✦ Celebrity stories, facts and career updates. Explore F4U now →

Home › Biography › Birbal Khosla

Birbal Khosla biographyFeatured Biography

Image source: StarsUnfolded

Celebrities

Birbal Khosla Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 4, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth28 October 1938

Age84 Years (at time of death)

BirthplaceGurdaspur, Punjab Province, British India (now Gurdaspur, Punjab, India)

ProfessionActor

NationalityBritish Indian (at birth), Indian (after 15 August 1947)

Marital statusMarried

SpouseNeena Bhatia

FamilyChildren: Son - Santosh; Daughter - Shalini

Birbal Khosla Biography

Birbal Khosla, born Satinder Kumar Khosla on 28 October 1938 in Gurdaspur, was a prolific character actor in Indian cinema. Over a career spanning decades,

Early life and background
Satinder Kumar Khosla was born on 28 October 1938 in Gurdaspur, then part of British India. He spent his schooling years in New Delhi at Hira Lal Jain Senior Secondary School and later attended college in Jalandhar as well as the University of Delhi. During his college days in Jalandhar he developed an interest in films, often watching performances by Kishore Kumar — an influence that helped nudge him toward an acting career.

Career
Khosla entered the film world in the early 1960s with a small screen appearance arranged by director Ram Dayal. His official film debut is listed as a brief role in Do Badan (1966). Early on he took on small, often daily-wage jobs to support himself while pursuing acting work.

He began to gain wider notice in the mid-1960s. A notable early credit was in Mera Saaya (1966), and he achieved greater recognition for his portrayal of Baanchcharam in V. Shantaram’s 1967 film Boond Jo Ban Gayi Moti. Throughout his career he worked repeatedly with filmmakers such as Raj Khosla and actors like Manoj Kumar, appearing in several of their well-known projects including Upkar (1967), Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971), Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (1974) and Kranti (1981).

In 1970 he appeared as a circus surgeon in Raj Kapoor’s Mera Naam Joker. He is also remembered for a small but memorable part in the 1975 blockbuster Sholay, where he played a prisoner noted for a half-shaven moustache. Over the decades he built a vast body of work, acting in more than 500 films across multiple Indian languages, including Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi and Bhojpuri.

Personal and professional name
Born Satinder Kumar Khosla, he adopted the screen name Birbal during the making of Anita in 1967 after Manoj Kumar and Raj Khosla suggested a different name for the industry. From that point on he was credited as Birbal and became widely known by that name in film circles.

Public profile
Birbal maintained a long-standing presence in mainstream Indian cinema as a dependable character actor. He was associated with many major films and filmmakers of the 1960s through the 1980s and continued to take roles into later years. He stood about 178 cm tall and was described as having black eyes and salt-and-pepper hair.

Family and personal life
He was married to Neena Bhatia and was a father to two children: a son, Santosh, and a daughter, Shalini. He came from a family that included two younger brothers and two younger sisters. His father owned a printing press in Punjab.

Later years and death
Birbal continued acting into the 21st century; his last listed film appearance was in 10 Nahi 40 (2022), in which he was credited as Birbal. He died on 12 September 2023 at Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai. He was 84 years old and the reported cause of death was cardiac arrest.

Legacy
Across a lengthy career he became a familiar supporting presence in many landmark Hindi films. His work with prominent directors and in widely seen movies ensured he remained a recognizable character actor to multiple generations of filmgoers.
◈

Recent Work

10 Nahi 40

Role credited as 'Birbal'

2022
✦

Career Highlights

  1. Debuted in Do Badan (1966)
  2. Recognized for Baanchcharam in Boond Jo Ban Gayi Moti (1967)
  3. Appeared in landmark films including Mera Naam Joker (1970) and Sholay (1975)
  4. Acted in over 500 films across Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi and Bhojpuri
?

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Birbal Khosla born?

28 October 1938

What is Birbal Khosla known for?

Actor

What is Birbal Khosla’s marital status?

Married

Who is Birbal Khosla married to?

Neena Bhatia