What is Danny Denzongpa's net worth?
Danny Denzongpa is an Indian actor who has a net worth of $10 million. Danny Denzongpa primarily works in Hindi and occasionally in Bengali, Nepali, and Tamil films but has also starred in some international films, the most famous being Seven Years in Tibet where he appeared alongside Brad Pitt.
When it comes to playing the bad guy, he's got an extensive gallery that would make any villain jealous. From Dhund, 36 Ghante, Bandish, Jeeo Aur Jeene Do to Pyar Jhukta Nahin, Aandhi-Toofan and Enthiran he's been giving audiences the creeps for decades. He's equally talented at playing the good guy, charming viewers in flicks like Chor Machaye Shor, Fakira, Kalicharan, Devata, Bulundi, Adhikar, Aag Hi Aag and China Gate. Additionally, he has directed a a spine-chilling horror film called Phir Wahi Raat which fans consider among the top five best horror suspense films of Hindi Cinema.
Danny has received many awards in recognition of his contributions to the Hindi film industry over a successful career spanning five decades during which he has appeared in more than 190 films.
Early Life and Education
Tshering Phintso Denzongpa was born on 25 February 1948 in Yuksom, Sikkim, to a Nepali-speaking Bhutia family. Art was in Danny's blood from an early age. His hobbies included horse riding, painting, writing and sculpting. He started his education in Birla Vidya Mandir, Nainital and later attended St Joseph's College, Darjeeling where he graduated in 1964.
After college, he initially planned to enlist in the Indian Army but decided to join the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) instead. On recommendation from his then-classmate he changed his name to a simpler-sounding "Danny" as his original name was difficult for some to pronounce.
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Acting Career
Danny made his acting debut in 1971 in B.R. Ishara's Zaroorat which hit the screens the following year. The lanky newcomer was given another taste of the limelight in the 1971 film Gulzar's Mere Apne where he had a positive role. In his third film he played the antagonist in B.R.Chopra's 1973 thriller Dhundh.
In the '70s Danny had established himself as a charming second lead hero, often portraying the good guy in commercially successful and critically acclaimed films such as Chor Machaye Shor, 36 Ghante, Fakira, Kalicharan, Kaala Sona and Devata. However, it was Devata that truly ignited his career. After that, he was no longer just the dependable sidekick. Directors began seeing him in a new light and soon the juicy roles came rolling in, including villainous ones.
In the early 1980s Danny grew frustrated with the poorly written villainous roles he was offered and considered quitting films. However, the success of his directorial debut, the horror film Phir Wohi Raat, changed his mind. Following this he received offers to play the hero in films like Hum Se Badkar Kaun. Despite these promising opportunities most of his subsequent films between 1981 and 1983 failed to succeed. Disappointed by these setbacks, Danny started taking up supporting roles often portraying characters much older than his actual age.
He went back to playing the bad guy again in 1984 and through the 1990s mainly featuring as the villain opposite all the leading actors of that time like Rajesh Khanna and Sunny Deol. His most applauded villainous portrayals are as Kapil Kumar in Bandish(1980) and Ashok in Phir Wahi Raat(1980). His ability to breathe life into other characters like SP Kader in Dharm Aur Qanoon(1984) and Chatur Singh in Krantiveer(1994) has earned him a special place in Bollywood's Hall of Fame. And let's not forget his performances as Bakhtawar in Hum(1991) and Abhrush in Pukar(2000). But it's not just his acting chops that set him apart. His mastery of Urdu adds a layer of authenticity to his deliveries, making his characters all the more believably terrifying.
After increasingly playing negative lead roles director Rajkumar Santoshi gave Denzongpa a positive role in China Gate. This shift led him to take on more positive roles in films such as Lahu Ke Do Rang, Bulundi, Boxer, and 16 December. He has also appeared in several international films, most notably Seven Years in Tibet with Brad Pitt.
In early 2003 the veteran actor decided to take a break from acting due to a hunger for roles that would challenge him regardless of their moral alignment. This self-imposed exile lasted until 2009 with Denzongpa appearing in a mere handful of films during this period. But like a phoenix rising from the ashes he made a thunderous return to the silver screen in 2010 with the sci-fi spectacle Enthiran, marking his entry into Tamil cinema. Sharing the frame with the legendary Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai, Denzongpa sank his teeth into the role of Bohra, a brilliant but twisted scientist who transforms Rajinikanth's robotic creation Chitti into a force of destruction.
The success of Enthiran reignited Denzongpa's career, particularly in villainy roles. He soon found himself facing off against Bollywood's biggest names in high-octane blockbusters. 2014 saw him lock horns with Salman Khan in Jai Ho and match wits with Hrithik Roshan in Bang Bang.
His most recent appearance was in the 2015 hit Baby, co-starring Akshay Kumar. He played a coordinator, Feroz Khan and reprised the role in the film's spin-off prequel Naam Shabana.
Singing
Denzongpa might look like the tough guy on screen but he's a sweetheart with an amazing singing voice in real life. He has performed with Indian music legends such as Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi, and Asha Bhosle. His musical breakthrough came in 1972 when S.D. Burman recognized his singing abilities and conducted the daring experiment of making him sing his first duet with Lata Mangeshkar in Yeh Gulistan Hamara (1972). His popularity as a singer continued rising through to the '90s especially in Nepal and parts of India like Darjeeling, Sikkim and Assam.
He has also released Nepalese songs and sung for Nepalese movies. Two of his most famous songs recorded in the 1970s but still popular currently are Chiso Chiso Hawama (In the Cool Air) and Manko Kura Lai Bandhi Narakha (Do Not Keep the Words of the Heart Tied).
Awards and Nominations
Between 1979 and 1997 Danny Denzongpa was nominated for the Filmfare Awards multiple times in various categories. He won the Best Supporting Actor award twice, first in 1992 for Sanam Bewafa and again in 1993 for Khuda Gawah. He was nominated for the Best Performance in a Negative Role award for his performance in Hum, Krantiveer, Vijaypath, Barsaat and Ghatak: Lethal.
In 2003, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri – India's fourth highest civilian honor.
