ROLE OF A LIFETIME

Dilip Kumar’s career coincided with a newly Independent India marred by many self-inflicted tragedies, and the roles he played resonated with a large section of people, cutting across classes

- JOYJEET DAS

AS WE talk of the politics of development in India today—with 500 million hand-held 4G-powered screens delivering inanities round the clock—one is increasingly amazed at how the early propagandists for a progressive nation used the screen. As a thespian committed to bringing up issues that mattered to the people, Dilip Kumar invested both his stardom as well as his skill as an actor in the cause. The more he reasoned, the deeper he dove to fathom the complexities of the country’s milieu.

When a 20-something Yusuf Khan walked into the studio of Bombay Talkies in the early 1940s, film-going had already caught on in the newly independent country, and there were filmmakers serious about using cinema to push what mattered to them, including those connected to the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA). Chetan Anand’s Neecha Nagar (1946) even won the prestigious “Grand Prix” at Cannes.

Commercial success, however, was trickier. But the star power of the Raj Kapoor-Dilip KumarDev Anand trio came to the rescue. Kapoor moved rather quickly into producing and directing his films, teaming up with IPTA veteran Khwaja Ahmad Abbas to deliver hits like Awaara (1951) and Shree 420 (1955). Anand, on the other hand, was wielded by directors (including brothers Chetan and Vijay) into effectively portraying urban, conflict-ridden characters in movies like Kala Pani (1958) and Guide (1965).

Unlike the two, Dilip Kumar generally stayed away from direction and production. He made up for that with avantgarde subject selection and meticulously researched and rehearsed portrayals. Aficionados still swear by his understated monologue in