On a solid foundation

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Ranjan Das Gupta

It was Raj Kapoor’s birthday at his RK Studio in Chembur in 1961. The three stalwarts Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand stood smiling. There was not an iota of rivalry in their eyes. They shared healthy competition and were real friends. The most gifted of the grand trio was Dilip Kumar.

He has been the most imitated actor by the likes of Rajendra Kumar, Manoj Kumar, Amitabh Bachhan and Shah Rukh Khan. Soul-stirring expressions, low-pitched dialogue delivery accompanied with perfect use of the right hand are Dilip Kumar’s acting hallmarks. He rehearsed for his scenes five to even 10 times before giving a particular shot.

His intensity was so acute that Dilip Kumar became the symbol and last word of pathos in Indian cinema. From the late 40s to the early 70s he reigned supreme. Eight golden jubilees to his credit, Dilip Kumar rose to fame with Shaheed and gave memorable films like Andaz, Daag, Devdas, Mughal-E-Azam and Ganga Jumna. Tragic roles took a heavy toll on his mind and health. So on medical advice he opted for comedies like Kohinoor and Ram Aur Shyam.

He admitted to performing peculiar, unrealistic love scenes in many films. However thinking directors like Mehboob Khan, Kidar Sharma, Nitin Bose, Bimal Roy and K. Asif directed Dilip Kumar in haunting romantic scenes.

Once during the shooting of Ram Aur Shyam in Chennai, Shivaji Ganeshan visited him on the sets. During the interaction, Shivaji Ganeshan advised Dilip Kumar to avoid stylized melodrama. The thespian agreed to his southern counterpart happily.

The Dilip Kumar of Dil Diya Dard Liya, Sungaresh, Dastan and Bairaag was stylized, melodramatic and lacked the finesse of Andaz or Devdas. After Bairaag flopped, Dilip Kumar took a sabbatical for six years. As a mature character artist he returned with Shakti in 1982.

His Bengali films Pari, 1962 and Sagina Mahato, 1971 remain his best polished performances till date. Dilip Kumar delivered his own dialogues in Bengali.

Few know he contributed the entire amount he received for Dadasaheb Phalke Award for needy artist’s welfare.

In his 75 years of illustrious acting career, he will be remembered as the true figure, who gave Nehruvian socialism its right screen dimension. Dilip Kumar feels that an Indian urban or rural had an ethos which is born from the soil of the nation with a spirit of secularity and freedom.