Rohit Shetty as a director needs no introduction. Known for directing high-octane action and comedy films like the Golmaal franchise, the Singham series, Dilwale, and Chennai Express, he has highly entertained audiences. But, not many know that Rohit Shetty’s skill in the action genre comes from his father — stuntman-turned-actor MB Shetty. Born in 1931 in Mangalore, MB Shetty was one of the most iconic villains in Bollywood during the 1970s-80s. His on-screen prowess and death-defying stunts made him a fan favourite back at that time. However, before he attained stardom, MB Shetty resorted to odd jobs. Today, let us dive into his amazing film journey.
MB Shetty moved to Mumbai from Udupi, just after the Partition of India. Before entering the world of glitz and glam, he used to work as a waiter in the suburb of Mumbai, Cotton Green as a teenager. He soon started training in bodybuilding and boxing. MB Shetty’s film journey started as a fight instructor for the 1956 Hameed Butt directorial Heer, featuring veteran stars Nutan and Pradeep Kumar. The next year, MB Shetty bagged his first role in the film Tumsa Nahin Dekha. Starring Shammi Kapoor and Ameeta in the lead, MB Shetty slipped into the shoes of a henchman in the film.
Post Tumsa Nahin Dekha, MB Shetty worked in several popular films in Bollywood, Sandalwood, and other languages. Some of his notable works include An Evening In Paris, Phaansi, International Crook, Don, Deewar, Kalicharan, and Trishul. He appeared in over 700 movies, out of which 200 were hit films.
In the 1970s MB Shetty was supervising an action sequence for the 1980 Brij Sadanah directorial Bombay 405 Miles, starring Shatrughan Sinha and Vinod Khanna in the lead. During one scene, Mansoor, the stuntman of Shatrughan Sinha was supposed to jump from a godown, following which an explosion would occur. However, owing to wrong timing the blast happened before Mansoor could jump and was burnt to death.
Mansoor’s death severely affected MB Shetty and he blamed himself for it. This resulted in MB Shetty cutting down on his work and resorting to alcohol. He passed away in 1982 due to liver failure.
Earlier in an interview with ANI, Rohit Shetty recalled how his father used to “come home with blood and stitches” from the film sets. The filmmaker added it was MB Shetty who inspired him to focus on making action films.
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