Ranjit Chowdhry: Difference between revisions

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{{Orphan|date=February 2021}}
{{short description|Indian actor}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name              = Ranjit Chowdhry
| other_names        = Ranjit Chowdhary<br>Ranjit Chowdhury
| birth_date        = 19 September 1955
| birth_place        = [[Mumbai]], India
| death_date        = 15 April 2020 (aged 64)
| death_place        = [[Mumbai]], India
| relatives          = [[Pearl Padamsee]] (mother)
}}


'''Ranjit Chowdhry''' (19 September 1955 – 15 April 2020<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainment/news/khubsoorat-actor-ranjit-chowdhry-passes-away-age-65-524755|title=Khubsoorat actor Ranjit Chowdhry passes away at the age of 65|website=PINKVILLA|language=en|access-date=2020-04-15}}</ref>) was an [[India]]n actor. He was best known for his roles in television and theatre.<ref>[http://www.offoffonline.com/reviews.php?id=1361 Slowly, With Love] Rafta Rafta, Theatre Review, 3 May 2008.</ref> He appeared in two episodes of ''[[The Office (American TV series)|The Office]]'' as Vikram. He also starred as Dr. Gudat in ''[[Prison Break]]'', Dr. Gupta in ''[[Last Holiday (2006 movie)|Last Holiday]]'' and as Sabhi in ''[[Baton Baton Mein]]''.
'''Ranjit Chowdhry''' (19 September 1955 – 15 April 2020<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainment/news/khubsoorat-actor-ranjit-chowdhry-passes-away-age-65-524755|title=Khubsoorat actor Ranjit Chowdhry passes away at the age of 65|website=PINKVILLA|language=en|access-date=15 April 2020}}</ref>) was an Indian character actor, known for his roles in television, movies, and theatre.<ref>[http://www.offoffonline.com/reviews.php?id=1361 Slowly, With Love] Rafta Rafta, Theatre Review, 3 May 2008.</ref> He appeared in two episodes of ''[[The Office (American TV series)|The Office]]'', as Vikram, a telemarketer who worked with Michael, and was briefly hired for The Michael Scott Paper Company.


Chowdhry was born in [[Mumbai]]. He died at a hospital in Mumbai from [[gastrointestinal bleeding]] on 15 April 2020, aged 64.<ref>[https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/entertainment/baton-baton-mein-actor-ranjit-chowdhry-passes-away-71963 'Baton Baton Mein' actor Ranjit Chowdhry passes away]</ref>
For his role as Rocky in [[Deepa Mehta]]'s 2002 film ''[[Bollywood/Hollywood]]'', he was nominated for [[Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role|Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role]] at the [[23rd Genie Awards]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121021143916/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2003-01-03/news-interviews/27263557_1_deepa-mehta-nominations-rahul-khanna Bollywood Hollywood gets 5 Genie nominations] ''[[Times of India]]'', 3 January 2003,</ref><ref>[http://www.apunkachoice.com/scoop/bollywood/20030103-1.html Article describing a movie with Ranjit nominated for an award] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930024100/http://www.apunkachoice.com/scoop/bollywood/20030103-1.html |date=30 September 2007 }} 3 January 2003.</ref> His other most noted role was in ''[[Last Holiday (2006 film)|Last Holiday]]'' (2006), starring [[Queen Latifah]].<ref>[http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/jan/13ranjit.htm  Interview with Ranjit Chowdhry including a photograph] ''[[Rediff.com]]'', 13 January 2006.</ref>


==References==
== Life and career ==
Ranjit was born and raised in [[Mumbai]] in a family with a theatre background, where he received his early education at [[Campion School, Mumbai]], and started his acting career. His father is from a [[Gujjar]] background, while his mother, [[Pearl Padamsee]], was of partial [[Jewish]] descent on her mother's side, but remained [[Christians|Christian]] during her life. He made his film debut in [[Basu Chatterjee]]'s ''[[Khatta Meetha (1978 film)|Khatta Meetha]]'', following which he played prominent parts in [[Bollywood]] comedy classics such as [[Basu Chatterjee]]'s ''[[Baton Baton Mein]]'' (1979) and [[Hrishikesh Mukherjee]]'s ''[[Khubsoorat]]'' (1980). Thereafter, he moved to the United States in the early 1980s. He wrote the screenplay and acted in ''Sam & Me'' (directed by [[Deepa Mehta]]), which won an honorable mention at Cannes in 1991.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Melnyk|first=George|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=htH9AwAAQBAJ&q=ranjit+chowdhry+obit&pg=PA156|title=Film and the City: The Urban Imaginary in Canadian Cinema|date=1 May 2014|publisher=Athabasca University Press|isbn=978-1-927356-59-3|language=en}}</ref>
 
