Wrestler-actor Dara Singh was born in a Jat-Sikh family to Surat Singh and Balwant Kaur on November 19, 1928 in village Dharmuchak, Amritsar, Punjab, which was then a part of British India. He breathed his last on July 12, 2012 at his home in Mumbai.

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Wrestler-actor Dara Singh was born in a Jat-Sikh family to Surat Singh and Balwant Kaur on November 19, 1928 in village Dharmuchak, Amritsar, Punjab, which was then a part of British India. He breathed his last on July 12, 2012 at his home in Mumbai. (BCCL/Jaswinder Singh)

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Since his childhood, Dara was encouraged to take up wrestling due to his brawny physique. (BCCL)

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Dara Singh wrestled with legends and defeated champions from the USA, Singapore and Commonwealth countries. (BCCL)

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Dara Singh was bestowed with the title of Rustam-E-Punjab in 1966 and Rustam-E-Hind in 1954. In 1996, he was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame. (BCCL)

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After taking the wrestling world by storm, Dara Singh also tried in luck in Indian film industry in 1950s. (BCCL)

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Dara Singh started his acting career with Sangdil in 1952 and was known for a string of action films like King Kong, Sher-E-Watan and Faulad and had Mumtaz as his leading lady in sixteen Hindi films. (BCCL)

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Dara Singh directed seven Punjabi films of which Nanak Dukhiya Sub Sansar, Sawa Lakh Se Ek Ladaun, Rab Dian Rakha and Dhyanu Bhagat were a commercial success. He also produced two films Bhakti Mein Shakti and Karan. (BCCL)

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At the fag end of his cinematic career, Dara Singh played the role of Hanuman in Ramanand Sagar's epic TV series Ramayan. He was also seen in Had Kar Di and Kyaa Hoga Nimmo Kaa on small screen. (BCCL)

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