Shyam 40 Views
On 25th April, 1951, Sunder Shyam Chadda died while shooting for Shabistan when he fell off a horse during filming. He was all of 31.
Industry observers believed that if Shyam had not died an accidental death, he would have been competition to the heroes of the 50s, Dilip Kumar, Dev Ananad, Ashok Kumar. He had the looks and his acting was much appreciated by critics and cinegoers alike. He also acted with some of the leading ladies of the forties like Nigar Sultana and Suriya.
Born in Sialkot, Shyam auditioned for an actor’s job in Bombay Talkies but failed to make the cut. He turned to assisting director J K nanda but landed up doing odd roles. After partition he auditioned again and this time made the mark and with films like Mujboor, Dillagi, Patanga, and Bazar. all released between 1948/1949. A song from Dillagi, Tu Mera Chand Main Teri Chandni was hummed all over the country.
Shyam was also a close friend of Sadat Hasan Manto and had accompanied Manto to the port when he boarded the ship to migrate to Pakistan. Later, in the film made on Manto, Shyam’s character in the film was played by actor Tahir Bhasin.
His untimely death was a big loss to the industry.
