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Notes & Records of some Iconic Hindi Film Songs

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The Golden Age of Hindi Film Music is considered to be the period from the 1950s to the 1970s. Song and dance were always considered to be a part of Indian Nautanki and drama and became an integral part of the narrative structure of popular Indian cinema. By the 1970s, Hindi film songs had reached out to a humongous audience across India but were also resonating in Asia, Africa, Russia, and Eastern Europe. This amazing era was defined by the exceptional creativity, talent, passion, and innovation of not only the Musical Trinity of Iconic Singers, Composers, and Lyricists; song and music also flourished because it was exquisitely imagined and projected by visionary filmmakers and directors.

Flashback to ‘Shree 420’ (1955). ‘Ramaiya Vastavaiya’ sung by Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammad Rafi and the voice of Showman Raj Kapoor- Mukesh. RK’s music team – Shankar Jaikishan, Hasrat Jaipuri, and Shailendra frequented Khandala to compose music for his films. They used to stop at a roadside hotel run by a Telugu guy Ramaiah for tea and snacks. Shankar, who was conversant in Telugu, placed the orders. One time around there was a delay in service and Shankar started humming  ‘Ramaiya Vastavaiya’ – calling Ramaiah to come quickly. His partner Jaikishan started drumming on the table. Shailendra piped in with ‘Maine dil tujko diya’ – indicating that all 4 were waiting for Ramaiah. As they hummed the lines they felt that this could be a song. Raj Kapoor liked the idea and created a street situation for the song and the lyrics were written keeping these lines intact. The original Telugu words were retained even though the Hindi audience could not understand its meaning. The song became a chartbuster.

Lata Mangeshkar sang the ‘Pyar Kiya to Darna Kya’ song for recording at 3 different locations. Mughal-e-Azam was released in 1960 and had been a few years in the making. “There was no technology to create’ the echo effect’,” writes Srishti Magan in an article for the magazine Bollywood probably alluding to a grand palace setting. “The only way out was to record the song at different places and overlap the recording. ” This was achieved to splendid effect by music-director Naushad and Lata Mangeshkar.

OP Nayyar (OP) is lauded as ‘The Rhythm King’.  His music had a robustness and rhythm; his songs were bewitching and easy on the ears. He brought the folk and modern together in perfect harmony. But the OP name is associated with the melodious use of Western instruments like the guitar, accordion, claret, cello, and piano. Author Ajay Mankotia reveals surprising facts through his meetings with and articles on this maverick composer. He changed the rules of Hindi film music. Please listen to ‘Yeh Kya Kar Dale Tune’ from ‘Howrah Bridge’ (1958) and ‘Ankhaon hi ankhon mein ishaara ho gaya’ from ‘CID’ (1958). He brought the Sarangi out of its limited role- either in kothas or as a mournful accompaniment to melancholic songs. He transformed it into an upbeat musical instrument. He gave it a feel-good melody and a fast pace. “The poor Sarangi was joyfully released from typecasting.”

Take the Santoor. The beat allotted to it by music directors was gentle. OP Nayyar used it as a fast-flowing brook- soft but more insistent in the prelude to ‘Jayenge Aap Kahan Jayenge’ from ‘Mere Sanam’ (1965). Never had been the santoor used like this. Shades of fusion music in the 1990s brought forth by the upbeat rhythm of traditional Indian musical instruments. Take ‘Yeh Haseen dard de do’ from ‘Humsaya’ (1968). For the song an accomplished tabla player would provide a beat pattern that would be simple and linear. OP’s beat patterns are complex yet riveting. The beat patterns certainly shook up the music aficionados of the time.

