Happy birthday, Raghubir Yadav: Revisiting earliest films of thespian-actor
Veteran thespian-actor-composer-singer Raghubir Yadav is celebrating his 66th birthday on Sunday. He has been entertaining us for as long as we can remember, and from playing pivotal characters in notable films to acting in Academy Award-nominated dramas to reinventing himself through Panchayat, he has done it all! In his over three-decade-long sprint, he has repeatedly proved his versatility. Let's explore his earliest film roles.
'Massey Sahib' (1985)
Yadav's debut film Massey Sahib was directed by Pradip Krishen and released in 1985. Based on the novel Mister Johnson, it co-starred Arundhati Roy, Barry John, and Virendra Saxena. A critically acclaimed film that announced the arrival of Yadav, it helped him win the IFFI Silver Peacock for Best Actor Award and the FIPRESCI Critics' Prize for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival.
'Salaam Bombay!' (1988)
In 1988, Yadav appeared in Mira Nair's Salaam Bombay!, which subsequently received a nomination in the Best International Feature Film category at the 61st Oscars. The film earned plaudits for its portrayal of the life of kids living in the slums of Mumbai. Yadav essayed the role of Chillum, a drug pusher and addict, and shone brightly in this multistarrer decked with notable names.
'Bandit Queen' (1994)
Shekhar Kapur's Bandit Queen was another landmark film that proved crucial to Yadav's success. This action-adventure biographical film was based on the book India's Bandit Queen: The True Story of Phoolan Devi by Mala Sen and was led by Seema Biswas, Nirmal Pandey, and Govind Namdev, among others. In his review, Jonathan Rosenbaum called it "an eye-filling and often stirring movie."
'Dharavi' (1992)
Another memorable early film in Yadav's oeuvre is Dharavi, which boasts an impressive ensemble of Shabana Azmi, Om Puri, Madhuri Dixit, and Anil Kapoor. Directed and written by Sudhir Mishra, the drama follows the life of a down-on-his-luck taxi driver who tries to break out of the rut of poverty. It won three National Film Awards. You can watch it on JioCinema or MUBI.
