Avtar Gill is an Indian veteran actor who predominantly works in Hindi and Punjabi films. He has worked in more than 300 films and 15+ TV serials. He is famous for his negative roles. He is a member of the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA), in Mumbai.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Avtar Gill was born on Saturday, 13 May 1950 (age 73 years; as of 2023) in Kalakh, Ludhiana, Punjab. His zodiac sign is Taurus. After 40 days of his birth, his family moved to Chembur, Mumbai, where he completed his school education and later pursued a bachelor’s degree at Khalsa College, King’s Circle. Director Raman Kumar and actor Javed Khan were his batchmates; they helped him make a career in acting.
Avtar Gill in his childhood
Avtar Gill in his school days
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 10″
Weight (approx.): 75 kg
Hair Colour: Salt and Pepper
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Avtar belongs to a Punjabi Jat family.
Parents & Siblings
His father was a lorry driver in Mumbai, and his mother was a homemaker.
Avtar Gill with his mother
Avtar has 3 siblings, 1 brother, Kuljinder Singh Gill aka Pinky Gill, and 2 sisters. His brother is an assistant director.
Wife & Children
Avtar is married to Parminder Gill. The couple has 2 children, a son, and a daughter.
Avtar Gill with his wife, Parminder Gill
Religion
Avtar Gill follows Sikkhism.
Avtar Gill performing religious rituals in a Gurudwara
Career
Film
Avtar’s debut film was ‘Udeekan’ (1978), a Punjabi film, in which he played the role of a fauji. His debut Bollywood film was ‘Noorie’ (1979) in which he played the role of Basheer’s friend. Yash Chopra Production produced this film; it was a super hit and the seventh highest-grossing film at the Indian box office in 1979.
Avtar Gill with the cast and crew of the film Noorie
He then worked in ‘Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai’ (1980). The film starred Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, and Smita Patil in the lead roles and won the 1981 Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie.
Avtar Gill (right) with Naseerudin Shah in a still from the film ‘Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai’
Apart from these, he appeared as Avtar in ‘Saath Saath’ (1982), as Police Commissioner in ‘Shahenshah’ (1988), as MLA Becharam in ‘Ilaaka’ (1989), as Usman Bhai in ‘Agneepath’ (1990), as Police Inspector Deshpande in ‘Aashiqui’ (1990), as Salim Bhai in ‘Sadak’ (1991), as Natwar Lal Yadav in ‘Dilwale’ (1994), as Amrit Pal in ‘Airlift’ (2016), ‘Rabb Da Radio 2’ (2019), and ‘Kaamyaab’ (2020), etc.
Avtar Gill in a still from the film Dilwale
Avtar Gill (left) in a still from the film Rabb Da Radio 2
He has worked in more than 300 films in Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Telugu, and English. His portrayal of negative roles made him famous and he became part of almost all films released in the 80s-90s. About his roles, he spoke in an interview and said,
Mirror tells the truth and I see my face in the mirror daily. I knew from the start that I will not become a hero with this face but I certainly can become a villain so here I am.”
Television
He made his television debut with the serial ‘Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi’ (1984) on DD National. He got a major breakthrough in the serial ‘Nukkad’ (1986-87) in which he played the role of Kader Bhai. This serial was loved by everyone at that time. There was a famous line about it that, ‘Nukkad’ brought the streets of Mumbai into the living room, and due to its popularity, its second season titled ‘Naya Nukkad’ was aired in 1993-94.
Nukkad poster starring Avtar Gill and others
Avtar Gill (in the middle of the first row) in a still from the TV show Nukkad
He later worked in many popular television shows like ‘Ye Duniya Gazab Ki’’ (1992-1993), ‘Tara’ (1993-1995), ‘Gharwali Uparwali’ (2000 ), ‘Detective Karan’ ( 2003-2004), ‘Adaalat’ (2010), ‘Yeh Hai Aashiqui’ (2019), ‘Ayodhya Ki Ramleela’ (2020), ‘Kyun Uthhe Dil Chhod Aaye’ (2021), etc.
Avtar Gill in the serial Kyun Utthe Dil Chhor Aaye
Theatre
Avtar’s career started with theatre. In his initial days of acting, he was introduced to IPTA (Indian People’s Theatre Association), and his association with it still continues. In an interview, he spoke about his relationship with IPTA and said,
I continue to do plays with IPTA is because I enjoy doing theatre and share an emotional bond with the group. Theatre is an integral part of my life.”
He later worked in many plays such as ‘Shatranj Ke Mohre,’ ‘Kashmakash,’ ‘Biwi O Biwi,’ ‘Tajmahal Ka Tender,’ etc.
Avtar Gill (second from the right) on the poster of the play Shatranj Ke Mohre
Avtar Gill (extreme right) on the poster of the play Kashmakash
Awards
- National Excellence Award 2016
Avtar Gill (extreme right) receiving National Excellence Award 2016
Favourites
- Film(s): Ganga Jamuna, Mughal-E-Azam
- Writer(s): Surjit Patar, Shiv Kumar Batalvi
- Singer: Gurdas Maan
- Actor(s): Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Paresh Rawal, Naseeruddin Shah
Facts/Trivia
- He wanted to become a wrestler as he was inspired by Dara Singh.
- In an interview, he disclosed that had he not become an actor, he would have joined the Indian Army.
- Avtar Gill loves to read novels and Shayari. In his free time, he often read Punjabi and Hindi literature.
- Avtar Gill started his theatre career with a Rs 10 per play income.