In an episode of KBC, Big B revealed that the exuberant yell “Yahoo!” in the song ‘Chahe Mujhe Junglee Kahe’  from ‘Junglee’ (1961) was recorded by writer Prayag Raj who happened to be in the studio and not by the singer Rafisaab. Later in Amitabh Bachchan’s own ‘Coolie’ (1983) Prayag Raj provided vocalization by shouting “Allah Rakha” in a song. The ‘Yahoo’ song picturized on the ‘Rebel Star’ Shammi Kapoor is considered a turning point in Hindi cinema. It solidified his image as an untamed screen presence, an unshackled freedom-seeking soul. Much akin to contemporaries Elvis Presley and James Dean. The singer in a later interview commented that he sang this exuberant song on a high scale whilst visualising the persona of the rocking Shammi Kapoor. In his foreword to the biography ‘Mohammad Rafi- Golden Voice of the Silver Screen’ by Sujata Dev, Dilip Kumar writes, “With Rafisaab it was a mystical bonding.  As if he was part of me when he sang for me without being told how I would perform the song during the filming of the sequence.” Think also of Kishore Kumar. His years as an actor helped him to project his voice to captivatingly express the emotions of other actors.

A musical giant Salil Chowdury or Salilda, enriched us with his music over 5 decades. From Bengali to Hindi films, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Marathi, Assamese and Odia films. Agnivo Niyogi when writing for the Telegraph mentions quite a few Bengali masterpieces introduced to Hindi audiences. We check out some of these compositions of Salilda which are memorable both in Hindi and Bengali. “The wistful melody ‘Na Jaane Kyun’ from ‘Chhoti Si Baat’ (1976) set to Yogesh’s words and brought to life by Lata Mangeshkar was a recreation of his Bengali song  ‘Pagol Hawa’ which Jaitleshwar Mukhopadhyay sang with great finesse. ‘O Sajana Barkha Bahaar Aayee’  from Bimal Roy’s 1960 classic ‘Parakh’ is another gem from the composer-singer duo of Salilda and Lata Mangeshkar. The latter also sang the Bengali version, ‘Na Jeo Na’. ‘Kahin Door Jab Din Dhal Jaye’ from ‘Anand’ (1971) captures the melancholy of a terminally ill cancer patient who is watching his life slip by. Penned by Yogesh the heartfelt lyrics as rendered by Mukesh touches our hearts. The original Bengali version ‘Amay Proshna Kore Neel Dhrubo Tara’ in Hemant Kumar’s deep, rich voice has etched its place in the annals of Bengali music.”

‘Ek Chatur Naar’ one of the most loved songs from the1968 laugh-riot ‘Padosan’ was actually made up of 3 different songs. A puzzle perfected by bits and pieces brought in by the versatile Kishore Kumar. As composed by RD Burman it was a combination of Carnatic and Hindustani classical music. Manna Dey, a trained classical singer rendered the Carnatic part whilst self-taught Kishore da sang the Hindustani counterpart.  The Alaap ‘Ek Chatur Naar Karke Shringar’ was taken from Ashok Kumar’s original version in ‘Jhoole’ (1941). The tune used in ‘Sant Tulsidas’ (1939) song  ‘Ban Chale Ram Raghuram’ was adapted as ‘Are Dekhi Teri Chaturai.’ The tune used in ‘Chanda Re Jaa Re Jaa Re’ sung by Lata Mangeshkar  ‘ Ziddi’ (1948) was the final piece of the puzzle, ‘Kaale Re Jaa Re Jaa Re Are Nale Mein Jake Tu Munh Dhoke Aa.’  The famous reel battle remains as humorous and entertaining as it was 55 years ago. Rajendra Krishan’s lyrical fluidity, RD Burman’s creative mastery, the class of Manna Dey, and the genius of Kishore Kumar all contributed to the timeless track we have today. The humorous on-screen presentation by Sunil Dutt, Mehmood, and Kishore da himself remains till today as a favorite repeat watch for movie buffs, Manna Dey in his interviews has mentioned his fond memories of the making of this crazy, rollicking duet. The rehearsal over 8 days and good food at each other’s house. The final recording in 2 phases. Manna Dey in his interviews admiringly speaks about the mad-cap genius of Kishore and his improvisations which made the song into a cult classic.

Indian Railways is a recurring character in countless Hindi songs of that era. Shakti Samanta’s 1969 romantic drama ‘Aradhana’  gave Hindi cinema an evergreen romantic song in ‘Mere Sapnon Ki Rani’.  The filmmaker’s son Ashim Samanta recounts what went into the making of the iconic song. The number was to introduce the lead pair of Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore. The song was visualized with the hero driving a jeep through a scenic hill station whilst the heroine is sitting in a slow-moving passing train. The Bagdogra to Darjeeling toy train route was selected for the song. But just a few days before the actual shoot, Sharmila Tagore informed the director that she had already allotted the dates for a Satyajit Ray film. The filmmaker was livid but she convinced him to go ahead with the scheduled shoot without her. As the hero proposes to her in the song the heroine is seen sitting in the train trying to read a novel and sneaking glances at the Romeo. Whilst watching the film it seems that it was all shot at the same Darjeeling location. In reality, it had to be re-shot on a set at Nataraj Studios, Bombay. Art Director Shanti Das recreated a set to match the toy train compartment. The scenes were edited and interspersed so seamlessly to seem one with the outdoor location shoot. Another important reveal is that all the songs were supposed to be sung by Mohammad Rafi. As he was on a 3-month world tour, Sachin Dev Burman and Shakti Samanta brought in Kishore Kumar. The rest is history.

‘Khaike Paan Banarasiwala’ became the USP for the 1978 hit film ‘Don.’ The lyrics were written by Anjaan for a Dev Anand film ‘Banarasi Babu’ (1973). Kalyanji-Anandji (KA) were the music directors for both the films. However, the star disliked it as it did not go with his urbane, debonair image and hence it went into the KA song bank. After the completion of the rushes, ‘Don’s’ director Chandra Barot screened the film for his mentor Manoj Kumar. He was advised that the film script was going too fast and that a song be introduced post-interval to give the audience a breather. Hence, the famous song picturized on Amitabh Bachchan, where he was inspired by some of Bhagwan Dada’s dance moves a la ‘Albela’. Kishore Kumar agreed to sing the song after much persuasion by the music director duo but insisted that he would only give one take. He asked for a paan at the studio, and chewed the paan, and also spat it during the recording. Please check out the song again to get the real feel and flavor of it again. These incidents were recounted in the radio show Suhana Safar with Annu Kapoor’.

In a Facebook video, Asha Bhosle recalls the recording of the song ‘Inteha Ho gayi Intezar Ki’ when Kishore Kumar sang the song whilst lying on a table. This superhit song featured in Prakash Mehra’s film ‘Sharabi’ (1984) with the camera panning on Big B and another top heroine from the South, Jaya Prada. Anjaan captured the mood of the song in his lyrics which was composed by Kishoreda’s nephew, Bappi Lahiri. The singer decided that he would sing the song lying down as a fallen drunkard. A teetotaller, the artist in him decided to reach the high by lying down flat.

During her last concert tour to Britain in 2016, Asha Bhosle spoke with the Hindustan Times about how she immersed herself into the role of a Lucknow courtesan to prepare herself for the rendering of the mellifluous ghazals from the 1981 film ‘Umrao Jaan’. The soulful lyrics were penned by Shahryar and the music of the film was composed by Khayyam. She mentioned that normally her focus is on 2 things- who is singing the song on the screen and what the screen persona of the actress is. For ‘Dil Cheez Kya hai’ the gestures and expressions of Rekha came to her mind. Then she read an Urdu novel ‘Umrao Jaan Ada’ (1905) to understand the character and situation. “After imbibing all that I became Umrao Jaan myself. I could translate her feelings into my rendition of the song.” We have all heard of Method Acting- the technique for an actor to get into the skin, mind, and even soul of a character. How about, ‘Method Singing?’

Eminent lyricist and filmmaker Gulzar is full of anecdotes about Pancham. 116 of his songs were set to music by R D Burman. “He used to be at his wit’s end about my lyrics. Ek to bechare ki Hindi weak thi aur oopar se meri poetry,” says Gulzar- The poor man’s Hindi was weak and to top it he had to grapple with my poetry. “When I gave him ‘Mera Kuch Saaman ‘ (Ijazat-1987) he threw away the sheet saying that next time you will give me a headline from the Times of India and tell me to tune it.”

