He synthesised inner, outer worlds
SALIM GHOUSE was a gifted actor whose talent was duly noticed and acknowledged but not tapped to the extent he so richly deserved. So much so that even Shyam Benegal, who directed him several times, wished he had worked more with him. However, the actor, who believed in ‘nishkaam karam’, sought nothing but excellence.
Born in Chennai to a Muslim father and a Christian mother, he married a Punjabi Hindu. If his antecedents epitomised the true essence of India, his work reflected the times when, as a Twitter user says, ‘It was nice growing up in an India where a Salim could play a Ram, directed by a Shyam.’ In Benegal’s epic series Bharat Ek Khoj, he made a mark with three characters — Rama, Krishna and Tipu Sultan. His stellar Krishna act and non-stop delivery of 40 lines in a single take had cameraman VK Murthy applauding heartily.
Making his acting debut with the film Swarg Narak in 1978, he essayed many a memorable part in films like Saaransh, Aks, Sardari Begum, Koyla and Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!
He traversed more than one film industry, acting in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam cinema, and stood out in films like Thiruda Thiruda and Kamal Haasan-starrer Vettri Vizhaa in which he played antagonist Zinda. Not the one to be pigeonholed, he was not only an actor of many parts, but also a man of many dimensions and shades. A PhD in karate, the martial arts movement was immanent in his theatre productions. Ironically, while many distinguished NSD students trained in theatre end up in films, this FTII graduate loved to be on stage. Dedicated to his theatre group, The Phoenix Players, he directed Shakespearean plays like The Merchant of Venice, Hamlet and Macbeth.
Most, however, would best relate to his roles on television. If Ranvir Shorey deems him a ‘powerhouse of talent and style’, whose performance in Subah is forever etched on his mind, The Family Man actor Sharib Hashmi remembers his captivating voice from the same serial. His fans can’t forget his penetrating gaze, and his baritone voice ensured him many dubbing parts in films like The Lion King and ‘300’.
Sadly, despite being an integral part of some iconic films, his last film outing was way back in 2010 in Benegal’s Well Done Abba. The actor who had rubbed shoulders with regional stalwarts like Mohanlal and Kamal Haasan, was to rise again with Tamil film Kaa – The Forest as the lead protagonist.
As we mourn his demise, the lines from his play Sufiana: ‘Life and death are one and the same. If you know one, you know the other’, resonate, and we salute the man who synthesised inner and outer worlds and imbibed holism in the true sense of the word. Acting for him was not what you do but what you leave behind… only he bequeaths more than just a montage of roles.
