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Published: 21 November 2021

Last Updated: 21 November 2021

If you look up extras or junior artists, they will be described as atmosphere, background talent, background artists or performers, supernumeraries, supers, walking background, human props, and so on. Almost never credited, they appear to be easily replaceable and interchangeable. In fact, many of these are used more than once in the same film, the directors hoping that nobody would notice!

Perhaps the most famous example, which even the students of Whatsapp university know, is Mushtaq Merchant. He appeared twice in Sholay (1975), as an Engine Driver and the owner of the motorbike with a sidecar that our heroes ran away with. 

If you read the two books on Junior Artists by Upendra Samaranayake, you will find many examples are people appearing 2, 3, 4 or more times in the same film. If you study them closely you will find a guy who appeared SIX times in the same film and he could not hide from Upendra.

Ladies and Gentlemen

I present to you Avtar Singh Gullu, active since 1977,

And the roles are

Tadipaar  (1993)

Club guest / direction giver / audience viewer / check awarding viewer / drunk ("Zindagi") / guest ("Aapki").

Now You Know!

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Published: 22 August 2021

Last Updated: 22 August 2021

Another Bombay Talkies regular, in Prem Kahani (1937)

Now You Know!

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Published: 14 October 2021

Last Updated: 14 October 2021

This is not my discovery, a veteran RMIMers, Urzung (from Pakistan) mentioned this about 15 years ago. Finally getting the chance to use this info in the latest book by Sheo Khetan. She is in the Omar Khayyam drama scene (Khazanchi, 1941) singing the song 'peene ke din aaye piye jaa'

Please revise your filmographies of Munawwar Sultana (the actress, not the singer, they are different), if needed.

Now You Know!

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