On August 1, 1913, one of the finest actors of the Indian film industry, Bhagwan Dada was born as Bhagwan Abhaji Palav. Bhagwan Abhaji Palav, popularly known as Bhagwan dada, made his debut in the silent era with the film Criminal.
He was the son of a textile mill worker but was obsessed with films. He worked as a labourer but dreamt of films. His film ‘Albela’ with Geeta Bali was a super hit. The song ‘Shola jo bhadke’ is still popular. He lived his life like a king. But films like ‘Jhamela’ and ‘Labela’ shattered his dreams due to which he became bankrupt. He even had to sell his Juhu bungalow and seven cars, which he used one for each day of the week. He was forced to live in a chawl and died of a massive heart attack at his residence in 2002.
Take a look at some popular scenes of Bhagwan Dada: