The actor has acted in over 400 films in a career spanning for over six decades (1940s – 1990s). His first Hindi film was Khandaan (1942). He played a vast range of roles from a hero to a villain to a character artist. He was simply outstanding in performing whichever role was given to him be it villain, hero or character roles and with his performances, he won many hearts.
The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan (2001) and The Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2013) for his contribution towards Indian Cinema.