Behind one of Bollywood's most heart-wrenching films, Dosti, lies an equally moving real-life story: that of actor Sushil Kumar, who played the character Ramnath and became a household name overnight when the film ruled cinema halls in 1964.
Born in Karachi, raised after a difficult migration
Sushil Kumar was born on July 4, 1945, in Karachi. After the partition, his Sindhi family left everything behind and moved to India, where rebuilding a life from scratch was far from easy. Money was tight at home, but Sushil had loved dance and acting since he was a child. To help ease the family's financial troubles, his mother agreed to let him work in films. He began his career in 1958 with a Sindhi film and went on to prove himself as a child actor in several more productions.
How Dosti happened
Sushil Kumar's fortunes changed when Tarachand Barjatya, the owner of Rajshri Productions, was scouting new faces for Dosti. Barjatya's daughter had watched Sushil act in a film and recommended his name to her father. Rajshri Productions signed him on a three year contract. He was paid a monthly salary of Rs 300, a sum that looks tiny today but was a major financial cushion for a newcomer actor and his family at the time.
A blockbuster, then a quiet exit from acting
When Dosti hit theatres, it shattered existing success records. The simple, understated pairing of Sushil Kumar and Sudhir Kumar moved audiences to tears. Songs sung by Mohammad Rafi and the music of Laxmikant Pyarelal turned the film into a classic, one that went on to win a National Award along with several Filmfare awards. Despite the blockbuster success, the offers that came Sushil Kumar's way afterward never quite worked out. He eventually chose to walk away from films, completed his education, and took up a job with Air India.
Back in front of the camera, this time as a flight purser
In an interesting twist, when the film Heera Panna was being shot aboard a flight, Sushil Kumar appeared on camera in his real-life role as a flight purser. He retired from his Air India job in 2003 and now leads a quiet life.
