JAB RUSTOM - E - HIND DARA SINGH NE EK CHRISTIAN JASHN MEIN LOGO KO JAI BAJRANG BALI AUR JAIN HANUMAN KE NAARE LAGWAAYE BEENA KUCH KAHE ....

I was a fan of Dara Singh and his wrestling matches at the Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium in Worli in Bombay . I used to be at the stadium at 6 30 sharp so that I didn't miss out on any of the action - Ali Peter John

I bought a ticket for a ruppee and sat in one of the back rows made of cement and concrete and had to believe whatever the commentator used to say in Hindi. My only aim was to see my hero, Dara Singh win at the end of the day and he never disappointed me even once.

He sometimes fought three and four of worst kind of wrestlers from different parts of the world, but he still knocked all of them out of the ring .

This ritual continued till Dara Singh knocked out the American champion Lou Thesz and was declared the Rustom - E - Zamaan ( champion of the world ) and that almost brought his career as a wrestler to an end .

But Surinder Kapoor and Devi Sharma brought him to Hindi films as a hero and he became an over night sensation. A time came when there were twenty two Dara Singh films running in Bombay at the same time. Dara Singh was a whole parallel industry.

INDIA - DECEMBER 15: Dara Singh, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), Cine and TV Artistes Association (CINTAA) President at Parliament House in New Delhi, India ( Free Style Wrestler, Parliament Session Oct-Dec-2008 ) (Photo by Sipra Das/The The India Today Group via Getty Images)

He played any kind of roles that came his way. And one of his first major roles was in Nadiadwala' black and white film based on the epic Mahabharat . It was directed by the ace fight director Babubhai Mistry

It was during the shooting of Mahabharat at the Asha Studios in Chembur that I had a chance meeting with the unbelievable Dara Singh .

He was getting into the make up for his scene in Mahabharat and I found out that he was finding it very difficult to speak normally once his make up for his face and nose was done.

He told me it took him more than two hours to do the make up for Hanuman and then once he was on the sets, he couldn't speak to anyone like he normally spoke. He could only speak like the director wanted him to speak as Hanuman.

I couldn't believe Dara Singh finding it difficult to do something so simple, but I was stupid to pass judgement on a great human being who was trying his best to play God .....

Dara Singh became a superstar in his own field and people from all over the world came to see the man who was a superman in real life .

When Manmohan Desai needed an actor to play the father of Amitabh Bachchan in " Mard " , he didn't think twice before casting Dara Singh in the role. When u asked Manmohan Desai why he had cast Dara Singh as Amitabh's father, Manmohan Desai said, 'mard ka beta hi mard hoga na, koi Nazir Hussain ya Om Prakash thodi na hoga " .

Towards the end of his career as an actor , Dara Singh was again cast as Lord Hanuman in Ramanand Sagar's epic serial , " Ramayan" and this time Dara Singh as Hanuman grew into a household name not only all over India but also in places in the gulf and the neighbouring Pakistan , Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

I was very close to Daraji and he had accepted many of my invitations to attend my own functions and those of other people and institutions.

I was a parte of a fund raising drives for the school and church where I had studied when I was young . The new generation requested me to invite stars to their fair ( mela ) and I took some of the biggest stars every evening .

On one particular evening , I thought of taking Daraji with me and he agreed to come without asking any questions. It was the peak time of the Ramayan on TV when I with Daraji reached the venue which was mostly packed with young Christians.

And I was absolutely surprised when young boys and girls kept shouting , " jai Bajrang Bali and Jai Sree Hanuman as Daraji walked through the crowd waving his hands and flashing his best smile. Daraji as Hanuman had given the Christian crowd a glimpse into the glory of Lord Hanuman.

He normally had a drink or two before he went to bed , but that night , he didn't talk about any drinks because he was very happy being recognised as Lord Hanuman and Bajrang Bali by a new generation which had no knowledge about the greatness of Lord Hanuman .

Was playing Hanuman a part of the DNA of Dara Singh's family ? I don't believe it could be .

But I know that years later the well-known Padmalya Studios of Hyderabad made a major serial on Hanuman and the only choice they had to cast Vindoo Dara Singh in the role of Hanuman .

I don't know whether the serial made in all the languages of the South succeeded , but it did make an impact because of the close resemblance of Vindoo to his father as Hanuman who for the last many years is being regarded and seen as the ultimate roop of Lord Hanuman.

JAI SRI HANUMAN, BAJRANG BALI KI JAI AUR DARA SINGH AUR VINDOO KI BHI JAI