Such iconic songs are known for their timeless melodies and poetic lyrics which resonate with people across generations. They have stood the test of time. They take us back in time to a period when music-directors Laxmikant-Pyarelal (LP) flawlessly conducted an 80-piece orchestra and when music arrangers played a vital role. The lyrics were meaningful and had universal themes and appeal. These classic melodies touched millions of hearts and spread cheer and goodwill. Tapping into the entire spectrum of human mood and emotions- uplifting, philosophical, sad, reflective, wistful, upbeat, naughty, and seductive. During a recent episode of a reality show, Sanjay Dutt shared that his father Sunil Dutt had told him to listen to 4-5 select inspiring and motivational songs when he felt down and desolate. One of the booster-dose numbers, ‘Ruk Jaana Nahin Tu Kabhi Haar Ke’- Do not stop after a defeat from the film ‘Imtihaan’ (1974). Another stirring song by Kishore Kumar,  curated by the LP- Majrooh Sultanpuri team and featuring an idealistic and resolute teacher Vinod Khanna who triumphs over the travails and challenges that life has in store for him. The Golden Oldies numbers have this subtle power to relax and refresh, revive and reinforce.

Why Bollywood’s Profits Are Going South?

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Bollywood has long been considered as the Big Brother of the Indian film industry.  Today, the Mumbai based film world is synonymous with glitz and glamour; big money and scandals; pan-India reach and an expanding global footprint; some hits and many more misses; a well-oiled PR machinery to spin the make-believe; and of course the mellifluous appeal of Hindi film music and songs.

Indian cinema, in other languages, were dubbed as Regional cinema. Yes, there was recognition and awareness about the Titans- MGR and Sivaji Ganesan from the Tamil film world, NTR and ANR from Andhra Pradesh, Kannada film star Dr Rajkumar and the prolific Prem Nazir from the State of  Kerala. The last named holds the Guinness Book record for playing the lead in 520 films. But all these legends did not have an All India audience for their movies.

The other X factor or dimension was that Raj Kapoor with his ‘Laal Topi Russi’ (from the song Mera Joota Hai Japani– Shree 420) had won a lot of hearts in the erstwhile Soviet Union and China. Amitabh Bachchan wowed audiences across the Middle East and South East Asia and clicked with the Indian diaspora everywhere. But the Bollywood media did not acknowledge the fact that the Rajnikanth phenomenon was not confined to Southern India but had spread to Japan- with the release of his film Muthu in 1998- or as the Japanese called it – Odura Maharaja or Dancing Maharaja.

But now the landscape has dramatically changed. By 2020, the combined revenues of the South Indian film industry had surpassed the collections of the Hindi film industry, with Tollywood (Telugu) and Kollywood (Tamil) leading the pack. The game changer has been the release of Baahubali –the Beginning in 2015 and Baahubali 2 in 2017. Part 1 grossed Rs 650 crs at the global BO and the Part 2 collected a staggering 1810 crs. Pipped at the post by only Dangal with Rs 2024 crs, with 60% coming from the China market. But in the Indian market Baahubali 2 The Conclusion reigns supreme at the cash counters with a net lifetime collection of Rs 510 crs. It also registered the highest estimated footfall for any film in India since Sholay in 1975. The ambition, scale and sheer imagination of these S S Rajamouli movies are in sync with the title. They delved into both the Indian tradition and the Epics and hence resonated across the country. Even those generally not interested in the movies flocked to the theatres to soak in the experience.  Baahubali 1 & 2 did not feature any major Bollywood star but won a pan India audience.  Instead Prabhas, Anushka Shetty and the character called Kattappa became household names. Even more significantly, the Baahubali mania earned respect for South Indian film makers and the technicians.

