Aanjjan Srivastav is a popular Bollywood and theatre actor. He is famous for playing the role of ‘Srinivas Wagle’ in the popular Indian TV serial ‘Wagle Ki Duniya‘ (1988).
Wiki/Biography
Aanjjan was born on Wednesday, 2 June 1948 (age 75 years; as of 2023) in Calcutta (now Kolkata), West Bengal. His zodiac sign is Gemini. He did B.Com and LLB from Calcutta University. After completing his graduation, he worked in the Allahabad Bank, Calcutta.
Family, Caste & Wife
Although he was born and brought up in Kolkatta but he belongs to Uttar Pradesh. His father ‘Mrityunjai Srivastav’ was a banker in Allahabad Bank. His brother worked as a doctor. Due to some lung disease, his sister ‘Reeta’ died at a very young age. He got married to Madhu Srivastav, and the couple has three children: twins (a girl and a boy) and one more girl. Their children’s names are Abhishek Srivastav, Noopur, and Ranjana.
Career
His father wanted him to join the Allahabad bank rather than acting. He joined the bank but continued acting as well. In his college days, he used to participate in Bengali theatre plays and also did plays for the All India Radio. In 1967, he acted in many Bengali plays like Neel Darpan, Kayakalp, and Anwar.
In 1976, after his sister’s death, his father allowed him to try his luck in the Indian Film Industry. He joined the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) in Mumbai and after that, he worked with the Prithvi Theatre. He got the opportunity to work in many popular Bollywood films including Gol Maal (1979), Saza-E-Maut (1981), and Ghulami (1985).
TV serials gave him recognition in the entertainment industry. He debuted in Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi (1984), aired on DD National. One of his memorable TV serials is Wagle Ki Duniya (1988–1990), which was aired on DD national.
In 1991, his performance in the Hollywood movie ‘Mississippi Masala’ was well appreciated.
He has acted in more than 125 Hindi films including Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992), Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1993), Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha (1998), Bandhan (1998), Yeh Kaisi Mohabbat (2002), Firangi (2017), Sanju (2018), and PM Narendra Modi (2019).
Favourite Things
- Director(s): Kundan Shah, Indra Kumar, and Rajkumar Santoshi
Facts
- He has worked with ‘Sangeet Kala Mandir’ for more than 10 years.
- He became the Vice-President of the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA).
- In 2001, he retired from his Allahabad Bank job.
- On the suggestion of numerologist Sunil Naik, he changed his name’s spelling from Anjan to Aanjjan. In an interview, he said that it has really helped him in getting good projects.
- In 2012, new series of Wagle was started on DD Doordarshan with the name ‘Detective Wagle,’ where Aanjjan played the lead role, and his wife’s role was played by ‘Sulbha Arya.’