DHARMENDRA
This year on 8th December was the 79th
Birth Anniversary of Dharmendra. I learnt of it whilst surfing the
channels and finally settling for the Hindi Music where songs of his films were
being played and I remained hooked to it for about an hour : Aaaj
Mausam bara beiman hai ( Loafer with Mumtaz ), Ke Aaja teri yaad Aayi O balam
harjai ( Charas with HemaMalini ), Kuch kahta hai ye Saawan kya kahta hai
( Mera Gaon Mera Desh with Asha Parekh ), Kisi Shayer ki gazal Dream Girl (
Dream Girl with Hema Malini), Tera picha na mein chodunga Soniye (
Jugnu with Hema Malini ), Pal
Pal dil ke paas tum rehti ho ( Blackmail with Rakhi ), Kali
palak piya mori ( Do Chor with Tanuja ), Bagon mein phool khilte hein (
Chupke Chupke with Sharmila Tagore ), Hum bewafa hargiz na the par hum wafa kar na
sake ( Shalimar with Zeenat Aman) , Mein Jat Yamla Pagla Diwana (
Pratigya with Hema Malini )and many more.
As a young boy in
Dehradun in the middle sixties whilst watching 'Phool aur Patthar' at 'Prabhat'
Cinema hall , I became his Fan. The Gym going culture has proliferated in
recent times but it was germinated by Dharmendra with the masculinity he emanated when he appeared shirtless spreading his protective
arms over the docile Meena Kumari in the film. He is the original 'He Man'. To
call him Handsome would be a mere simplification; he was much more. He appeared
genuine, balanced, proportionate in all his performances. Though in the popular
perception he is regarded as 'Macho' but his strength was more emotional than
physical .That was one reason that he
was on top for a very long time. His
appeal was wide not only among the film going people of North India and UP,
Delhi and Punjab in particular, but also among the film makers of all kind:
Bimal Roy ( Bandini ) to Arjun Hingorani ( Kahani Kismet Ki ), Hrishikesh
Mukherjee ( Anupama , Satyakam, Chupke Chupke
) to Anil Sharma (
Hukumat , Elaan -e – Jung, Apne ),
Ramanand Sagar ( Ankhen, Lalkar, Charas ) to Vijay Anand ( Blackmail, Ram-
Balram, Rajput ) and many more. He acted in all the top banners and with all the leading ladies of his time.
Let us examine the
roles which he did: A Poet in 'Anupama';
a doctor in 'Bandini'; a secret agent in Ankhen and Yakeen; a thief in ' Do
Chor ' and 'Kahani Kismet Ki'; a Union leader in 'Naya Zamana'; a Professor in 'Chupke
Chupke' and 'Dillagi'; a Conman in 'Raja
Jani', 'Phandebaaz' ,'Shalimar'; An Army Officer in 'Haquiquat' and 'Lalkar'.
Part of the 'Underworld' in 'Yadon ki Baarat' and ' Hathiyaar'. A Dacoit in
'Patthar aur Payal', 'Gulami' and many films. A Manager of a Circus in 'Mera
Naam Joker'.
He must have given
the maximum hits in Indian Cinema, it is my opinion, even more than Amitabh
Bachhan both in terms of numbers and percentage. However his second innings was
late and weak as there was a long gap when he started again. It was not nice to
see him in 'Metro' struggling with his dialogues . However it was very shocking
to see him killed by a rookie Neil Mukesh in 'Johnie Gaddar'; How can any one
kill 'DRAEMENDRA'? No one can! He can only die in Battle for the Country as in
'Haquiquat' and 'Lalkar' , but in ordinary life no one can kill him. It is not
done . It is bad Cinema!! This was my
reaction.
It is reported that
he was adjudged as one of the most Handsome Men by an International Magazine,
however he does not require a certificate from anyone when the people had
adjudged him as one. When the
International film maker Krishna Shah announced to make a film for
International audience in India starring foreign and Indian actors most thought
that Amitabh Bachhan would be cast , but he chose Dharmendra as the lead actor
in 'Shalimar'. When the Indo-USSR joint venture was made it was Dharmendra cast
in 'Alibaba and 40 thieves' as Alibaba.
It was unfair to
deny him the best Actor award by the 'Filmfare' during his long career; his acceptance speech on being given the 'Lifetime Achievement
Award' conveyed the pain. However the
love which he received from the masses compensated all that. Time will also
recognize him as a Good Actor and not merely a Star. He always played to his
potential and never overplayed himself, remained within the realms of his
abilities and therefore remained balanced.
If I were to name Ten
of his best films, these would be:
(a)
Phool aur
Pathhar By OP Ralhan
(b)
Mera Gaon Mera Desh By Raj Khosla
(c)
Ankhen by Ramanand Sagar
(d)
Yadon ki Baarat by Nazir Hussain
(e)
Jugnu by Pramod Chakravorthy
(f)
Satyakam By Hrisikesh Mukherjee
(g)
Sholay By Ramesh Sippy
(h)
Pratigya By Dulal Guha
(i)
Blackmail By Vijay Anand
(j)
Gulami By
J P Dutta
कोई टिप्पणी नहीं:
एक टिप्पणी भेजें