Other movie makers from the Regions stepped in to break the mould. Shankar’s Tamil sci-fi opus 2.0 was made at a budget of Rs 400 crs, probably the most expensive Indian film ever. KGF cost Rs 80 crs to make and market, unheard of for a Kannada film. The recent super-hit Telugu film Pushpa The Rise worked on a budget of Rs 180 crs. All these producers and financiers have shattered the local barriers and dreamt on an All India and even global scale. All the films have been released, dubbed in 3-4 South languages plus Hindi. All have broken records and ejected the status-quoist and even patronising mind-sets.  The Rajnikanth starrer 2.0 with its special VFX effects comes in at no 2 on the Indian BO ratings and pulled in around Rs 190 crs on the Hindi circuit. KGF has broken ground on both counts- breaching the Rs 100 crs barrier on home turf and crossing Rs 250 crs in total collections. The slow burn gangster drama, led by the charismatic Yash, had mixed reviews but resonated with single screen audiences well beyond Karnataka.  Allu-Arjun’s Pushpa has scored a century in BO terms in the Hindi belt and again mostly through single screens. A story about red-sandalwood smuggling it has the smell of the soil and has appealed to cine-goers especially in the tier 2 towns.  Whilst many Bollywood producers are stuck in their multiplex ivory towers. Another key factor in the success story are the peppy songs and the dance numbers which have gone viral on You Tube. The Hindi film industry has lost its feel for even catchy songs and groovy dance numbers which had contributed so much to its growth and appeal.

The theatrical release of Rajamouli Garu’s next magnum-opus RRR has been deferred because of Covid restrictions. This saga of freedom fighters in the India of the 1920’s has created huge hype and expectations. How times have changed. This time around the Bollywood bigwigs will carefully plan the release of their films after knowing when RRR is going to hit the cinema halls.

The OTT platforms and the prolonged Covid lockdowns have played a seminal part in changing both audience expectations and awareness. Now, with just 2 or 3 clicks they are watching a regional film or a foreign movie with sub-titles or dubbed in their preferred language. Good films from the South have piqued the interest of millions of film buffs and have ticked a lot of boxes. The natural acting of the Malayalam film icon Mohanlal in Drishyam 2 has simply blown away the watchers and social media has kicked in to spread the good word. Fahadh Faasil has created a fan following outside Kerala on the strength of his performances and especially his chilling portrayal in Kumbalangi Nights. Audiences woke up to the talent of Vijay Sethupathi after watching his depiction of a trans-woman in Super Deluxe. Then there are the inevitable comparisons with some much –hyped Bollywood stars who are trapped in their comfort zone and keep repeating themselves.

 Film audiences are also raising the bar on content. Even a masala film has to be entertaining, not mindless fare. Like Jathi Ratnalu the rollicking Telugu film of the Andaz Apna Apna genre. Take Jai Bhim the social-legal drama based on a true story in Tamil Nadu- It has the highest IMDb ratings of any Indian film on an OTT platform-9.3.  And one of  the lowest IMDb rating goes to- Salman bhai’s Radhe at 2.1. Tamil star Suriya who produced and acted in this intense and controversial film had earlier backed Soorarai Pottru, a fictionalised version of the book Simply Fly by Capt Gopinath the founder of Air Deccan. It was the only Indian film eligible for the Best Picture Oscar nomination in 2021. The political satire made for television, Mandela, is worth watching on Netflix because of the sheer quality of filmmaking.

The Bombay/Mumbai film industry owes a lot to the Southern fraternity. Studios like Vijaya Productions and Devar Films bankrolled major films like Ram aur Shyam and Haathi Mere Saathi. Of course, Padmalaya Productions kept a fit Jeetendra going through his PT exercise dance sequences with Sridevi and Jayaprada in loud, family melodramas. Let’s take a dekko at the never ending list of remakes. Hrithik Roshan”s next is Vikram Vedha based on the Tamil hit of the same name. Shahid Kapoor’s career was resurrected by Kabir Singh, a remake of the Telugu film Arjun Reddy. Ajay Devgan has featured in 10 such projects, the latest being Kaithi. And lest we forget the roll call of honour for famous Hindi film heroines- Vyjayanthimala and Waheeda Rehman, Hema Malini and Rekha, Sridevi and Jaya Prada….

