Brijendra Kala – The shabbily dressed uncle in Ankhon Dekhi

Brijendra Kala is a well-known character artist of Bollywood cinema associated with Bollywood since 2003. He bagged his first acting role through Bollywood movie, Haasil and is known for his screen presence in Hindi cinema since then. He plays very simple and common man roles on screen of which his roles as a small-time journalist in Paan Singh Tomar and a shabbily dressed uncle in Ankhon Dekhi are most noted ones. His realistic roles representing middle class make him a favourite of every director who deals with similar kind of films.  

A native of Mathura, he has been a stage actor for long 17 years before he got into movies. Though he applied at NSD as well as Shri Ram Centre for Performing Arts both in Delhi, due to some silly issues, he missed both opportunities and finally he moved to Mumbai in 1992 to try his luck in films. Yet he had to wait for more than a decade to get the first film role through Haasil. He worked as an assistant screenwriter and dialogue writer for TV shows in the 1990s under Achala Ashar.

After playing a brief role in Haasil, he got his first major break through Jab We Met in 2007, where he played a taxi driver. His struggling days in Mumbai ended there and with early 2010s he gained momentum in the industry. Now he is one of the most sought and popular character artists of Bollywood, and his roles in Ankhon Dekhi and Paan Singh Tomar boosted his career a lot. He played noted roles in Jannat 2, Jolly LLB 2, Kuku Mathur Ki Jhand Ho Gayi, Agneepath, PK, Tubelight, Running Shaadi, Dolly Ki Doli, Meeruthiya Gangsters, M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, Zero, Fryday, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga and Rustom.

Brijendra Kala – Some interesting and less-known facts

1. Though mostly known as a character artist of big screen, he is also a dialogue writer of TV shows. He wrote dialogues for 7 shows of Balaji Telefilms produced by Ekta Kapoor.

2. He got into entertainment field as a dialogue writer, before receiving first break to films through a bit role in Haasil.

3. He played the brief role of a newspaper vendor in his debut flick Haasil.

4. He struggled in Mumbai for nearly two decades to get the real break to acting, and he grew as a successful actor over the years slowly and steadily.

5. As a supporting actor, many of his roles are not replaceable, as he put his signature style in them.

6. Though associated with Bollywood through Haasil, he has earlier made his debut through Brij Bhasha language film, Brij Kou Briju.

7. Even if he plays small roles for big films, his roles have always been recognized in the recent times.

8. Kala played the commentator Shukla in biopic sports drama, M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story and played the role of a vendor in PK.