as teachers at Visva Bharati University in Shantiniketan Tagore, Bangladesh. Balraj Sahni bought a Gurumukhi typewriter and learned Gurumukhi script writing. With the blessings of Mahatma Gandhi, Parikshit’s parents went to London, where his father joined BBC London Hindi Radio as a broadcaster and returned to India in 1943.
Parikshit Sahni and his father Balraj Sahni
When Balraj Sahni and Damayanti Sahni came to India from London, they established links with the Communist Party of India. Damayanti worked in a slum and even ate with slum dwellers, so she was diagnosed with amoebic dysentery, a parasitic infection that spreads in the body from drinking contaminated water. The disease caused severe cardiac arrest in 1947, and she died at the age of 26.
Parikshit Sahni’s father and mother (Damayanti Sahni)
Balraj Sahni (Parikshit’s father) was so distraught over his wife’s death that he would often beat his head against the wall and cry:
“Dammo nahi rahee, Dammo chali gayee.”
In 1951, he married his cousin Santosh Chandhok, an author and television writer.
Balraj Sahni and his second wife Santosh Chandhok
Balraj Sahni was part of the communist-led march. After the mob got out of control, police filed lathi charges and Balaj Sahni was arrested and sent to jail. Balraj wrote his autobiography Meri Filmi Aatmakatha, which was released in 1974. Balraj’s last film was Garam Hawa (1974). He died on the same day he finished dubbing for the film and the last line he recorded for the film was “Insaan Kab Tak Akela Jee Sakta Hai?”
Meri Filmi Aatmakatha by Balraj Sahni
In 1947, Damayanti Sahni gave birth to their daughter, Shabnam Sahni. Shabnam is married to a man from Kolkata. Her mother-in-law started teasing her about her relationship with a Muslim boy, which Shabnam didn’t like. Her marriage was not going well, so she left her parents-in-law and returned home. She worked as a teacher at Sadhana School in Mumbai. She died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1972, around the age of 26-27.
Shabnam Sahni, sister of Parikshit Sahni
Sanober Sahni is Parikshit’s half-sister and the third child of Parikshit’s father and Santosh Chandhok. A sister born from a second marriage.
wife and children
Parikshit Sahni was the widower of Aruna Sahni. They have two daughters: Aditi Sahni and Tania Sahni. Later, he married Nandini Sahni. They have a son named Varn Sahni. Parikshit has a granddaughter, Niharika Sahni, who is a film director.
Parikshit Sahni and his late wife Aruna Sahni
other relatives
Parikshit’s uncle Bhisham Sahni is a distinguished writer of Hindi novels and was awarded the Padma Shri in 1998. Parikshit’s wife Aruna Sahni is the niece of late Bollywood actor Dev Anand and the cousin of Indian film producer Shekhar Kapur.
religious outlook
Parikshit Sahni’s father was an atheist. The environment in which Parikshit grew up also made him an atheist. However, when he read the Bhagavad Gita, the Quran, the Bible and other holy scriptures of various religions, he became a spiritual person.
Signature/Autograph
(March 22, 1978); Autographed by Parikshit Sahni
Profession
Sani started his career as a child artist. In 1966, 26-year-old Parikshit began his film career in India after returning from Moscow.
Assistant Director
Parikshit had assisted Raj Kapoor in the Hindi film Mera Naam Joker, but left after being offered a role in the 1968 film Anokhi Raat. Parikshit worked as an apprentice in the Russian film War and Peace. He was an assistant and even did tasks like sweeping floors and cleaning.
actor
Movie
Hindi
In 1951, when Parikshit was around 10 years old, he made his debut as a child artist with the film Hulchul.
Parikshit Sahni in a still from the movie Hulchul (1951)
In 1951, he played the role of Shyamu in the film Deedar.
Parikshit Sahni and Tabassum in a still from the song ‘Bachpan Ke Din Bhoolana Dena’ from the movie ‘Deedar’
He played Kedarnath in the Hindi film Pavitra Paapi (1970), an adaptation of Nanak Singh’s Punjabi novel. Parikshit’s father Balraj Sahni also stars in the film.
Parikshit Sahni on the official poster of the movie Pavitra Paapi (1970)
In the 2009 Bollywood film 3 Idiots, Parikshit Sahni played the role of Farhan Qureshi’s father, Salim Qureshi.
Parikshit Sahni in a still from the movie “3 Idiots”
In 2014, Parikshit played Jayprakash Sahni, Jaygu’s father, in the movie “PK”.
Parikshit Sahni in a still from the movie “PK”
Parikshit appeared in many Bollywood films including Preet Ki Dori (1971), Hindustan Ki Kasam (1973), Jallian Wala Bagh (1977), Insaaf Main Karoonga (1985), Waqt Ka Badshah (1992), Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006), Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (2011) and Housefull 4 (2019).
punjabi
Parikshit made his Punjabi debut in 1989 with the film Marhi Da Diva. In 1978, he starred in the movie “Udeekan”.
In 1987, he appeared in DD National’s TV show “Gul Gulshan Gulfam”, playing an old man.
Parikshit Sahni (far right) in a still from the TV show “Gul Gulshan Gulfam” (1987)
Later, he appeared in many television shows, including Mirza Ghalib (1988), The Great Maratha (1994), Heena (1998) and Saat Phere: Saloni Ka Safar (2007).
Balaji Sahni Productions
Parikshit started his own production company called Balraj Sahni Productions. He has produced the TV series “Firangi”, “Khoj”, “Kalpana” and “Lal Kothi Alvida” in Doordarshan. He produced and wrote the script for the 2008 television show “London Ki Ek Raat”, which was also aired on Doordarshan. He directed the children’s film Pakda Gaya Par Kaun, which he produced himself.
writer
In 2019, Parikshit wrote a biography of his father titled “Nonconformist: Memories of My Father Balraj Sahni.”
Unconventional Memories of My Father Balraj Sahni by Parikshit Sahni
Parikshit’s second book “Strange Encounters” was released on August 28, 2022.
“Strange Encounters” by Pariksht Sahni
Facts/Trivia
- Doordarshan fans still remember his performance in the DD show “Gul Gulshan Gulfam”.
- Parikshit loves reading and writing. He said in an interview that he never wanted to be an actor. Furthermore, he added,
I’m not as serious about being an actor as my dad is. My main passion is writing and coaching. I’m not too keen on (acting). I act just for him. People cast me because I am Balraj Sahni’s son and thought I might have some real knowledge about acting. ”
- During the shooting of the film Veer Shivaji, Parikshit injured his spine. It took him a year to recover from the accident.
- During the shooting of the film “Anokhi Raat” in 1968, Parikshit Sahni changed his online name to Ajay Sahni on the advice of his friend Sanjeev Kumar, but he changed to his previous name a few years later.
- He was very interested in painting during his student days and had a studio in Lokhandwala.
- In an interview, Parikshit revealed that after the death of his father and sister, he became an alcoholic and started abusing drugs; however, he resigned within a year.
Parikshit Sahni holding a glass of wine
- When he was young, Parikshit often accompanied his father on shoots. Many times, when actors were not available, Parikshit’s father would suggest Parikshit wear a fake beard to play their characters.
- There is a scene in the 1977 Bollywood film “Jallian Wala Bagh” in which Parikshit’s character Uddham Singh is asked to ask a question from Parikshit’s father Balaji. Mahatma Gandhi, played by Balraj Sahni, spits. It was a difficult scene for Parikshit as he did not want to spit on his father. However, Balraj told Parikshit that he was not his father but a character in the script in which Parikshit performed the scene.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education