He was a guest star in ''[[Law & Order: Special Victims Unit]]'', and had appeared in two seasons of ''[[The Office (American TV series)|The Office]]'' and ''[[Prison Break]]''.<ref name="Haring">{{cite news |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/ranjit-chowdhry-dies-office-prison-031807157.html | title=Ranjit Chowdhry Dies: 'The Office' And 'Prison Break' Star Was 64 |work=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |first1=Bruce |last1=Haring |date=17 April 2020 |via=[[Yahoo!]] |accessdate=18 April 2020}}</ref><ref name="Boucher">{{cite news |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/office-actor-ranjit-chowdhry-dies-234043503.html |title=The Office Actor Ranjit Chowdhry Dies at 65, Remembered as 'a True Original' |first1=Ashley |last1=Boucher |work=[[People Magazine|People]] |date=17 April 2020 |via=Yahoo! |accessdate=18 April 2020}}</ref><ref name="O'Connor">{{cite news |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/ranjit-chowdhry-death-office-star-073700348.html |title=Ranjit Chowdhry death: The Office star and 'towering icon' of Bollywood dies aged |first1=Roisin |last1=O'Connor |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |date=18 April 2020 |accessdate=18 April 2020}}</ref>
 
[[Sanjay Gupta (director)|Sanjay Gupta]], who worked with Chowdhry on the ''[[Kaante]]'', tweeted that his performances were a joy and "KHATTA MEETHA is my favourite."<ref name="Boucher"/>
 
==Personal life==
His mother, [[Pearl Padamsee]], was a well-known theatre personality, drama teacher and actress on stage and film. His stepfather, [[Alyque Padamsee]], was a theatre actor and director who also headed an advertising company in Mumbai. He had one older sister named Rohini (c. 1951 – 26 September 1961), who died from nephritis.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi-times/The-Alyque-Padamsee-brand-of-life/articleshow/27787563.cms|title=The Alyque Padamsee brand of life|last=Singh|first=Sangeetha|date=9 November 2002|work=[[Times of India]]|accessdate=9 February 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/money/2006/oct/04inter.htm|title=A great ad is an ad that generates great sales|last=Roy Mitra|first=Indrani|date=4 October 2006|work=[[Rediff]]|accessdate=9 February 2010|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100122082849/http://www.rediff.com/money/2006/oct/04inter.htm| archivedate=22 January 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/being-alyque-padamsee-indias-dream-merchant/70350-19.html|title=Being Alyque Padamsee: India's dream merchant|last=SenGupta |first=Anuradha |date=3 August 2008|work=[[CNN-IBN]]|accessdate=9 February 2010|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100125185240/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/being-alyque-padamsee-indias-dream-merchant/70350-19.html|archivedate=25 January 2010}}</ref>
 
Chowdhry was admitted into Breach Candy Hospital, in Mumbai, on 14 April 2020 for a ruptured ulcer in the intestine, and underwent emergency surgery. He died on 15 April 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/ranjit-chowdhry/article31352649.ece|title=Film, TV and theatre actor Ranjit Chowdhry dead at 65|first=Namrata|last=Joshi|date=16 April 2020|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|via=www.thehindu.com}}</ref> He was in Mumbai for a dental procedure, and was delayed there due to the spread of [[COVID-19]].<ref name="Haring"/><ref name="O'Connor"/>
 
