# Om Prakash (ओम प्रकाश चिब्बर)
**Om Prakash** (ओम प्रकाश चिब्बर; born Om Prakash Chibber, 19 December 1919 – 12 February 1998) was an Indian character actor and comedian who worked in [Hindi cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindi-cinema) for roughly five decades, becoming one of the industry's most recognized supporting actors and comic performers.[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/feature/more-than-a-character-actor-om-prakash) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0695170/) Accounts of his birthplace differ: the film historian Gautam Chintamani, author of several books on Hindi cinema, records Jammu, while IMDb, an IANS profile, and the newspaper [Dainik Jagran](https://www.edgepedia.org/dainik-jagran) record Lahore, in pre-partition British India.[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/feature/more-than-a-character-actor-om-prakash) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0695170/) • [3](https://hindi.ianslive.in/80-rupaye-se-shuru-hua-safar-300-se-jyaada-filmon-mein-kaam-kuch-aisi-thi-om-prakash-ki-sangharsh-ki-kahani--20251218170501) • [4](https://www.jagran.com/entertainment/bollywood-vishesh-actor-om-prakash-life-story-films-wedding-amitabh-bachchan-and-many-more-40078223.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name and dates | Om Prakash Chibber, 19 December 1919 – 12 February 1998 (heart attack, Mumbai)[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/feature/more-than-a-character-actor-om-prakash) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0695170/) |
| Birthplace | Jammu per Cinemaazi; Lahore, British India, per IMDb, IANS, and Jagran[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/feature/more-than-a-character-actor-om-prakash) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0695170/) • [3](https://hindi.ianslive.in/80-rupaye-se-shuru-hua-safar-300-se-jyaada-filmon-mein-kaam-kuch-aisi-thi-om-prakash-ki-sangharsh-ki-kahani--20251218170501) |
| First screen role | *Daasi* (1944), cast by producer Dalsukh Pancholi, for a fee of 80 rupees[3](https://hindi.ianslive.in/80-rupaye-se-shuru-hua-safar-300-se-jyaada-filmon-mein-kaam-kuch-aisi-thi-om-prakash-ki-sangharsh-ki-kahani--20251218170501) |
| Radio years | Joined All India Radio in 1937 at 25 rupees a month, known on air as "Fateh Din"[3](https://hindi.ianslive.in/80-rupaye-se-shuru-hua-safar-300-se-jyaada-filmon-mein-kaam-kuch-aisi-thi-om-prakash-ki-sangharsh-ki-kahani--20251218170501) |
| Output | About 307 films per Navbharat Times, more than 310 per Doba Jedopahar, more than 300 per IANS; also directed two films and produced *Sanjog*, *Jahan Ara*, and *Gateway of India*[5](https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/photomazza/bollywood-hollywood-photogalleries/om-praksh-biography-in-hindi-actor-had-no-money-to-pay-hotel-bill-hungry-for-3-days/amp_photoshow/109285048.cms) • [6](https://epaper.dobajedopahar.com/media/2025-06/page-1-%2815%29_merged.pdf) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0695170/) • [3](https://hindi.ianslive.in/80-rupaye-se-shuru-hua-safar-300-se-jyaada-filmon-mein-kaam-kuch-aisi-thi-om-prakash-ki-sangharsh-ki-kahani--20251218170501) |
| Signature comic role | Ramlal in *Pyar Kiye Jaa* (1966), in the horror-story narration scene with Mehmood[7](https://artsandculture.google.com/story/comedians-in-hindi-cinema/tgVxrkmi7QQGLg?hl=en) |
| Award | The Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for *Aadmi Aur Insaan* (1969) went to Feroz Khan, not to Om Prakash[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0695170/) • [9](https://www.yashrajfilms.com/about-us/awards/all-awards/aadmi-aur-insaan) |
## Radio beginnings and entry into films
Om Prakash grew up drawn to acting, music, and the stage. He took part in [Ramlila](https://www.edgepedia.org/ramlila) performances as a child, his first stage role being Sita, and began learning classical music at the age of 12.[3](https://hindi.ianslive.in/80-rupaye-se-shuru-hua-safar-300-se-jyaada-filmon-mein-kaam-kuch-aisi-thi-om-prakash-ki-sangharsh-ki-kahani--20251218170501) In 1937 he joined [All India Radio](https://www.edgepedia.org/all-india-radio) at a salary of 25 rupees a month, broadcasting under the name Fateh Din, and his programs became popular in Lahore and Punjab.[3](https://hindi.ianslive.in/80-rupaye-se-shuru-hua-safar-300-se-jyaada-filmon-mein-kaam-kuch-aisi-thi-om-prakash-ki-sangharsh-ki-kahani--20251218170501)
