It was July 2016. I was coming out of Delhi's Sangeet Natak Academy when my phone rang. Om Puri was written on the screen. I immediately picked up the phone. On the other side came Om Puri's familiar voice, "If you want, you can do the interview right now. I am going to the studio for dubbing and it will take me more than an hour to reach there." I said, "Yes, of course, Om ji." I had been wanting to interview Om Puri for a long time, so this opportunity was special for me. I parked my car and sat there and started the interview. It did not feel like Om ji was in Mumbai and I was in Delhi. Our conversation was like the experience of watching a movie. I did not even realize when the one-hour conversation turned into one and a half hours. Even when Om ji reached the studio, our conversation continued.

childhood memories

When I asked Om Puri about his childhood, he told me that his first memories are related to his home. When he was two years old, he had smallpox. He was tied to a cot so that he could not scratch. He had raised a baby parrot, but one day it died. Om ji buried it and this incident deeply saddened him.

Arrest of father

Om Puri told that his father used to work in the railways. Once his father was accused of theft and was sent to jail. This worsened the condition of his family. The railway people put pressure to vacate the house, due to which his mother had to face a lot of difficulties. Om ji's mother finally vacated the house and started working at a tea stall to run the family expenses.

National School of Drama

Om Puri talked about his acting days and how he got enrolled in the National School of Drama. He studied there for three years. After coming out, he felt that making a career in acting would not be easy. He did theatre with his classmate Naseeruddin Shah, but found it difficult to make his place in commercial cinema. Om Puri said, "I knew that commercial cinema would not accept me, because I was thin and had smallpox marks. Working in art films was not easy, because it did not provide livelihood." He did art films in the beginning of his career, but later ventured into commercial films as well. His story is not only a story of struggle, but it also inspires how one should pursue one's dreams despite difficulties. Om Puri's life teaches us that despite struggles, if one moves forward with hard work and dedication, success is sure to be achieved.

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