Meet actor who never wanted to join films, cracked UPSC exam, but ventured into acting, was compared to Amitabh Bachchan, he married 'Rekha's...'

If you have watched Sanya Malhotra's Mrs, you are probably hating Richa Sharma's (Sanya) father-in-law, Ashwin Kumar. A majority of the young audience knows this man for playing Sanya's 'khadus' father-in-law, but none of them knows that he was once part of big blockbusters and even gave hit TV shows. At one point he was also compared to Amitabh Bachchan, thanks to his impressive looks, and 6-feet height. Kanwaljit Singh entered films to become a hero, but soon he accepted his trajectory in Bollywood and took the leap of doing TV shows. In a few years, Kanwaljit found success in television, and in recent times, he found a new lease in his career due to OTT. It's an amusing fact that Kanwaljit, who looks so convincingly seamless, never wanted to become an actor. 

Kanwaljit Singh's background 

Kanwaljit Singh Walia hails from a Sikh family in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Being a sharp student, Kanwaljit was excellent in his academics, and that's why he had bigger plans for him. Kanwaljit wasn't keen to join films, instead, he wanted to serve the nation by joining the Air Force. Reportedly Kanwaljit even cleared the tough UPSC NDA exam. However, he failed Dehradun’s medical exam due to hearing loss in his right ear. After facing a setback, Kanwaljit tried his luck in the Merchant Navy too, but he had to face rejection there as well. With two major failures, Kanwaljit came across the admission form for FTII, Pune. He submitted the form, went to Delhi for an audition, and ultimately got selected by the institution. Kanwaljit joined Pune’s Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and became a refined artiste.

Kanwaljit's journey in films

Kanwaljit debuted in Hindi films with 1977 Shankar Hussain and went on to work in popular films like Satte Pe Satta, Maachis, Dil Mange More, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, and Raazi. In his film career, Kanwaljit wasn't truly satisfied. He realised that being underutilised, and thus he made the decision of venturing to television. By taking this risk, Kanwaljit got success and stardom. His acting chops in popular shows, Aahat, Family No. 1, Wajood, Saans, Buniyaad, and Abhimaan made him a homegrown name. 

Watch Kanwaljit Singh with Amitabh Bachchan in Satte Pe Satta

Kanwaljit Singh's married life

Kanwaljit is married to actress Anuradha Patel, who has mostly played the role of Rekha's close friend. Anuradha is the daughter of Virendra Patel and Bharti Jaffrey, and the granddaughter of Ashok Kumar. They have two sons Sidharth and Aditya. On the work front, Kanwaljit was last seen in Rajshri's show Bada Naam Karenge. 

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