==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1978|| ''[[Khatta Meetha]]'' || Russie Mistry ||
|-
|1979|| ''[[Baton Baton Mein]]'' || Sabhi Perreira ||
|-
|1980|| ''[[Khubsoorat]]'' || Jagan Gupta ||
|-
|1981|| ''[[Chakra (1981 film)|Chakra]]'' || Benwa ||
|-
|1981|| ''[[Kaalia]]'' || Boot Polish Boy ||
|-
|1990|| ''[[Lonely in America]]'' || Arun ||
|-
|1991|| ''[[Sam & Me]]'' || Nikhil 'Shwartza' Parikh ||
|-
|1991|| ''[[Mississippi Masala]]'' || Anil ||
|-
|1993|| ''[[The Night We Never Met]]'' || Cabbie ||
|-
|1994|| ''[[It Could Happen to You (1994 film)|It Could Happen to You]]'' || Mr. Patel ||
|-
|1994|| ''[[Bandit Queen]]'' || Shiv Narain ||
|-
|1994|| ''[[Camilla (1994 film)|Camilla]]'' || Officer Kapur ||
|-
|1994|| ''The Mesmerist'' || Damodar ||
|-
|1994|| ''Boozecan'' || Snake ||
|-
|1995|| ''[[The Perez Family]]'' || Indian immigration official ||
|-
|1996|| ''[[Girl 6]]'' || Indian Shopkeeper ||
|-
|1996|| ''[[Fire (1996 film)|Fire]]'' || Mundu ||
|-
|1996|| ''[[Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love]]'' || Babu ||
|-
|1996|| ''[[I'm Not Rappaport (film)|I'm Not Rappaport]]'' || Kamir ||
|-
|1997|| ''[[His & Hers (1997 film)|His & Hers]]'' || Taxi Driver ||
|-
|1998|| ''[[Such a Long Journey (film)|Such a Long Journey]]'' || Pavement Artist ||
|-
|1999|| ''[[Coming Soon (1999 film)|Coming Soon]]'' || Afshin ||
|-
|2000|| ''[[Autumn in New York (film)|Autumn in New York]]'' || Fakir ||
|-
|2000|| ''[[King of the Jungle (2000 film)|King of the Jungle]]'' || Mr. Sith ||
|-
|2002|| ''[[Bollywood/Hollywood]]'' || Rocky ||
|-
|2002|| ''[[Kaante]]'' || Det. Constable ||
|-
|2005|| ''Building Girl'' || Mr. Singh ||
|-
|2006|| ''[[Last Holiday]]'' || Dr. Gupta ||
|-
|2006|| ''American Blend'' || Yogi ||
|-
|2006|| ''[[Kettle of Fish (film)|Kettle of Fish]]'' || Doorman ||
|-
|2006|| ''[[Prison Break]]'' || Dr. Marvin Gudat || 2 episodes
|-
|2006|| ''Hope & a Little Sugar'' || Ghosh ||
|-
|2007, 2009|| ''[[The Office (American TV series)|The Office]]''|| Vikram || Episodes: "[[Money (The Office)|Money]]"<br>"[[Dream Team (The Office)|Dream Team]]"
|-
|2009|| ''[[Today's Special]]'' || Regular #1 ||
|-
|2010|| ''God's Land'' || Raja Chatterjee ||
|-
|2011|| ''[[Breakaway (2011 film)|Breakaway]]'' || Mr. Patel Senior ||
|}
 
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
* {{IMDb name|id=0159529}}
* [http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/jan/13ranjit.htm  Interview with Ranjit Chowdhry including a photograph]
{{authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Chowdhry, Ranjit}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chowdhry, Ranjit}}
[[Category:2020 deaths]]
[[Category:American male actors of Indian descent]]
[[Category:Male actors in Hindi cinema]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American male stage actors]]
[[Category:Male actors from Mumbai]]
[[Category:Indian people of Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Jewish American male actors]]
[[Category:Indian emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:1955 births]]
[[Category:1955 births]]
[[Category:2020 deaths]]
[[Category:Deaths from gastrointestinal hemorrhage]]
[[Category:Indian movie actors]]
[[Category:Indian television actors]]
[[Category:People from Mumbai]]
{{actor-stub}}

Latest revision as of 23:49, 16 June 2021


Ranjit Chowdhry
Born19 September 1955
Mumbai, India
Died15 April 2020 (aged 64)
Mumbai, India
Other namesRanjit Chowdhary
Ranjit Chowdhury
RelativesPearl Padamsee (mother)

Ranjit Chowdhry (19 September 1955 – 15 April 2020[1]) was an Indian character actor, known for his roles in television, movies, and theatre.[2] He appeared in two episodes of The Office, as Vikram, a telemarketer who worked with Michael, and was briefly hired for The Michael Scott Paper Company.

For his role as Rocky in Deepa Mehta's 2002 film Bollywood/Hollywood, he was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role at the 23rd Genie Awards[3][4] His other most noted role was in Last Holiday (2006), starring Queen Latifah.[5]

Life and career[edit]

Ranjit was born and raised in Mumbai in a family with a theatre background, where he received his early education at Campion School, Mumbai, and started his acting career. His father is from a Gujjar background, while his mother, Pearl Padamsee, was of partial Jewish descent on her mother's side, but remained Christian during her life. He made his film debut in Basu Chatterjee's Khatta Meetha, following which he played prominent parts in Bollywood comedy classics such as Basu Chatterjee's Baton Baton Mein (1979) and Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Khubsoorat (1980). Thereafter, he moved to the United States in the early 1980s. He wrote the screenplay and acted in Sam & Me (directed by Deepa Mehta), which won an honorable mention at Cannes in 1991.[6]