Other than the big producers and financiers, the people who really call the shots in Bollywood are the distributors and theatre chain owners. They have burnt their hands badly over the last few years with debacles like 1983, Radhe, Thugs of Hindustan, Zero and Bombay Velvet all featuring the elite stars of the Mumbai filmi duniya. The South has taught them umpteen lessons on how mega films can deliver mega results. It is not a coincidence that Karan Johar who invested in Baahubali 2 The Conclusion is backing the much awaited Brahmastra with Randhir Kapoor. They are also keenly aware that the Return on Investment ( ROI) is much higher and the Risk factor considerably lower on movies shouldered by the second-line star actors like Ayushman Khurana (Andhadhun) , Vicky Kaushal (Uri) and the late Sushant Singh Rajput (Chichore).  Made at modest budgets ranging from Rs 50 crs to Rs 35 crs they have grossed Rs 435 crs  Rs 285 crs and Rs 225 crs respectively.  Despite having limited screen release in the range of 800-1200 screens. These movie mandarins are also clued in to the big Hindi movie release formula- Eid-Diwali-Christmas. 4000 screens and hiked up multiplex ticket rates. The footfalls dropping dramatically in the second week. And those with their ears to the ground know that the days of the Super Star may well be over. Actors like Manoj Bajpayee in Family Man and Pratik Gandhi in Scam 1992 have created a large viewership, who eagerly awaits their next venture, albeit on a streaming channel.  

For Bollywood, the writing is on the big screen. The language barrier is no longer holding. Their hold on the pan-India market is diminishing. On the world stage, the Indian film industry has a long way to go to feature on the same page as Hollywood or the Chinese film industry. China with 70000+ screens grossed over $9.3 billion in movie revenue in 2019 (pre-Covid). The Hollywood North America box office gross was $11.4 billion in 2019 plus the rich overseas collections for their Superhero and Fantasy offerings. Movies like Spiderman and Avengers with their multiple language release have a huge market in India.  With 44,000 screens in the US of A there is a robust infrastructure for the cine-goers. One of the biggest challenges for our film industry is the paucity of screens-only 6327 single screens and 3200 multiplex screens for the approx. 1700 films made every year. Many of them do not even find a release date.  The overall revenue of Indian cinema reached $2,7 billion in 2019. That same year the global box office was worth $42.2 billion.      

It’s also just a matter of time before a Bengali or a Marathi film becomes an All India rage. Some of the best Hindi film classics have been made by masters like Bimal Roy and Hrishikesh Mukherjee. And Marathi movies have come of age with offerings like Tumbaad, a horror fantasy, Court, an intimate social-legal drama and Natsamrat which is influenced by Shakespeare’s King Lear and showcases Nana Patekar in the role of a lifetime. Also don’t be surprised if a Punjabi, Odiya, Bhojpuri or Gujarati film makes the breakthrough and punches far above its regional weight.

It’s a happening, exciting time for the Southern India film industry. Also a wake-up call for Bollywood to get its act together.

(Soures: Box Office Data/Stats/Figures  sourced from- Box Office Diary, Box Office Hungama, Indian Cinema-Wikipedia, SACNIK, Statista, Hollywood Reporter)

The Method of Dilip Kumar

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Portrait of Dilip Kumar in 1946 from Wikimedia Commons

Amitabh Bachchan has famously said that, “the history of Indian cinema shall always be reckoned as before Dilip Sahab and after Dilip Sahab because of his impeccable presence.” Dilip Kumar (Yousuf Khan) made his screen debut in the mid 40’s and became an actor and star to reckon with by the end of that decade. The audience of that era had grown up on high voltage melodrama, high pitched dialogues accompanied by lots of gesticulations. Motilal and Ashok Kumar and (later Balraj Sahani ) had begun the process towards a more natural form of acting. However, it was Dilip Kumar who carried the torch and made it the norm.

Satyajit Ray called him the ‘Ultimate Method Actor.’ Javed Akhtar went a step further and called him the first method actor in the world even before the Hollywood great Marlon Brando burst on the stage and screen. The Indian screen icon has publicly spoken of his admiration for the craft of Brando and Paul Muni.

