He started his career as a journalist, working for the pioneering film magazine Cinema Samachar.

His filmography includes notable titles like Kismet, Sati Mahananda, Maharani, Bala Joban, and Chand ka Tukda.

He was elected to the Lok Sabha as the Jana Sangh candidate from Shajapur, Madhya Pradesh in 1967.

[7] Patel was an autodidact who owned a large library with hundreds of books on varied subjects.

His third wife was singer and actor Sushila Rani Patel (née Tombat), originally from Chennai.