When Gerald Malcolm Durrell died in 1995, he was not only a British writer, conservationist, naturalist, zookeeper, and television presenter but also yet another accomplished individual who traced back his origins to Jamshedpur. Over the decades, since Jamshedpur came into existence, the steel city has exported immensely celebrated personalities to the country who have had their origins from Jamshedpur. Right on top of the pack are Padma Shri awardees, internationally acclaimed actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas and performing arts thespian Astad Deboo who were born in Jamshedpur and went on to achieve great heights in their respective careers. The entertainment industry has benefited the most from talent originating from Jamshedpur. Film actor Ranganathan Madhavan, who debuted in Hindi film ‘Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin’ (1996) in a small role, gained prominence with his acting skills in ‘Rang De Basanti’ (2006), ‘Guru’ (2007), and ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ (2011) and its equally famous sequel.
Critically acclaimed film director Imtiaz Ali hails from Jamshedpur who redefined Hindi cinema with films like ‘Jab We Met’ (2007), ‘Love Aaj Kal’ (2009), ‘Rockstar’ (2011), and ‘Cocktail’ (2012). Known for her soulful renditions, singer Shilpa Rao was born in Jamshedpur in 1984 and has wooed audiences with songs ‘Khuda Jaane’ in ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’ (2008), ‘Gustakh Dil’ from ‘English Vinglish (2012), and ‘Ghungroo’ from the film ‘War’ (2019). Known as “Dutta Sisters”, Miss India Universe Tanushree Dutta who became an actress in Hindi cinema, and her sister Ishita Dutta Sheth who made her debut with the Hindi film ‘Drishyam’ (2016), both were born in Jamshedpur.
Actor Adarsh Gourav Bhagavatula who made a splash with his role as Mohit, a rapist in Sridevi’s Mom (2017), gained critical acclaim in his role as Balram Halwai in Netflix film White Tiger (2021) and was nominated for BAFTA award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Interestingly, the White Tiger got together two Jamshedpurians, Priyanka Chopra who played the female lead in film, and Adarsh Gourav together.
Actresses Simone Singh, Rasika Dugal, and Shweta Basu Prasad hail for Jamshedpur and are well recognized for their roles in television, OTT, and films. Jamshedpur-born, theatre director Neeraj Kabi has etched his performances amongst the audiences in a pivotal role in Sacred Games (2018), as Sanjeev Mehra in Amazon Prime’s Pataal Lok (2020) and in Sherni (2021).
In the arena of sports, cricketer Varun Raymond Aaron debuted by playing for Jharkhand U-19 followed by Jharkhand Ranji team alongside winner of Under-23 cricketer Saurabh Sunil Tiwary who was also born in Jamshedpur.
Archer Purnima Mahato is another achiever from Jamshedpur who won a silver medal at Commonwealth Games in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur and was awarded the prestigious Dronacharya Award in 2013 for her exemplary coach of archery.
Jamshedpur continues to shine and export talent that has proven itself on world stage. In the years to come more talented individuals from Jamshedpur await their time in the sun!
Dhiraj Kumar is an author, writer and columnist based out of Mumbai. He writes impactful articles on business, economy, governance, entertainment, current affairs, politics, sustainability, and climate change.. He can be reached at his Twitter profile @authordhiraj and his website