His move into films came, by the account circulated in Hindi film writing, at a wedding where he was entertaining guests and the producer Dalsukh Pancholi noticed him. Pancholi cast him in *Daasi* (1944) for a fee of 80 rupees, and he followed it with *Dhamki* (1945) and *Aai Bahar* before partition.[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/feature/more-than-a-character-actor-om-prakash) • [3](https://hindi.ianslive.in/80-rupaye-se-shuru-hua-safar-300-se-jyaada-filmon-mein-kaam-kuch-aisi-thi-om-prakash-ki-sangharsh-ki-kahani--20251218170501) After India's independence he shifted to Bombay and, according to Chintamani's account, went through a difficult period finding acting work.[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/feature/more-than-a-character-actor-om-prakash) A villain's role in the 1949 film *Lakhpatti* brought him wider notice, after which he settled into supporting parts.[3](https://hindi.ianslive.in/80-rupaye-se-shuru-hua-safar-300-se-jyaada-filmon-mein-kaam-kuch-aisi-thi-om-prakash-ki-sangharsh-ki-kahani--20251218170501)
## Comic style and signature roles
Om Prakash worked steadily from the late 1940s until the late 1980s, holding his own on screen opposite the leading men of each generation.[7](https://artsandculture.google.com/story/comedians-in-hindi-cinema/tgVxrkmi7QQGLg?hl=en) Cinemaazi's profile of the comedians of Hindi cinema describes his humor as never rushed or slapstick, built instead on naturally funny nuances and precise timing.[7](https://artsandculture.google.com/story/comedians-in-hindi-cinema/tgVxrkmi7QQGLg?hl=en)
By the 1960s he was a familiar face, with memorable films including *Tere Ghar Ke Samne* (1963), *Cha Cha Cha* (1964), *Sadhu Aur Shaitaan* (1968), *Gauri* (1968), and *Padosan* (1968).[7](https://artsandculture.google.com/story/comedians-in-hindi-cinema/tgVxrkmi7QQGLg?hl=en) His most celebrated comic appearance came in *Pyar Kiye Jaa* (1966), in which Mehmood's character Atma narrates a horror-film story to his father Ramlal, played by Om Prakash, hoping he will finance it; the scene is counted among the funniest in Hindi cinema.[7](https://artsandculture.google.com/story/comedians-in-hindi-cinema/tgVxrkmi7QQGLg?hl=en)
He also found comedy in roles outside the traditional comedian's slot, in *Buddha Mil Gaya* (1971), *Apna Desh* (1972), *Joroo Ka Ghulam* (1972), and *Sagina* (1974).[7](https://artsandculture.google.com/story/comedians-in-hindi-cinema/tgVxrkmi7QQGLg?hl=en) In Hrishikesh Mukherjee's *[Chupke Chupke](https://www.edgepedia.org/chupke-chupke-1975-film)* (1975) he played Raghavendra Sharma, an English-hating lawyer driven to distraction by his brother-in-law, a botany professor played by [Dharmendra](https://www.edgepedia.org/dharmendra), who disguises himself as the Hindi-speaking chauffeur Pyare Mohan Allahabadi.[7](https://artsandculture.google.com/story/comedians-in-hindi-cinema/tgVxrkmi7QQGLg?hl=en)
Although he built his career as a supporting actor, he carried films as the central protagonist in *Dus Lakh* (1966), *Sadhu Aur Shaitaan* (1968), and *Annadata* (1972).[8](https://b4uentertainment.com/start-cast/om-prakash)
## Later career and the Amitabh Bachchan pairing
Audiences of a younger generation came to know him through his roles opposite [Amitabh Bachchan](https://www.edgepedia.org/amitabh-bachchan). In *[Namak Halaal](https://www.edgepedia.org/namak-halaal)* (1982) he played Bachchan's grandfather Dasrath Singh, called "Daddu," a performance that won him a new set of fans, and in *Sharaabi* (1984) he played Munshi Lal; both roles remain among those audiences remember him by.[7](https://artsandculture.google.com/story/comedians-in-hindi-cinema/tgVxrkmi7QQGLg?hl=en) • [3](https://hindi.ianslive.in/80-rupaye-se-shuru-hua-safar-300-se-jyaada-filmon-mein-kaam-kuch-aisi-thi-om-prakash-ki-sangharsh-ki-kahani--20251218170501) His other frequently cited films include *Jab Jab Phool Khile* (1965), *Gopi*, *Loafer*, *Amar Prem*, and *Zanjeer*.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0695170/) • [3](https://hindi.ianslive.in/80-rupaye-se-shuru-hua-safar-300-se-jyaada-filmon-mein-kaam-kuch-aisi-thi-om-prakash-ki-sangharsh-ki-kahani--20251218170501)