In lay terms, in order for actors to create natural performances they needed to tap into personal experiences in order to imagine how their characters are feeling. They would use their own memories and relate these emotions to the portrayal of a character. This is the essence of Method Acting although there are many more dimensions to it. In his autobiography ‘Dilip Kumar- the Substance and The Shadow’ the thespian reveals to the narrator Udayatara Nayar, “that the epithet was used to describe me before Brando. I am an actor who evolved a method which stood me in good stead. I learned the importance of studying the scripts and characters deeply and building upon my own gut observations about my own and other characters. It was always meaningful for me to study even those characters that would be close to me or opposed to me.” Thus began a legend’s life- long obsession with immersing in the character and inhabiting the role.

In doing so he changed the very concept and grammar of acting. He redefined the meaning of acting. If the dialogues were potent the acting had to be understated. It was not necessary to shout to be heard. A nuanced body language and even silence conveyed more through the camera lens than a plethora of theatrical gestures. Indeed, this actor had the gumption to enact critical scenes with his back to the camera letting his voice envelope the audience. Remember ‘Ram aur Shyam’ where the quivering voice of the nervous, timid Ram resonates through the halls – of how he has been bullied and beaten into submission by Gajendra babu (his screen brother in law- Pran). He played out the entire gamut of emotions brilliantly from the heartbreak and sorrow of ‘Jogan’ and ‘Devdas’ to the lively fun characters of ‘Kohinoor’ and ‘Ram aur Shyam’. It was no longer taboo for the hero to do comic sequences. Dilip Kumar gave a polish and finesse to acting which till then had been largely confined to self-conscious histrionics.

But a career of almost 5 decades, embellished with many memorable performances, did not just happen. Dilip Sahab imbibed quickly that the art and quality of film-making depended heavily on team-work. He understood the importance of not only the director, co-actors and cinematographer but even the value of a lightman and every member of the set crew, His commitment was not only to his role but to the film itself. Listen to Yash Chopra, third assistant to his brother BR Chopra during the making of ‘Naya Daur,’ “Dilip Sahab spent an entire month with Akhtar Mirza, the writer, and Chopra-saab at his Juhu shack. He would take up each scene with the dialogues and enact it with the drama, pathos, sentiment, humour and deep emotion and render us speechless. He would show us variations in the enactment and enthral us. He not only dwelt upon the moulding of his character but also the character played by Ajit. He made sure that Ajit’s part (a critical character) was equally strong and sensitively written. And the climax of the film was a challenge for Akhtar Mirza. How could a horse-driven tonga beat a motor vehicle in a race. It was Dilip Kumar who gave the writer the idea of the tonga taking a short-cut- something that was logical and convincing.” [Excerpt from ‘Dilip Kumar- the Substance and The Shadow’]

The immersive performance in ‘Devdas’, a man driven by unrequited love to become a complete drunkard. Recall that his eyes are hazy and glazed throughout the film, the spoken word is oft slurred and the silences are melancholic. Film-lore had it that Dilip Kumar got so much into the skin of the character that he had to seek the help of a Harley Street psychiatrist to come out of the depression. And per his advises went on to do some light-hearted roles in ‘Azaad’ and ‘Kohinoor.’

‘Ganga Jamuna’ is considered to be his greatest performance. The ‘Method Actor’ in him made him run all around the studio premises to the point of exhaustion in order to get the right look and feel for the death scene in the film. The rustic dance with a folk flavour to the song ‘Nain Lad Jayi Hai’; a sublime collaborative effort with choreographer Hiralal and team brought out and captured the simple, cheery spirit of that moment. In his movies, songs were in-built into the story and drove the narrative forward. And, speaking the Purbi/Avadhi dialect impeccably after learning from the dialect coach Kumud Tripathi. Actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Naseeruddin Shah who hail from the State of UP have been bowled over.