He was a guest star in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and had appeared in two seasons of The Office and Prison Break.[7][8][9]

Sanjay Gupta, who worked with Chowdhry on the Kaante, tweeted that his performances were a joy and "KHATTA MEETHA is my favourite."[8]

Personal life[edit]

His mother, Pearl Padamsee, was a well-known theatre personality, drama teacher and actress on stage and film. His stepfather, Alyque Padamsee, was a theatre actor and director who also headed an advertising company in Mumbai. He had one older sister named Rohini (c. 1951 – 26 September 1961), who died from nephritis.[10][11][12]

Chowdhry was admitted into Breach Candy Hospital, in Mumbai, on 14 April 2020 for a ruptured ulcer in the intestine, and underwent emergency surgery. He died on 15 April 2020.[13] He was in Mumbai for a dental procedure, and was delayed there due to the spread of COVID-19.[7][9]

Filmography[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1978 Khatta Meetha Russie Mistry
1979 Baton Baton Mein Sabhi Perreira
1980 Khubsoorat Jagan Gupta
1981 Chakra Benwa
1981 Kaalia Boot Polish Boy
1990 Lonely in America Arun
1991 Sam & Me Nikhil 'Shwartza' Parikh
1991 Mississippi Masala Anil
1993 The Night We Never Met Cabbie
1994 It Could Happen to You Mr. Patel
1994 Bandit Queen Shiv Narain
1994 Camilla Officer Kapur
1994 The Mesmerist Damodar
1994 Boozecan Snake
1995 The Perez Family Indian immigration official
1996 Girl 6 Indian Shopkeeper
1996 Fire Mundu
1996 Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love Babu
1996 I'm Not Rappaport Kamir
1997 His & Hers Taxi Driver
1998 Such a Long Journey Pavement Artist
1999 Coming Soon Afshin
2000 Autumn in New York Fakir
2000 King of the Jungle Mr. Sith
2002 Bollywood/Hollywood Rocky
2002 Kaante Det. Constable
2005 Building Girl Mr. Singh
2006 Last Holiday Dr. Gupta
2006 American Blend Yogi
2006 Kettle of Fish Doorman
2006 Prison Break Dr. Marvin Gudat 2 episodes
2006 Hope & a Little Sugar Ghosh
2007, 2009 The Office Vikram Episodes: "Money"
"Dream Team"
2009 Today's Special Regular #1
2010 God's Land Raja Chatterjee
2011 Breakaway Mr. Patel Senior

References[edit]

  1. ↑ "Khubsoorat actor Ranjit Chowdhry passes away at the age of 65". PINKVILLA. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  2. ↑ Slowly, With Love Rafta Rafta, Theatre Review, 3 May 2008.
  3. ↑ Bollywood Hollywood gets 5 Genie nominations Times of India, 3 January 2003,
  4. ↑ Article describing a movie with Ranjit nominated for an award Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine 3 January 2003.
  5. ↑ Interview with Ranjit Chowdhry including a photograph Rediff.com, 13 January 2006.
  6. ↑ Melnyk, George (1 May 2014). Film and the City: The Urban Imaginary in Canadian Cinema. Athabasca University Press. ISBN 978-1-927356-59-3.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Haring, Bruce (17 April 2020). "Ranjit Chowdhry Dies: 'The Office' And 'Prison Break' Star Was 64". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 18 April 2020 – via Yahoo!.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Boucher, Ashley (17 April 2020). "The Office Actor Ranjit Chowdhry Dies at 65, Remembered as 'a True Original'". People. Retrieved 18 April 2020 – via Yahoo!.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 O'Connor, Roisin (18 April 2020). "Ranjit Chowdhry death: The Office star and 'towering icon' of Bollywood dies aged". The Independent. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  10. ↑ Singh, Sangeetha (9 November 2002). "The Alyque Padamsee brand of life". Times of India. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  11. ↑ Roy Mitra, Indrani (4 October 2006). "A great ad is an ad that generates great sales". Rediff. Archived from the original on 22 January 2010. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  12. ↑ SenGupta, Anuradha (3 August 2008). "Being Alyque Padamsee: India's dream merchant". CNN-IBN. Archived from the original on 25 January 2010. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  13. ↑ Joshi, Namrata (16 April 2020). "Film, TV and theatre actor Ranjit Chowdhry dead at 65". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.

External links[edit]

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