Beyond acting, he produced the films *Sanjog*, *Jahan Ara*, and *Gateway of India*, and IMDb credits him as director of *Kanhaiya* (1959) and *Duniya Gol Hai* (1955).[3](https://hindi.ianslive.in/80-rupaye-se-shuru-hua-safar-300-se-jyaada-filmon-mein-kaam-kuch-aisi-thi-om-prakash-ki-sangharsh-ki-kahani--20251218170501) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0695170/) The Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for *Aadmi Aur Insaan* (1969) went to Feroz Khan.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0695170/) • [9](https://www.yashrajfilms.com/about-us/awards/all-awards/aadmi-aur-insaan)
## Scale of the career and standing
Counts of his filmography vary with the source: a Navbharat Times profile puts it at about 307 films, another Hindi account at more than 310, and IANS at more than 300.[5](https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/photomazza/bollywood-hollywood-photogalleries/om-praksh-biography-in-hindi-actor-had-no-money-to-pay-hotel-bill-hungry-for-3-days/amp_photoshow/109285048.cms) • [6](https://epaper.dobajedopahar.com/media/2025-06/page-1-%2815%29_merged.pdf) • [3](https://hindi.ianslive.in/80-rupaye-se-shuru-hua-safar-300-se-jyaada-filmon-mein-kaam-kuch-aisi-thi-om-prakash-ki-sangharsh-ki-kahani--20251218170501) All agree on the order of magnitude: an acting career of roughly five decades, from the 1940s to films released as late as 1990.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0695170/)
His standing among colleagues is preserved in anecdotes from the era. [Dilip Kumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/dilip-kumar) is reported to have said that Om Prakash's acting in *Gopi* astonished him.[3](https://hindi.ianslive.in/80-rupaye-se-shuru-hua-safar-300-se-jyaada-filmon-mein-kaam-kuch-aisi-thi-om-prakash-ki-sangharsh-ki-kahani--20251218170501) He died of a heart attack in Mumbai on 12 February 1998, at the age of 78.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0695170/)
## References
1. [More Than a Character Actor: Om Prakash, Gautam Chintamani, Cinemaazi](https://www.cinemaazi.com/feature/more-than-a-character-actor-om-prakash)
2. [Om Prakash (1919–1998), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0695170/)
3. [80 रुपए से शुरू हुआ सफर, 300 से ज्यादा फिल्मों में काम, IANS Hindi](https://hindi.ianslive.in/80-rupaye-se-shuru-hua-safar-300-se-jyaada-filmon-mein-kaam-kuch-aisi-thi-om-prakash-ki-sangharsh-ki-kahani--20251218170501)
4. [25 रुपए की पहली सैलरी... ओमप्रकाश की अनकही कहानी, Dainik Jagran](https://www.jagran.com/entertainment/bollywood-vishesh-actor-om-prakash-life-story-films-wedding-amitabh-bachchan-and-many-more-40078223.html)
5. [ओम प्रकाश की अनकही कहानी, Navbharat Times](https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/photomazza/bollywood-hollywood-photogalleries/om-praksh-biography-in-hindi-actor-had-no-money-to-pay-hotel-bill-hungry-for-3-days/amp_photoshow/109285048.cms)
6. [मनोरंजन / खेल, Doba Jedopahar e-paper, June 2025](https://epaper.dobajedopahar.com/media/2025-06/page-1-%2815%29_merged.pdf)
7. [Comedians in Hindi Cinema, Cinemaazi via Google Arts & Culture](https://artsandculture.google.com/story/comedians-in-hindi-cinema/tgVxrkmi7QQGLg?hl=en)
8. [Om Prakash, B4U Entertainment](https://b4uentertainment.com/start-cast/om-prakash)
9. [Aadmi Aur Insaan Bags Filmfare Award For Best Supporting Actor - Yash Raj Films](https://www.yashrajfilms.com/about-us/awards/all-awards/aadmi-aur-insaan)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Indian and South Asian film actors by industry and language › Hindi film actors, 1930s–1960s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 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