Dilip Sahab’s voice modulations enhanced his performances. His considered pauses added weight to the delivery. He did not rely only on the spoken word to act. His mere presence in a frame made the scene come alive. And he brought in the subtle art of listening. Listening to what the other character was saying brought realism and involvement to the scene. Then reacting with a mere glance, a half-smile or furrowed eyebrows. Amazing! The audience was sucked into that moment itself.

His dedication was legendary. His quest for perfection was clear. He learnt to play the sitar for months from Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan .  All for a song ‘Madhuban me Radhika’ in the film ‘Kohinoor.’ He could have faked it as many of his contemporaries did. But his desire to get the positioning of the instrument and his hand movements right added credibility to the performance.

The under-stated role of Prince Salim in ‘Mughal-e-Azam’. A lesser actor would probably have gone toe-to-toe with Pruthviraj Kapoor’s grandiose Emperor Akbar. The high-pitched dramatic acting, deep throated dialogues and flamboyant style. Dilip Kumar chose to strike a contrasting note. Emoting with his eyes and saying the graceful words in a soft, refined voice. His smile, his walk and the overall demeanour added to the aura of a romantic prince. The ‘Master at Work’ image is further highlighted by a sequence where as an actor he had nothing to do and nothing to say. The interest and emotion he evokes in the viewer as Prince Salim as his lover Anarkali performed the provocative ‘Jab Pyar Kiya to Darna Kya’ number. The prince had to maintain his royal composure even as the Emperor was about to lose his through a series of eruptions. It is very difficult for an actor to make an impact by doing nothing but Dilip Kumar pulled it off.

Let’s move to the heart-rending late -night scene in ‘Mashaal’. Where he is the helpless, elderly man begging for help from nearby residents and passing motorists to take his dying wife to a hospital. Where he is callously pushed by a passing vehicle on to the rain-drenched street. As he screams for help his voice becomes more desperate and hoarse and plaintive and cracks. The scene is numbing and gives us goose-bumps. The consummate actor drew from sad memories of his brother’s death and the anguish on his father’s face in the emotional scenes in ‘Mashaal’ and earlier in ‘Shakti.’

In a career spanning almost 50 years, Dilip Sahab acted in less than 60 films. It must have taken tremendous guts and self-belief to do so. He has himself said in interviews that he had avoided over-exposing himself to the audience. Plus the decision to only work on one film at a time underlined his confidence in the content of these films and his complete dedication to them.  He showed courage in the choice of scripts and roles that were varied and different. He moved from being ‘the Tragedy King’ to swashbuckling action to fun and comedy with flair and success. He imbued some characters with gravitas. He took conscious risks with his screen image breaking all the unwritten rules for stars of his era. In ‘Aadmi’ his character is mostly confined to the wheel-chair, a jealous, possessive man with a murderous streak. Much earlier he had played the blind young man in ‘Deedar’, playing the character with his eyes open. And a small aside. Be it the dapper suited gentleman in ‘Andaaz’ or Prince Salim in Mughal regal finery (Mughal-e-Azam) or the dhoti-kurta wearing villager in ‘Ganga Jamuna’, Dilip Kumar donned the role and stepped into the character.

No surprise that he is regarded as the gold-standard of film acting across India. His recent demise has brought heartfelt and glowing tributes from the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Manmooty, Chiranjeevi and many many others. He was the first leading man of cinema to build the bridge across talent-acting-stardom. He had total grasp of the medium of cinema and that it worked only as a collaborative effort. Kamal Haasan has remarked that, “Only after watching his classics he understood the meaning of subtlety; the eloquence of cinema where a mere look or sheer silence can convey so much, so powerfully.” [Excerpt from ‘Dilip Kumar- the Substance and The Shadow’]

The ability to understand a character and react to and from its innate nature was what set Dilip Sahab apart. Let’s have the last take from the legend himself, “Attempts should always be to make films with good stories, sound conflicts, characters that make it real and entertaining. I do not like films with a lot of lectures.” Dilip Kumar has left his indelible imprint on Indian cinema and on a vast global audience. His stellar performances will continue to inspire generations of actors and film-makers to raise the bar for their art, craft and work.