Page 35 - Seniorstoday December 2022 Issue

banda de phir meri chaal dekhle are a great love story between a prince and
incomparable. Much before the word body
language came into everyday use. The actor
Dilip Kumar understood the importance
of pauses, the ability to convey an emotion
without speaking and intensity that he
could exude through his eyes and reach out
to the person watching his movies. Be it the
compulsive lover of Andaaz or the brooding
romantic of Devdas, Dilip Kumar did not
want to be boxed into any stereo type role.
He stayed away from being typecast. He
brought about a certain naturalism to the
screen which was minimal and devoid
of imprints of a previous role. He could
develop a chemistry with the objects and
spaces he worked with. Over the years
these became his mannerism. It was an
artist’s struggle to establish himself and
seek a sense of freedom and that was his
body language. He could simplify the
complexities in a way that the audience
understood and connected with him.
Even in the movies where he was pitted
against other intense actors such as Raj
Kumar and Anupam Kher in Saudagar, his
portrayals and abilities stood taller.
Salim and Anarkali – eternal lovers
While Mughal e Azam was an out and out
Prithviraj Kapoor movie and Dileep Kumar
had a very subdued role, the movie became
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #42 | DECEMBER 2022
a dancing girl. The quiet reticent prince
who refused to be intermediated against
an overbearing father. Dilip Kumar stood
his ground and post the movie the story of
Salim and Anarkali became an immortal
classic. Generations later this pair is
referred in conversations as eternal lovers
by even those who have not seen the movie
and for a long time to come every Salim will
have a romantic notion of an Anarkali.
The many avatars of Dilip Kumar
Dilip Kumar was not just an actor but
an institution that inspired a generation
of actors. He was an amazing linguist
and was fluent in Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi,
Marathi, Gujrati, English and Persian. He
even spoke Pashto, Hindko, Bhojpuri and
Awadhi. There was nothing bombastic
about him, in real life he was a very private
person. Charming and dignified to a fault,
beloved by Indians across the globe.
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