Bob Christo lived a colourful life, starting as an engineer, working in the Vietnam Army, becoming friends with Parveen Babi, and becoming a top villain in Bollywood
The story of Bob Christo is more interesting than most of the films he worked in. An engineer who became an armyman and eventually a top villain in Hindi films, the multi-faceted man came to India after falling head over heels for the reigning queen of Bollywood – Parveen Babi. And it was her who convinced him to stay back in India. The rest, as they say, is history.
Bob Christo’s life as an engineer and soldier
Born in Sydney in 1938, Christo was of Greek and German descent. He studied to be a civil engineer and worked as one in various places around the world. In the 70s, reports stated that he even joined the Vietnam Army during the US-Vietnam War, working in their engineering wing. It was after the end of the war that he had his first tryst with cinema. He worked on Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, helping build the jungle palace set. But his real career in films would begin further west.
Bob Christo’s fascination for Parveen Babi
The apocryphal story goes that Christo saw Parveen Babi’s picture in a magazine and travelled to India to meet her. The reality, as recounted by Christo himself, is less dramatic. He came to India in the late-70s while awaiting work permit in Oman. In Mumbai (then-Bombay), he was introduced by some acquaintances to the Bollywood star and he immediately developed a crush on her. The two became friends and Parveen helped him get some roles in Bollywood.
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Bob Christo’s Bollywood career
Christo began his Bollywood career as a villain in Sanjay Khan’s Abdullah in 1980. This led to a series of films where he played a foreigner, usually a general or a goon, but almost always negative. Due to his brawny physique and bald head, he was the stereotypical villain’s henchman through the 80s ad 90s. Christo was part of India’s first Rs 100-crore hit – Disco Dancer. He also worked in several other iconic films such as Mr India, Kaalia, Nastik, Agneepath, and Gupt. After 2003, he distanced himself from films, moving to Bangalore where he worked as a yoga instructor. In 2011, he died after a heart attack at age 72.
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