Motilal was an Indian actor who won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for Devdas (1955) and Parakh (1960), and is regarded as one of Hindi cinema’s first natural actors.

Motilal once visited Sagar Studio to watch a film shoot by director K. P. Ghosh, who was impressed by him. In 1934, The Sagar Film Company offered him the hero’s role in Shaher Ka Jadoo. He later worked with Mehboob Khan in Jagirdar (1937) and Hum Tum Aur Woh (1938) under the Sagar Movietone banner, and in Taqdeer (1943) for Mehboob Productions.

He collaborated with Kidar Sharma in Arman (1942) and Kaliyan (1944), and later appeared in S. S. Vasan’s Paigham (1959).

The role that earned Motilal his greatest critical acclaim was that of the gentleman crook in S. S. Vasan’s Mr. Sampat, based on R. K. Narayan’s 1949 novel Mr. Sampath – The Printer of Malgudi. His performance received rave reviews, with journalist Avijit Ghosh describing it in his book Bollywood Classics You May Have Missed as “the performance of a lifetime.”

Motilal’s performance in the light comedy Teen Sau Din Baad was among his best. For one outdoor scene, he polished shoes at Bori Bunder, an act that helped cement his reputation as a natural actor. He performed so convincingly that it was hard to tell he was acting, and the twinkle in his eyes along with his effortless mannerisms made him especially appealing to audiences.

He is most remembered for his portrayal of Chunni Babu in Bimal Roy’s Devdas (1955). A character who introduces Devdas to alcohol and a dancing girl could easily have come across as negative, but Motilal infused him with charm and moral neutrality, creating a memorable, nuanced performance that earned him his first Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.

He also wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the film Chhoti Chhoti Baten (1965), which explores themes of humanity, compassion, social responsibility, trust, and the importance of money and relationships. At the 13th National Film Awards, the film received the Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Feature Film and the Certificate of Merit for Best Story Writer.

Motilal once summed up his screen career with characteristic humor: “Married a hundred times, died almost twice, was never born, but always brought down by a parachute.”

He appeared in over 60 films, with at least 30 in leading roles. Film director Sudhir Mishra remarked, “He deserves to be reintroduced to a new generation of filmgoers. There should be a retrospective of his best work. Motilal should be studied in acting schools because he is one of the all-time greats of Indian cinema.”

In 2013, as part of the celebrations marking 100 years of Indian cinema, the Government of India issued a postage stamp in his honor.

Photos courtesy Google. Excerpts taken from Google.