On his upcoming 97th birth anniversary, 19^th November 2025, Monojit Lahiri revisits the extraordinary life and legacy of Dara Singh — the original Indian Superman whose strength, humility, and desi pride continue to inspire generations beyond wrestling and cinema.

As India celebrates Dara Singh’s 97th birth anniversary on 19 November 2025, we remember the legendary wrestler, actor, and national icon who redefined Indian masculinity with grace, humility, and power. From defeating global wrestling greats as Rustam-e-Hind to dazzling Bollywood in over 120 films and immortalizing Hanuman in Ramayan, Dara Singh’s journey remains unmatched. Honoured with the Padma Shri and later serving as Rajya Sabha MP, he personified strength rooted in simplicity and pride in tradition. His life continues to inspire generations, proving that true heroism lies in courage, compassion, and conviction.  

"There are pehelwans, wrestlers, bodybuilders and towering musclemen — but yaar, there is only one Dara Singh. Daraji da jwaab nahin, by gaad!" These passionate outpourings from my friend Sukhwinder, a great fan, suddenly return on hearing of the demise of the Grand Old Man of Indian wrestling.

However, as an elitist, westernized and Bollywood mainstream junkie of Mumbai's mid-sixties, connected big-time to Yahoo Kapoor and God Elvis, these raves left me and most of my buddies cold. Sukhi however was not one to give up and forced us to see a Dara-starrer. Frankly, I can't remember whether it was Hercules, Tarzan Comes to Delhi or Aandhi Aur Toofan, but, yes, this dude was something else, as was the genre of movies he showcased.

Teaming up with a buxom, glam, very young and raw Mumtaz (a planet away from the dazzling A-lister of the 70s), the friendly Amazon from Amritsar did provide full-on paisa wasool entertainment of a kind that may not have exactly mesmerized the urban elite but certainly would strike a chord to anyone who went into the darkened hall with an open mind and a willing suspension of disbelief. Admittedly, it was a far cry from the Steve Reeves version of Hercules we had seen… or most of the stuff we loved and patronized, but kucch baat thi. Sukhi was right and perhaps there is no better time to try and evaluate what made Dara Singh, in one fell swoop, a hybrid of myth and folklore, fantasy, metaphor, legend and history, all rolled into one.

From Akhada to Bollywood

Born Deedar Singh Randhawa on 19 November 1928 in Dharmuchak village, Amritsar district, Punjab, Dara Singh grew up in a humble Sikh farming family where hard work and discipline were part of daily life. His fascination with physical fitness began early, shaping his destiny toward wrestling — a path that would make him an icon of India’s strength and self-belief.

Trained in the traditional akhadas of Punjab and nourished on desi ghee and lassi, Dara Singh rose to prominence in the 1940s and ’50s when he won the titles of Rustam-e-Punjab (1951) and Rustam-e-Hind (1954). His fame reached global heights when he defeated several international wrestlers, including the massive Australian King Kong in 1959, in front of a euphoric crowd in Calcutta. For a newly independent nation yearning for heroes, this was not just a wrestling victory — it was a symbolic triumph of Indian willpower and grit over colonial superiority.

When he transitioned to cinema in the late 1950s, his legend preceded him. He acted in more than 120 films, including King Kong (1962), Rustom-E-Baghdad (1963), Aandhi Aur Toofan (1964), Faulad (1963), and Tarzan Comes to Delhi (1965). He and Mumtaz became one of the most popular screen pairs of the era, starring in over 16 films together, creating a unique blend of action, myth, and melodrama. Long before the era of dishum-dishum choreographed fights and special effects, Dara Singh was the real deal — a man who performed his stunts himself, lifting villains with ease and embodying the pure power of Indian masculinity.

  

The Gentle Giant’s Legacy

Let’s begin with what Dara Singh stood for. For one, strength of body, nobility of mind, respect for the gods, and most importantly, an unabashed commitment to all that is purely Bharatiya. No one celebrated with such patriotic pride the power of desi ghee as the real thing. He personified brand values like basic masculinity, rigour, discipline, loyalty and was encased in a strong moral code.

While the snobs may scoff, they need to be reminded that this was unique because it symbolized power not as brute force wanting to bash up and rule the world in a tyrannical or egotistical way — but as a reservoir of strength that celebrated protection of an existing way of life; as an instrument of courage and bravery that fought and destroyed all that was evil, unjust or wrong.

His image — rustic, strong, Indian, gentle, chivalrous and protective — became ample raw material for filmmakers to explore and exploit. Long before Dharmendra glamorised the He-Man persona or Amitabh Bachchan elevated it with his “Angry Young Man” avatar, Dara Singh’s macho-giri held centrestage.

Even after Bollywood heroes began to blitz screens with stylized action sequences, small-town audiences — suspicious and unfamiliar with secular modernity — continued to prefer and patronize Dara Singh’s films. For them, he was the authentic desi hero, made of maa ka khana and desi ghee, not a product of artificial muscle-building.

On television, he achieved immortality as Hanuman in Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan (1987), a portrayal so powerful and pure that it remains etched in India’s collective memory. Later, he took on character roles in films like Mera Naam Joker (1970), Anand (1971), Dharam Karam (1975), and Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), proving that the gentle giant could also embody tenderness and depth.

Beyond cinema, Dara Singh was a respected public figure — serving as a Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament (2003–2009), advocating for sports and rural welfare. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1998, honouring his contributions to Indian sport and culture.

At his passing in 2012, the nation grieved deeply. Sportsmen, wrestlers and Bollywood stars — apart from the usual noises made by netas — spontaneously and collectively doffed their hats to a great Indian and a glorious human being. As Social Commentator Santosh Desai observed, “When force translates into power and musculature into a profitable commodity, Dara Singh showed us that this need not be the case. To be strong can be as much about what you withhold — what you choose not to do — as it is about your actions.”

That was the iconic, loved and respected Dara Singh — a man who lived by his values, embodied his roots, and defined Indian strength not through aggression but through grace. On his 97th birth anniversary, we celebrate not just a wrestler, actor, or legend — but a symbol of India’s spirit, forged in humility, discipline and belief.

Dara ji da jwaab nahin!