# Mohan Choti
**Mohan Choti** (मोहन चोटी; born Mohan Rakshakar, 1 January 1935 – 1 February 1992) was an Indian actor and comedian who worked in Hindi films from the early 1950s to the early 1990s, playing comic supporting parts alongside the era's leading stars.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0159269/) • [2](https://www.cinemaazi.com/public/people/mohan-choti?ctr=1171&filterBy=m&people=&search=) His screen name came from a character he played in the 1957 film *Musafir*, and he went on to appear in roughly 280 to 300 films over a career of about four decades.[3](https://www.jagran.com/entertainment/bollywood-who-was-mohan-choti-the-indian-comedian-and-how-he-got-his-screen-name-choti-lesser-known-facts-23766802.html) • [2](https://www.cinemaazi.com/public/people/mohan-choti?ctr=1171&filterBy=m&people=&search=)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 January 1935; sources give Jaipur, Rajasthan[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0159269/) or Amravati, Maharashtra[3](https://www.jagran.com/entertainment/bollywood-who-was-mohan-choti-the-indian-comedian-and-how-he-got-his-screen-name-choti-lesser-known-facts-23766802.html) |
| Birth name | Mohan Rakshakar; father Atmaram Rakshakar was a police constable[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0159269/bio/) • [3](https://www.jagran.com/entertainment/bollywood-who-was-mohan-choti-the-indian-comedian-and-how-he-got-his-screen-name-choti-lesser-known-facts-23766802.html) |
| Screen name origin | Character named Mohan Choti in *Musafir* (1957), a tea shop delivery boy with a "choti" (lock of hair) on his head[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0159269/bio/) |
| Break | *Shikast* (1953), filling in when the comedian Jagdeep could not report for shooting[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0159269/bio/) |
| Output | About 280 films by one count[3](https://www.jagran.com/entertainment/bollywood-who-was-mohan-choti-the-indian-comedian-and-how-he-got-his-screen-name-choti-lesser-known-facts-23766802.html), approximately 300 by another[2](https://www.cinemaazi.com/public/people/mohan-choti?ctr=1171&filterBy=m&people=&search=); IMDb lists 361 actor credits[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0159269/) |
| As filmmaker | Directed and produced *Dhoti Lota Aur Chowpatty* (1975) and *Hunterwali 77* (1977), both commercial failures[2](https://www.cinemaazi.com/public/people/mohan-choti?ctr=1171&filterBy=m&people=&search=) |
| Died | 1 February 1992 in Mumbai, of jaundice and cirrhosis of the liver[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0159269/bio/) |
## Name
The name Mohan Choti came from a fictional character of the same name in the 1957 film *Musafir*, directed by [Hrishikesh Mukherjee](https://www.edgepedia.org/hrishikesh-mukherjee), in which Choti plays a tea shop delivery boy who sports a "choti", the traditional lock of hair worn on the top of the head.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0159269/bio/) He appears in the credits of *Musafir* under that character name, playing a character called Mohan Choti.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050734/fullcredits/) After the film he kept the name for the rest of his career, becoming known in [Hindi cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindi-cinema) as Mohan Choti rather than Mohan Rakshakar.[3](https://www.jagran.com/entertainment/bollywood-who-was-mohan-choti-the-indian-comedian-and-how-he-got-his-screen-name-choti-lesser-known-facts-23766802.html) One film-history project, Cinemaazi, instead attributes the adopted name to his role in *Bluff Master* (1963), and notes that alternate sources give his birth name as Mohan Atmaram Deshmukh.[2](https://www.cinemaazi.com/public/people/mohan-choti?ctr=1171&filterBy=m&people=&search=) A Hindi film retrospective also connects the nickname to a 1957 children's film, *Hum Panchhi Ek Daal Ke*, in which he appeared with a choti.[6](https://swapnilsansar.org/2024/02/mohanchoti24/)
## Early life and entry into films
Accounts of his birthplace differ. IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes record Jaipur, Rajasthan, as his birthplace,[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0159269/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/mohan_choti) while the Hindi-language newspaper [Dainik Jagran](https://www.edgepedia.org/dainik-jagran) and the Marathi cultural site Swapnil Sansar place his birth in Amravati district, [Maharashtra](https://www.edgepedia.org/maharashtra), and describe him in childhood as Mohan Gorakhshankar or, in other tellings, Mohan Atmaram Deshmukh.[3](https://www.jagran.com/entertainment/bollywood-who-was-mohan-choti-the-indian-comedian-and-how-he-got-his-screen-name-choti-lesser-known-facts-23766802.html) • [6](https://swapnilsansar.org/2024/02/mohanchoti24/) The actress Tabassum said in an interview that he had run away from [Rajasthan](https://www.edgepedia.org/rajasthan).[3](https://www.jagran.com/entertainment/bollywood-who-was-mohan-choti-the-indian-comedian-and-how-he-got-his-screen-name-choti-lesser-known-facts-23766802.html)
