Om Puri Family Tree: The Story Behind India's Working-Class Hero

Om Rajesh Puri, born 18 October 1950 in Ambala, Punjab, India, was one of India's most-acclaimed character actors — National Film Award for Best Actor (Arohan 1983; Ardh Satya 1984); Padma Shri (1990); Bollywood and crossover international (City of Joy, East is East, The Hundred-Foot Journey). He died 6 January 2017 at age 66.

The Family's Roots: A Punjabi Family in Ambala

The Puri family is from Ambala, Punjab.

His Parents

Father: Tara Chand Puri — Indian Railway employee.

Mother: Tara Devi Puri — homemaker.

His First Wife: Seema Kapoor

Seema Kapoor — actress; sister of comedian Annu Kapoor. Married Om in 1991; divorced 1991 (briefly).

His Wife: Nandita Puri

Nandita Puri — journalist; biographer (Unlikely Hero: The Story of Om Puri). Married Om on 15 April 1993; separated 2013.

Their Son

Ishaan Om Puri, born 2 June 1998 — son.

The Puri Family Tree at a Glance

Father: Tara Chand Puri — Indian Railway employee.

Mother: Tara Devi Puri.

First Wife: Seema Kapoor (briefly 1991).

Wife: Nandita Puri (m. 15 April 1993, sep. 2013).

Son: Ishaan Om Puri (b. 2 June 1998).

Om Puri:

  • Born 18 October 1950, Ambala
  • Government College (Hisar); Punjab University; FTII Pune (1973–76); National School of Drama, Delhi
  • Debut: Ghashiram Kotwal (1976, Marathi)
  • Major films: Aakrosh (1980 — Filmfare Best Supporting), Sadgati (1981), Arohan (1983 — National Award), Ardh Satya (1984 — National Award), Mirch Masala (1985), Mandi (1983), Bhavni Bhavai (1980), Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983), Maachis (1996), Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha (1998), Chachi 420 (1997), Hera Pheri (2000), Singh Is Kinng (2008), Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015), Dirty Politics (2015)
  • International: Gandhi (1982), City of Joy (1992), My Son the Fanatic (1997), East is East (1999), The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012), The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014), Charlie Wilson's War (2007), The Ghost and the Darkness (1996)
  • Padma Shri: 1990; Honorary OBE: 2004
  • Died 6 January 2017, Mumbai, age 66

What the Puri Family Story Teaches Us

A Railway-employee father. A homemaker mother. A first brief marriage. A second 20-year marriage. A son. A career across Bollywood and Hollywood/British cinema.

For every family — large or small, famous or otherwise — the Om Puri story carries the same lesson. Some Indian actors crossed into Hollywood British cinema with distinction. The 1990s British-Asian films include Om Puri across his family record.

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