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Dara Singh Randhawa (born Deedar Singh Randhawa, November 19, 1928 – July 12, 2012) was an Indian wrestler, film and television actor, director, producer, and Member of Parliament. Encouraged to pursue pehelwani from a young age, he began his wrestling career in Singapore in 1949 and entered films in 1952. He hailed from the village of Dharmuchak in Amritsar, Punjab. In July 2012, he suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away on July 12 at his home in Mumbai. Thousands attended his funeral service at Juhu Crematorium. In 2019, a statue honoring him was installed at Phase 6, Mohali, Punjab, adjacent to his film studio, Dara Studio.
Films and TV – Dara commenced his film career in 1952 with Sangdil and went on to act in between 150 and 200 films and TV serials. He featured in two National Award-winning Punjabi films, Jagga and Mai Maa Punjab Dee. He also founded Punjab’s first film studio, Dara Studio.
Family – Dara Singh had six children: one from his first marriage and five from his second.
Wrestling – Leaving his studies early to work on his family farm, Dara initially wrestled locally. In 1949, he traveled to Singapore aboard the SS Rajula for work and achieved his first international kushti victory in Jakarta, Indonesia, the same year. He previously worked at a drum manufacturing plant and later as security personnel before dedicating himself fully to wrestling. He competed in kushti, freestyle wrestling, and professional wrestling. He won the Malaysia Indian Style Championship in 1951, which established his reputation and propelled him in professional and freestyle wrestling. His accolades include Rustom-E-Hind (1954), Champion of the Commonwealth (1959), Rustom-E-Punjab (1966), World Champion (1968), and the NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship. These achievements earned him induction into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (1996) and the WWE Hall of Fame (2018).
Biographies – His autobiography, Meri Aatamkatha, is originally in Punjabi. His biography, Deedara! aka Dara Singh, was written by Seema Sonik Alimchand.
He is also featured in the comic book Journey of the Great Dara Singh, launched in 2019 at Mumbai Comic-Con.
