Not only was Kumar suave, elegant and charming, but his acting skills continued to be respectfully emulated by leading actors of Indian cinema and theater actors alike.
Posted Date – Sun, 11 Dec 22 at 01:15pm
New Delhi: Phenomenal, natural performer, polyglot, and able to coordinate mind, voice, and body onscreen—that’s how colleagues, film historians, and film buffs honor Dilip Kumar on his centenary .
Not only was Kumar suave, elegant and charming, but his acting skills continued to be respectfully emulated by leading actors of Indian cinema and theater actors alike.
He never studied acting art and technique in any theater or film school, but there was a certain rhythm, gesture and movement to his on-screen presence that stemmed from his own method of acting.
As the industry and generations of film lovers commemorate the centenary of the screen icon, film historian Amrit Gangar argues that it is interesting that the celebration coincides with “not just Hindi cinema, but diversity.” The age of Indian cinema as a culture”. all”.
“Dilip Kumar sahab is a polyglot who reflects the diverse character of India as a people. He is fluent in Hindi, Urdu, Hindi, Mandarin in addition to his own mother tongue. Ashtu, Punjabi, Marathi, English, Bengali, Gujarati, Persian, Bhojpuri and Awadi… His centenary marks the rise of Indian cinema in today’s noisy environment demonstrated extraordinary composure and the economic environment,” Gangar told Public Trade Interchange.
Muhammad Yusuf Khan was born in a crowded alleyway in the Qissa Khwani bazaar in Peshawar, Pakistan, one of 12 children of Lala Ghulam Sarwar Khan and his wife Ayesha Begum.
In his 20s, he decided to act professionally and his first film was Jwar Bhata. This is the beginning of the journey of one of the biggest screen icons that Indian cinema has witnessed – Dilip Kumar, a name proposed by legendary actor and producer Devika Rani .
From “Jwar Bhata” in 1944 to “Qila” in 1998, Kumar has gone through an illustrious career spanning 56 years. The decades of the 1950s and 60s marked his golden age, and so was Indian cinema. Mehboob Khan’s 1949 “Andaz,” with Nargis and his childhood neighbor Raj Kapoor, brought him superstardom, and he reunited with Nargis for “Jogan” the following year.
His performance slides fluidly between tragedy and comedy — “Paigham,” “Ram Aur Shyam” — to the bluff titles “Aan,” “Azad,” “Kohinoor” and “Mughal-e-Azam.” “His composure has its own energy,” Gangal said.
Kumar’s screen presence developed under the direction of Bengali filmmakers such as Nitin Bose (“Deedar” and “Ganga Jumna”), Tapan Sinha (“Sagina Mahato”) and Bimal Roy (“Devdas” and “Madhumati”).
While the 70s were a downturn for the actor, he re-emerged in the 80s and 90s with films such as Subhash Ghai’s Karma, Saudagar, Vidhata and Ramesh Sippy’s Shakti, which It was his first collaboration with superstar Amitabh Bachchan, and he has always expressed his love for the late movie legend, whom he considers his idol.
“Dilip Kumar is a phenomenon in the film industry and society. Not only is he a five-decade superstar, but he’s also a very deep human being,” Gay told Public Trade Interchange.
“He once shared with me that he was never a method actor…he never tried to dramatize or act it out, rather he would rather submit to the scene. He would say, ‘You create your own method as you develop yourself , you create your own grammar through work,’” recalls the filmmaker.
Ghai said Kumar has the ability to “portray each character with dignity”.
“Whenever I write about a character who has dignity and power, no matter what he says is true, I always think of two actors, Dilip Kumar or Amitabh Bachchan.” Throughout his long acting career, Kumar Starred in 65 films. But it wasn’t the number of films that made him a movie legend, it was his range and his awareness as a performer.
“He’s one of those guys who works very little, always picks what he wants to do and works really hard on it. Sometimes his movies come in two or three years, whereas most actors do two or three movies a year. Do Little things take a lot of guts. He is very focused on what he does and he puts a lot of hard work behind it. I have no hesitation in recognizing him as the best ever,” Sippy said.
From Amitabh Bachchan to Naseeruddin Shah, from Shah Rukh Khan to Nawazuddin Siddiqui, every single actor in Hindi cinema embodies traces of Kumar’s genius in their performances.
Veteran actor and politician Shatugan Sinha, who worked with him on Kranti, said all actors in India have learned a lot from Kumar subconsciously.
“Dilip Sahab had a huge influence on all of us. We all subconsciously learned a lot from him, like his passion, the way he delivered scenes honestly. He was the king of tragedy and comedy, he was everything. No,” Sinha said.
But in the end what makes a man or woman memorable and honorable is their humanitarianism.
According to Ghai, Kumar has something more to offer the world than his acting genius — a broader perspective on life.
“He is a person who thinks outside of work, such as thinking about the country, society, and people. He will not show off anything. He will silently do many things and causes for film workers, blind children, and the disabled. That’s the difference I can see between him and any other star or celebrity in show business,” the director added.
Farida Devi, who worked alongside Kumar as a child artist in classic films Dil Diya Dard Liya, Ram Aur Shyam and Charity Master, remembers him as a “punctual, dedicated and cooperative” co-star.
“Dilip Kumar sahab will treat us like his own children, he will take care of us and protect us. He will treat us like his own children. He will never sit alone to eat. He will make sure that everyone- From spot boy to Dilip Kumar – all at the same table. It’s hard to find someone like him today. He treats everyone equally,” she said.
Kumar, though one of the people, stayed out of the spotlight in his later life. He spent most of his time with his wife, veteran actor Saira Banu, and met colleagues who were frequent visitors to his home until his death last year.
