Birbal Khosla (1938-2023) was a veteran Indian actor. He is known for playing the supporting role of a prisoner in the Diamond Jubilee Bollywood film ‘Sholay’ (1975). In 2023, he died of cardiac arrest at the age of 84.
Wiki/Biography
Birbal Khosla was born as Satinder Kumar Khosla on Friday, 28 October 1938 (age 84 years; at the time of death) in Gurdaspur, Punjab, British India. His zodiac sign is Scorpio. He attended Hira Lal Jain Senior Secondary School in New Delhi. He studied at University of Delhi. When he was studying at college in Jalandhar, he used to watch films of Kishore Kumar after which he aspired to become an actor.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 8″
Hair Colour: Salt & Pepper
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
His father had a printing press in Punjab. He had two younger brothers and two younger sisters.
Wife & Children
His wife’s name is Neena Bhatia. The couple has a son named Santosh and a daughter named Shalini.
Career
He made his first appearance in a film when director Ram Dayal gave him a chance to be in a single shot of a song in his film ‘Raja.’ In 1966, he made his acting debut in a supporting role as Mohan’s batchmate in the Hindi film ‘Do Badan’ starring Manoj Kumar and Asha Parekh.
Poster of the 1966 Hindi film ‘Do Badan’
He hit the spotlight after he played the role of Baanchcharam in V. Shantaram’s 1967 film ‘Boond Jo Ban Gayi Moti.’ Birbal often acknowledged Raj Khosla and Manoj Kumar for his success, as he was featured in many of their films, including Upkar (1967), Mera Saaya (1966), Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971), Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (1974), and Kranti (1981). In 1970, he appeared as a circus surgeon in Raj Kapoor’s romantic drama film ‘Mera Naam Joker.’ He rose to prominence after he played the role of a prisoner with a half-shaven moustache in the popular 1975 Hindi film ‘Sholay’ starring Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra in lead roles.
Birbal Khosla in a still from the 1975 Hindi film ‘Sholay’
His last film was the 2022 Hindi comedy drama film ’10 Nahi 40′ in which he played the lead role of his own name.
Death
On 12 September 2023, he died of cardiac arrest at the Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai.
Facts/Trivia
- Birbal had acted in more than 500 films in multiple languages including Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi, and Bhojpuri.
- During the initial days of his acting career, he used to do small jobs and worked on daily wages.
- When he was shooting for the Hindi film ‘Anita’ (1967), actor Manoj Kumar and director Raj Khosla decided that his original name wasn’t suitable for the film industry, so they gave him the screen name ‘Birbal.’