Mumbai: Paresh Rawal, who gave memorable films like Hera-Pheri and OMG – Oh My God! to the film industry, will celebrate his 65th birthday 30 May.
Paresh has done more than 200 films in his film career. He has played films ranging from comic roles to villains. Paresh married Swaroop Sampat, an actress and winner of the Miss India contest in 1979. The couple has two sons, Aditya and Anirudh.
In 1994, he won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in the films Woh Chokri and Sir. For the latter, he received his first Filmfare Award for Best Comedian. This was followed by Ketan Mehta’s Sardar, which saw him playing the lead role of freedom fighter Vallabhbhai Patel, a role that got him national and international acclaim.
On the occasion of his birthday, let us uncover some details of Paresh’s personal life. His wife Swaroop worked in the comedy TV show Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi which was well liked by the audience.
Swaroop acted in the 1984 film Karisma starring Kamal Haasan and Reena Roy. Swaroop also gave bikini scenes in the film which became talk of the town at the time. Apart from this, Swaroop has worked in films like Naram Garam (1981), Himmatwala (1983) Saathiya (2002), Saptapadii (2013) and Ki and Ka (2016).
Swaroop modeled for Shringar, a kumkum company. She teaches acting to disabled children. She was selected by the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to head an educational program for children. She was selected as one of the top 10 Global finalists for the Global Teacher Prize conducted by Varkey Foundation, amongst 10,000 nominations from 179 countries worldwide.
In one of her interviews, Swaroop had said that people did not believe when she won the contest of Miss India because she lived in a hut in the village for many years. Not only this, when Swaroop worked in films, she did not even look at mirror and she never used to discuss what she would wear in the film and what makeup she should use.
Regarding leaving the film industry, Swaroop had said that good movies had stopped being made after the 80s. She wanted to work in films like Sujata and Anuradha. But such films were not made again. After the film Himmatwala, she decided to leave the industry. Apart from teaching and social service, Swaroop has also written several books. Swaroop lives in Mumbai with husband Paresh and two sons.
