When he said ‘Mogambo Khush Huya’ in the 1987 ‘Mr India’, little did he know that the dialogue would become a cult just like his film. Amrish Puri will always be remembered for his dominating screen presence and baritone voice, qualities that made him one of the most popular villains of his time.

From essaying the strict, yet soft-hearted ‘bauji’ in ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ to playing villains in ‘Damini’, ‘Karan Arjun’, Amrish Puri did 400 movies in his over a three-decade career. However, there are several facts about his filmography and personal life that are still not known.

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As June 22 marks the late actor’s 89th birth anniversary, let’s talk about some of the lesser-known facts about him.

‘Dilwale Dulhania..’ character was based on Amrish Puri’s father: Amrish Puri based the character of Kajol aka Simran’s Bauji’s character on his father, Nihalchand Puri. “It was something very close to his heart. It was a role which was written with my great grandfather in mind,” Amrish Puri’s grandson, Vardhan Puri told Koimoi.

“My grandfather told Aditya Chopra that I would like to base this character on his father Nihalchand Puri and he showed his pictures and imitated his way of speaking. Aditya Chopra said this is bang on and let’s play on it,” he added.

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Made his Bollywood debut at the age of 40

He debuted in Bollywood at the age of 40 with the 1970 film ‘Prem Pujari’, where he played the character of a henchman.

Amrish Puri played the villain in ‘Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom’

Amrish Puri played the villain, Mola Ram in Steven Spielberg’s 1984 film ‘Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom’, which also starred Harrison Ford and Kate Capshaw.

Steven Spielberg called him the greatest villain in the world

After the movie, Steven Spielberg wrote a letter to Amrish Puri. “Mr Amrish Puri will always be the greatest villain in the world and nothing can change that,” reads an excerpt from the letter.

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Amrish Puri was kind and polite in real life.

Vardhan Puri described his late grandfather as a ‘gentle giant’, a family man, a disciplined and dedicated artist who was one with nature. According to Vardhan, Amrish Puri’s friends used to call him ‘naughty, child-like side’

Obsession with Tom and Jerry

Vardhan said that Amrish Puri was completely obsessed with Tom & Jerry and would watch it for hours, he told Pinkvilla.