**Pavement to studio floor.** He ran away to Bombay at a young age and lived on the pavement opposite a film studio, together with other children who were called whenever a production needed a crowd.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0159269/bio/) His break came with *Shikast* (1953), when the popular comedian Jagdeep was unable to report for shooting and Choti was fitted into the small role.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0159269/bio/) The role went unnoticed, but it opened the path to [Bimal Roy](https://www.edgepedia.org/bimal-roy)'s films, including *Musafir* and *Devdas*.[6](https://swapnilsansar.org/2024/02/mohanchoti24/) Jagran dates his first credited film to 1954, at age 19, with *Jagriti*.[3](https://www.jagran.com/entertainment/bollywood-who-was-mohan-choti-the-indian-comedian-and-how-he-got-his-screen-name-choti-lesser-known-facts-23766802.html)
## Film career
From the 1950s through the early 1990s Choti was a regular fixture in Hindi films, appearing in small comic parts alongside major actors.[2](https://www.cinemaazi.com/public/people/mohan-choti?ctr=1171&filterBy=m&people=&search=) His credits include *Kaagaz Ke Phool* (1959), *Anpadh* (1962), in which he played the younger Kalu, *Taj Mahal* (1963), *Pooja Ke Phool* (1964), in which he played Katpatia, *Love in Tokyo* (1966), *Upkar* (1967), in which he played Mangal, *Amar Prem* (1972), *Dream Girl* (1977), *Naseeb* (1981), *Tohfa* (1984), and *Thanedaar* (1990).[2](https://www.cinemaazi.com/public/people/mohan-choti?ctr=1171&filterBy=m&people=&search=) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0159269/) He shared the screen with comic actors such as Mehmood and [Tun Tun](https://www.edgepedia.org/tun-tun), and worked with stars including [Dilip Kumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/dilip-kumar), Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, Dharmendra, Jeetendra, and [Mithun Chakraborty](https://www.edgepedia.org/mithun-chakraborty).[2](https://www.cinemaazi.com/public/people/mohan-choti?ctr=1171&filterBy=m&people=&search=) • [6](https://swapnilsansar.org/2024/02/mohanchoti24/) A survey of Hindi film comedy places him among the limited-footage comedians of the studio era, alongside Paintal and Jugnu.[8](https://www.orissapost.com/no-place-for-comedy-where-are-the-comedians-in-modern-hindi-films/) A 1979 study of the Hindi film industry counts him among the comedians who began as junior artists and rose to prominence, a path that drew thousands of young aspirants to Bombay.[9](https://archive.nyu.edu/bitstream/2451/33878/2/The%20Missing%203%20in%20Bollywood.pdf)
## Director and producer
In the mid-1970s Choti moved behind the camera. He produced and directed *Dhoti Lota Aur Chowpatty* (1975), a comedy with a large cast and many guest appearances, including [Dharmendra](https://www.edgepedia.org/dharmendra), Helen, Sanjeev Kumar, Mehmood, Farida Jalal, Jagdeep, and Tun Tun.[2](https://www.cinemaazi.com/public/people/mohan-choti?ctr=1171&filterBy=m&people=&search=) • [10](https://erosnow.com/people/movies/mohan-choti) He followed it with *Hunterwali 77* (1977), whose cast featured Asrani, Bindu, Helen, Aruna Irani, Kader Khan, and Choti himself.[2](https://www.cinemaazi.com/public/people/mohan-choti?ctr=1171&filterBy=m&people=&search=) The composer [Anu Malik](https://www.edgepedia.org/anu-malik) began his film music career with *Hunterwali*.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0159269/bio/) Both films failed, and *Hunterwali 77* is said to have rendered Choti bankrupt.[2](https://www.cinemaazi.com/public/people/mohan-choti?ctr=1171&filterBy=m&people=&search=)
## Later years and death
After the failures of his own productions, work became harder to find as a new generation of stars arrived in the 1980s.[6](https://swapnilsansar.org/2024/02/mohanchoti24/) He tried to launch his son Hemant as a hero, but the announced film was shelved after its launch, and he later ran a small eatery in Mumbai to earn a living.[2](https://www.cinemaazi.com/public/people/mohan-choti?ctr=1171&filterBy=m&people=&search=) He was married to Mrs. Sheela Mohan Choti, with whom he had two children.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0159269/bio/) Choti died on 1 February 1992 in Mumbai from jaundice and cirrhosis of the liver; one retrospective gives his age as 52.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0159269/bio/) • [6](https://swapnilsansar.org/2024/02/mohanchoti24/) Posthumous releases continued for several years, with credits in films such as *Teri Payal Mere Geet* (1993), *Do Fantoosh* (1994), and *Gehra Raaz* (1995).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0159269/)
## References
1. [Mohan Choti, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0159269/)
2. [Mohan Choti – Artists, Cinemaazi](https://www.cinemaazi.com/public/people/mohan-choti?ctr=1171&filterBy=m&people=&search=)
3. [कौन थे Mohan Choti? 280 फिल्में करने वाले कॉमेडियन का कैसे पड़ा था अतरंगी नाम 'चोटी', Dainik Jagran](https://www.jagran.com/entertainment/bollywood-who-was-mohan-choti-the-indian-comedian-and-how-he-got-his-screen-name-choti-lesser-known-facts-23766802.html)
4. [Mohan Choti - Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0159269/bio/)
5. [Musafir (1957) - Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050734/fullcredits/)
6. [एक थे मोहन चोटी, Swapnil Sansar](https://swapnilsansar.org/2024/02/mohanchoti24/)
7. [Mohan Choti Movies List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/mohan_choti)
8. [No place for comedy: Where are the comedians in modern Hindi films?, OrissaPOST](https://www.orissapost.com/no-place-for-comedy-where-are-the-comedians-in-modern-hindi-films/)
9. [The Missing 3 in Bollywood, NYU Archive](https://archive.nyu.edu/bitstream/2451/33878/2/The%20Missing%203%20in%20Bollywood.pdf)
10. [Mohan Choti movies, Eros Now](https://erosnow.com/people/movies/mohan-choti)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of South Asia › Indian screen actors, silent to 1960s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license