SUNDAY, JUNE 22, 2014 (PAGE-4) BOLLYWOOD BUZZ PERSONALITY Living Legend Dilip Kumar Remembering Shankar Ghose Inder Jeet S ‘Prince’ the new hero of Bombay Talkies is an anaemic addition Anshu Meshack 1990s.he had, by then, pioneered several philanthropic ini- to our film artistes. He needs a lot of vitamins and a pro- Dilip Kumar (real name Yusaf Khan) was born on Dec tiatives and was involved with a variety of social and devel- longed treatment of proteins before another picture can "We must have a sense of history", was the last conver- opment organizations. Hanging up his boots was simply not 11, 1922 in Peshawar (Pakistan). It is indeed a miracle be risked with him. He looks gaunt and famished and sation a visibly-frail Shankar Ghose had with his daughter, that a former fruit merchant went on to become India’s an option. He plunged headlong into the development sec- strikes one as a long ill treated convict who has escaped Ela, in the intensive care unit of a Gurgaon hospital. The tor fulltime, leading the prestigious National Foundationfor greatest actor Dilip Kumar’s life as an actor began from from a jail. His appearance on screen creates both laugh- man who intended to retire at 80 lost a long, determined May 1942 at Bombay Talkies Studio, Malad, Bombay. India for a successful five-year term. ter and disappointment. His acting effort in this picture battle against cancer on the night of June 14, months short Perhaps the most testing time came in 1997, when his He was merely 19 years and 5 months old at that time. amounts to Nil.’ of his 79th birthday. And yet, his remarkable eight-decade It is said that it was famous actress Devika Rani who son Sanjoy, then 39, was abducted by the ULFA while he However, destiny had something strange in store for long journey reflects a sense of historyas rich as the young was working in Assam's Majuli Island as a development spotted him at Pune’s Military Canteen. She told him to Dilip Kumar. He went on to sign one tragic film after India he saw evolve significantly during his come to Bombay and offered him his first film ‘‘Jawar another and eventually came to be crowned as the lifetime. Bhata’’. Yusaf Khan was given screen name of Dilip ‘Tragedy King’ of Bollywood thanks to tragic characters Born in Patna to a senior Gov- Perhaps the most testing time Kumar. He was playing the 2nd lead opposite a new lady he played in films like ‘Mela’ (1948), “Deedar’ (1955). ernment Officer and a feisty Mridula: However, Dilip Kumar showed his malleability in films young housewife who had came in 1997, when his like ‘Aan’ (1953) where he played a sword slashing been an active freedom prince ‘Amar’ (1954) where in the darkest role of his fighter, Ghose was the eld- son Sanjoy, then 39, was career he raped the heroine and ‘Leader’ (1964) where est of four children. He he showcased his comic genius. He was a method actor studied at missionary before the term came in vogue. His melancholic face, schools, developing an abducted by the ULFA filled with the pathos of unrequited love continues to affiliation towards haunt film lovers till today. The actor is considered on Christianity that instilled while he was working in institution in himself. in him a deep sense of Dilip Kumar, who was crowned the king of tragedy, spirituality that lent him Assam's Majuli Island himself believed that he was being type cast and want- courage in difficult ed to opt out. He said in one of his interviews in 1952 times. His well-thumbed as a development as,’’ I do not know why every producer wants me to die copy of The Bible, by his in his films, why every director wants to see tears in my bedside since the early eyes, why every screen heroine has to desert me on the 1950s,is testimony to this worker. All efforts to find screen and why audiences expect me to wear a serious, faith. Indeed, the countless The hero was Agha. Film was written and directed by tragic expression all the time. It is so monotonous ..... evenings spent singing him failed, and the void Amiya Chakraborthy. and so depressing!’’ hymns and Christmas carols Dilip Kumar’s very Ist shot required him to run so as Dilip Kumar played a lover with aplomb on screen are memories that elicit warm never quite filled. to rescue the heroine Having played football and hock- was actually a quiet, reserved soul who felt shy when it smiles from family and friends alike. came to talking to girls in college and had to overcome ey all his life, Dilip ran as fast as he could-hoping prob- Former schoolmates recall fond worker. All efforts to find him failed, and the void never quite ably to convey the urgency that only a hero could feel his fears while shooting with his heroines. memories of Shanks,as he was known to friends, in St. The love lorn bachelor who had reconcilled himself filled. For many years after, the hope that he would return while rescuing the heroine. But before he could reach Stephen's College - an institution that stayed close to his someday stayed alive. But it was not to be. Mridula, the director had called ‘cut’ “you are running to a life of single blessedness, surprised himself and the heart all his life. His respect for the institution reflected in world when he married ‘beauty queen’ Saira Bano in A devastated father could have chosen to let the anguish much too fast. Our camera can not follow you at that the active role he played as head of the Old Boys Associa- fester, but Ghose channelized it otherwise. The retirement speed’’ said Chakraborty. Several takes later Dilip man- 1966. He was 44 at that time & Saira was just 22. It was tion of the College for an astounding 19 years. To him, noth- rumoured that Saira was madly in love with actor Rajin- plans were shelved once again. He took on the mantle of aged the gentle trot that the director wanted & the shot ing could mar the glory of the institution; it was simply "the leading Charkha, an organization his son had launched was okayed. der Kumar. Since jubliee Kumar was already married, to College." save her daughter from mental agony, her mother three years ago, that had been floundering with little direc- The actual ‘rescue’’ happened only the next day by He imbibed a sense of responsibility early on, taking tion since the abduction. which Dilip’s embarassment had ample time to rise to Naseem Bano hurriedly married off Saira to Dilip charge as head of the family at the tender age of 18 while Kumar’s “Bairaag’’ (1976) was his last film as a hero. In For well over a dozen years thereafter, and till his last the fore. “I was too nervous to even touch her (Mridula), he was still in college, owing to his father's sudden death. breath, Ghose dedicated his efforts to Charkha. Under his recalls Dilip Kumar and adds “let alone hold her with both 80’s he started doing character roles. His memorable The family struggled duringthose difficult times together, leadership, Charkha became an established name in the hands’’. This was something his career as a sportsman films were “Vidhata’’, “Shakti’’ (1982) “Karma’’ (1986) & cementing relationships that were to stay strong right to the field of development communication, with Ghose personal- had not prepared him for. And if there was anything which ‘‘Saudagar’’ (1991) Dilip Kumar starrer “Kalinga’’ was end, with the three siblings by his side through his last ail- ly leading his team to work in some of India's most difficult would have made him give up a career in films, it was launched with much fanfare in 1991. It remained in the ing days. areas, including places where conflict had sidelined devel- this “Jawar Bhata’’ took an unusually long time to make making for a very long time and was finally shelved due Starting as a young management trainee at Caltex, right opment. and was eventually released in Bombay on Nov, 29, to financial problems. “Qila’’ (1998) was Dilip Kumar’s after graduation, Ghose moved up the ranks swiftly. His was Well into his late 70s, he continued to travel extensive- 1944. The film opened to a lukewarm response and even last released movie. The thespian has not faced the cam- a generation that was partaking of nation-building in a young ly to remote locations, urging the youth to come forward and the presence of Amiya Chakraborthy as writer director era since then and has involved himself in various char- India, brimming with promise and pride, eager to enjoy the could not salvage the film which dealt with the age old itable concerns. Now-a-days his health is posing a prob- fruits of the democracy their parents had fought for. share in the challenging task of nation-building.Concerned story of a girl torn between the love of two men (Agha lem. He is reportedly suffering from Alzheimers disease Ghose married Vijaya Rao, known to all as Viji, when he about the growing fissures in a fractured society, he instilled and Dilip Kumar) filmdom’s leading journal film India’ dis- and remained confined to his house most of time. was barely 22 and she, 21. Together for 55 years, they were in his team the urgent need for bringing congruence and missed the film as nothing outstanding but was particu- His health may have deteriorated but the actor will a much-loved couple to their culturally varied families, the harmony among faiths, making it an integral part of all pro- larly savage in its criticism of Dilip Kumar.