New Delhi. 'Mast raho, jiyat raho, jitta raho, Mahadev!' This is what 'Mann Ki Awaaz: Pratigya's 'Thakur Sajjan' Singh aka Anupam Shyam Ojha used to say to those who met him. He would have been 67 years old on 20 September but unfortunately this artist who created excitement with his negative role said goodbye to the world in 2021 itself.
Anupam Shyam Ojha became a hit by presenting himself to the audience in a typical Allahabadi style. He was also well educated. He was an exceptional artist. He showed his prowess in excellent films on the big screen for years. He came to the notice of a certain class in films like Bandit Queen, Shakti, Sardari Begum, Tamanna but the TV serial 'Mann Ki Awaaz: Pratigya' gave him the taste of success after decades. He became famous in every household and instilled fear of Pratigya's father-in-law Sajjan Singh in the people. People fell in love with his limping walk, long beard and typical Allahabadi Dabangg character. This show ran well and also gave Anupam Shyam a new position.
Anupam was born on 20 September 1957 in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh and died on 8 August 2021 in Mumbai at the age of 63 due to multi-organ failure. The treatment was long. He was on dialysis. The financial condition also got a little shaky. So the Dabangg Sajjan Singh did not hesitate to ask for help. Helping hands were also extended. Not only the co-actors but UP CM Yogi Adityanath also gave 20 lakhs.
Born in Pratapgarh but learnt theatre in Lucknow, he had a special bond with Varanasi too. His maternal grandparents lived here. He used to say that he spent his childhood here. This is the reason why he had no problem when he was offered the serial Pratigya. The NSD pass out used to say that he knew the style of different cities of UP, many languages of UP are ingrained in every pore of his body…since Sajjan was from Allahabad, he portrayed himself in the Allahabadi style. Indeed, whenever this Dabangg Thakur was seen on screen, he seemed to be enjoying it, living it.
Anupam Shyam, who played negative characters on screen, was very polite. He loved his dialect so much that he used to behave in the same way with his co-actors even on the sets. This artist is still alive in the Hindi cinema world through Desi and foreign films like 'Slumdog Millionaire', 'The Warrior', 'Thread', 'Shakti', 'Halla Bol', 'Raktcharitra', 'Jai Ganga'!
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– /city before newspaper
Image Credit: Khas-khabar.