Surendra Pal is an Indian film and television actor, best known for his roles as ‘Dronacharya’ in BR Chopra’s epic television series ‘Mahabharata’ and ‘Tamraj Kilvish’ in the Indian superhero TV series ‘Shaktimaan’. He has acted in around 40 films and over 30 television series during his career.
Wiki/Biography
Surendra Pal was born on Friday, September 25, 1953 (66 years old in 2019) in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. He grew up in Lucknow where his father was posted as DSP in the Uttar Pradesh Police. He was educated in the Uttar Pradesh Board. Although his father wanted him to join the Indian Army or the Police Force, he was reluctant to do both; as he wanted to pursue a career in acting. After graduating from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, he left home and moved to Mumbai in 1980 at the age of 24. When he reached Mumbai, he did not know much about films and did not even know the difference between a producer and a director.
appearance
Height (approximate): 6′ 2″
Eye color: Black
Hair color: Gray and white (half bald)
Family and caste
Although he was born in Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), his ancestors belonged to the Pali tribe of Rajasthan.
Parents and siblings
His father is a DSP in the Uttar Pradesh Police. He has five elder brothers. Two of his elder brothers joined the Indian Army while another one joined the police force.
Surendra Pal’s mother
Relationships, Wife and Children
Surendra Pal married Balkar Sharma Singh in 1996. They have three children together – two sons and a daughter. He divorced Balkar Sharma Singh in 2002 and all three children live with him in Mumbai.
Surendra Pal’s wife and children
His elder son Shivam Singh is a TV anchor and his younger son Shubham Singh is a commerce graduate from Delhi University.
Surendra Pal and his son Shivam
Surendra Pal and his son Shubham
His daughter Shivangi Singh is a gym manager at a five-star hotel in Goa.
Surendra Pal and his daughter Shivangi Singh
Profession
Movie
In 1981, he made his Hindi film debut in Shama (produced by Kader Khan) in which he played the villain role along with Shabana Azmi and Girish Karnad.
Surendra Pal’s debut film Shama (1981)
He then acted in Grahasti in 1984, opposite Ashok Kumar. In 1985, he acted in JP Dutta’s Ghulami (1985), in which he played the role of ‘Daku Suraj Bhan’. It was during the shooting of Ghulami that he returned to his native Rajasthan for the first time. He has since acted in over 40 films and has starred in many popular Bollywood films such as Khuda Gawah (1992), Lakshya (2004), Jodhaa Akbar (2008), Airlift (2016) and Rangoon (2017). He made his Malayalam film debut with the film Prayikkara Pappan (1995).
Surendra Pal in Prayikkara Pappan (1995)
Surendra Pal’s Tamil debut was Mr Romeo (1996).
Surendra Pal, Mr. Romeo (1996)
He made his Bhojpuri debut with the film Aisan Pyar Se Dekhbu T Pyar Ho Jai in 2010. He has also starred in and produced several Rajasthani films such as Nani Bai Ro Mayro (2017) and Pakki Herogiri (2016).
Surendra Pal Rajasthani Movie Pakki Herogiri
television
He made his television debut in BR Chopra’s epic historical television series Mahabharata (1988), playing Guru Dronacharya; the role made him a household name in India.
Surendra Pal as Dronacharya in Mahabharata
The lines of Dronacharya played by him are very popular. Here is a line of Dronacharya from Mahabharata –
अपनी सीमओं कर उल्लंघन मत करो दुर्योधन। ये मत भू लो कि तुम आचर्य द्रोण से बत कररहे हो, असहय पंडव पुत्रों से नहीं। मैं तुम्हरे एक-एक शब्द कर उत्तर अपने बा णों से सकतर हूं। णभूमि और क्रीड़र भवन में अंतर कर नी सीखो। युद्धभूमिहमरेपक्षमेंहै, लेकिनयुद्धकरिणरिणरन हीं।”
Riding on the huge success of Mahabharata, Surendra Pal started getting many offers for TV serials and he did many other popular performances like ‘Mahamatya Rakshas’ in Chanakya (1991), ‘Dhundh’ in The Zee Horror Show (1995), ‘Tamraj Kilvish’ in Shaktimaan (1997), ‘Kailashnath’ in Shagun (2001), ‘Guruji’ in Woh Rehne Waali Mehlon Ki Season 2 (2005) and ‘Prajapati Daksha’ in Devon Ke Dev…Mahadev (2011).
dispute
In 2019, Cobrapost listed him among the celebrities involved in paid promotions for political parties. When a Cobrapost team met Pal at the Lokhandwala Love & Latte coffee shop, he fell for the trap and agreed to do paid promotions for the BJP. When Cobrapost offered him an eight-month contract, under which he would post 15 messages on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for Rs 30 lakh per month, he readily agreed, saying:
Please make sure you abide by the contract for eight months and don’t let me give up halfway…If possible, you may still need it after eight months.”
Favorite things
- Travel destination: Rajasthan
- Music Genre: Rajasthani Folk
Facts and Trivia
- His full name is Surendra Pal Singh, nicknamed ‘Bhaiya’.
- He is half bald and wears a wig most of the time.
- He was just 26 years old when he played the role of Dronacharya in Mahabharata.
- He was very skeptical about playing the role of Dronacharya in Mahabharata as he was afraid that the role would typecast him in the industry.
- After his role in Mahabharata, it took him about 23 years to play the mythological character of ‘Prajapati Daksha’ in Devon Ke Dev…Mahadev (2011).
Surendra Pal plays Prajapati Daksha in Devon Ke Dev Mahadev
- After 50 episodes of Shaktimaan, the true face of Tamraj Kilvish was revealed.
- He experimented a lot with Tamraj Kilvish’s look and even used an old wig that he had worn in the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer film Khuda Gawah.
- He supports the BJP and often campaigns for the party in various elections across the country.
Surendra Pal campaigns for BJP in Rajasthan
- He loves dogs very much and has a pet dog named “Kaju”.
Surendra Pal and his pet dog Kaju
- He is also an athlete and enjoys playing polo in his spare time.
Surendra Pal in a Polo dress
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education