Anirudh Agarwal

Aniruddh "Ajay" Agarwal (born 20 December 1949) is an Indian retired actor. He is known for his appearances in horror films such as Purana Mandir, Bandh Darwaza, and Saamri as well as starring in episodes of Zee Horror Show.

Early life and education During his school and college years, Agarwal was a sports ambassador. He studied Civil Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, before graduating in 1974. He moved to Mumbai, where he initially started working as an engineer but quit his job to begin his acting career.

Career

Due to his somewhat intimidating appearance, caused by a tumor near his pituitary gland, Agarwal starred in Hindi films and television as demonic/ghostly characters or villains in general. He most notably worked with the Ramsay brothers, first starring in their film Purana Mandir as Samri, then as the vampire Nevla in Bandh Darwaza and once again as Samri in Saamri. He also featured in two Hollywood films; playing a supporting antagonist in Stephen Sommers' 1994 live action adaptation of The Jungle Book and later briefly appearing in Such a Long Journey.

And in 1994, when he was approached by Shekhar Kapur for the role of Babu Gujjar in Bandit Queen, it was a defining moment as he got the right opportunity to demonstrate his versatility as an artist. He later joined hands with his friends Aamir Khan for Mela in 2000 and with Akshay Kumar for Talash: The Hunt Begins in 2003.

Following a cameo in Mallika in 2010, Agarwal retired from acting due to film roles becoming scarce.

Filmography Year Film RoleNotes 1982 Teri Maang Sitaron Se Bhar Doon 1984 Purana Mandir Samri 1984 Awaaz Malhotra's Henchman 1985 3D Saamri Dharmesh Saxena 'Samri' 1986 Allah Rakha Gorilla fighter 1986 Avinash Pratap's Henchman 1988 Kasam Mar Mitenge 1989 Jaadugar 1989 Ram Lakhan Jeeva 1990 Tum Mere Ho Kaalu Sapera 1990 Bandh Darwaza Nevla 1990 Aaj Ka Arjun 1992 Tahalka Dong's Henchman 1993 Gopalaa Vikraal, Prisoner in Jail 1994 Bandit Queen Babu Gurjjar The Jungle Book Tabaqui English film 1995 Trimurti Talaf 1998 Such a Long Journey English film 1999 Dulhan Bani Daayan Not known 2000 Mela Kaali 2003 Talaash: The Hunt Begins Passenger on Train Palanati Brahmanaidu Telugu film 2007 Journey Bombay to Goa Laughter Unlimited Junglee 2010 Mallika Samri 2010 Bachao: Inside Bhoot Hai

Television Zee Horror Show (1993) Tu Tu Main Main (1994) Mano Ya Na Mano (1995) Shaktimaan (1997) Hudd Kar Di (1999)