Biography
Kanhaiyalal Chaturvedi was an Indian actor who appeared in over 100 Hindi films between 1938 and 1982. He was born in Varanasi into a theatrical family; his father ran a drama company. After his father’s death he moved to Bombay, where he began working in films, initially hoping to write and direct.
He is best known for playing the moneylender Sukhilala in Mother India (1957). He had first played the same character in Mehboob Khan’s Aurat (1940), becoming the first Hindi film actor to reprise a role in a remake after 17 years. Other notable films include Ganga Jamuna (1961), Upkar (1967) and Hum Paanch (1980). His brother Sankatha Prasad Chaturvedi was also an actor; his daughter Hemaa Singh is a filmmaker.
