Vardhaan Puri says he will never play his grandfather Amrish Puri's Mogambo: You must never touch gold

As Mr. India completes 39 years, actor Vardhaan Puri is celebrating not just the cult classic, but also the towering legacy of his grandfather, the legendary Amrish Puri, whose portrayal of Mogambo remains one of Indian cinema’s most iconic villains.

Speaking to Mirror, Vardhaan revealed that he has watched the film “at least 200 times” since childhood. “I would possibly have watched Mr. India at least 200 times from start to finish. There used to be a time when I would not eat my lunch if Mr. India wasn’t playing on the television in my dining room. I used to get hypnotised during the running time of the film,” he shared.




The actor admitted that every viewing of the film was essentially for his grandfather. “Every time I have watched the film, it has been for my grandfather. He is on a different level of conviction in the film. No wonder the portrayal is still celebrated today, especially among children,” he said, while also praising Anil Kapoor, Sridevi, Satish Kaushik, and Annu Kapoor. "Everybody is equally fantastic in the film, especially Anil Kapoor uncle, my favourite Sri ma’am, Satish ji, Annu Kapoor ji, etc. But the real heroes of the film are Shekhar Kapur sir due to his vision and Salim Saab, Javed Saab for the wonderful writing," he added. Ask him whether he would ever consider stepping into Mogambo’s shoes on screen, and Vardhaan instantly shuts down the possibility. “I don’t think anyone should ever try playing Mogambo. You must never touch gold. I feel like that character was destined to be played by one man only — Mr. Amrish Puri. When I’m an artist as seasoned as Dadu was in 1986 during the shooting of the film, I would love to do something on those eccentric lines, but I’ll repeat — I do not think anyone should ever try playing Mogambo again. It’ll be impossible to match that level of aura," he said.Interestingly, as a child, Vardhaan rooted for the villain over the hero. “As a child, I felt that Mogambo was the hero of the film and Arun bhaiya was the villain. I have forever been celebrating the super villains and clapping and screaming every time Dadu came on screen and did his magic,” he concluded.