मोतीलाल

Motilal, born Motilal Rajvansh on 4 December 1910 in Shimla, was a pioneering Indian actor widely regarded as one of Hindi cinema's first "natural" performers, in contrast to the theatrical acting style common in early Indian films. He made his debut in 1934 with the Sagar Film Company's Shaher Ka Jadoo and went on to appear in more than 70 films over a three-decade career, working with leading directors including Mehboob Khan and Bimal Roy.

He is best remembered for his portrayal of Chunni Babu in Bimal Roy's Devdas (1955), for which he won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor, a feat he repeated for Parakh (1960). Other notable roles included the gentleman con-man in S. S. Vasan's Mr. Sampat (1952), across a body of work spanning social drama, comedy, and character roles. Actor Naseeruddin Shah later named him among the three greatest actors in the history of Hindi cinema, alongside Balraj Sahni and Yakub.

In his final years, Motilal turned to direction, making Chhoti Chhoti Baatein (1965), which was released posthumously and received a National Film Award Certificate of Merit. He died in Bombay on 17 June 1965.