An ideally enacted scene by an actor :: Ashok Kumar in Khatta Meetha!!!!
In a film we take out an average out of an actors performance and say that s/he did reasonably good. There have been many good actors who bring out solid almost perfect performances but it seldom happens that an actor is so absorbed in the character that all his limbs, all his facial expressions, all his eyes expressions work in synchronisation and what s/he delivers become a text book performance and s/he leaves no room for viewers to find any minute scope for searching any shortcoming in the performance.
We may find many such scenes in Mughal-i-Azam by actors like Prithiraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala and Durga Khote and Ajit. But its a classic film. We have several such scenes enacted by all four actors Dilip Kumar, Rakhee, Amitabh Bachchan and Smita Patil in Shakti. Its again a film having major star cast.
But when it happens in a small film like Khatta Meetha then its a pleasant surprise because normally directors of such films dont seek powerful performances from their actors. They go for scenes in collective manner and they care for narration of the story rather than to concentrate on one actors performance.
Ashok Kumar had been an actor who did this kind of wonder in many scenes in many films where he rose above the scripts, scenes designed by the directors.
Khatta Meetha : he plays a Parsi widower and has four sons. He works as a foreman in a factory. His colleague David, another parsiman, pursues him a lot for marrying again and after his persistent efforts, Ashok Kumar marries a widow Pearl Padamsee, who is mother of two sons and a fat daughter. Pearls elder son Rakesh Roshan starts loving his class mate Bindiya Goswami, who is daughter of a rich man, Pradeep Kumar.
Because of her fathers disapproval of her love affair, Bindiya Goswami leaves her home and she comes to stay at Rakesh Roshans home. Ultimately they marry with the blessings and support of Ashok Kumar and Pearl Padamsee.
Rich Pradeep Kumar takes it as his insult and he manoeuvres in order to punish Rakesh Roshans family. Ashok Kumars job is taken away. Their home is taken away and police seals the home and they start living in the garden, in front of their own house. Rakesh Roshan is beaten by goons.
Seeing these atrocities, Bindiya Goswami, decides to go back to her fathers home so that he does not punish her in laws more.
Rakesh Roshan is sad but he also approves her decision because he cant see his mother and step father and brothers in problem.
Ashok Kumar sees this and he is extremely sad, angry and frustrated. He goes to Pradeep Kumars office to meet him. He has no appointment but he manages to enter his cabin. He has got 2 minutes to talk and what he does in that given time period is sufficient to send goose bumps to audience.
His body language is fantastic. He is shivering with frustration and extreme rage and with the feeling that he is unable to make much harm to this powerful and rich man sitting behind this big table on his high luxurious chair.
His dialogue delivery is superb. His facial expressions are with no mistakes.
Was he acting or living those moments in reality. If that is acting then thats a celebration moment for any actor. If one can match that performance then he is certainly a great actor.
Ashok Kumar is not a man there with young blood that he would be swayed away under false impressions. He is a matured man and he knows his limitations. But he is unable to resist his emotions. He cant see that someone harms his step son and his wife. An animal or a bird can be quite non-violent, a peaceful creature but when it sees that its child is under danger then it can turn in to a violent creature. Ashok Kumar turns in to that person, who can do anything in defence of his children. He is weak but his weakness has been turned in to the strength and courage. He has put on everything on stake and he fears none and nothing now. And having all understanding about his charcater, Ashok Kumar has done wonders in that particular scene.
Ashok Kumar aka Dada Moni, has left long list of powerful performances behind him but even if one scene has to be selected to suggest his acting standard to newcomers then one scene from Khatta Meetha is sufficient.
What a piece of acting!!!! So much intensity in a scene!!!!
One has to see that scene to enjoy its beauty. Actors have to see that scene to learn the class of acting. Directors have to see that scene to bring depth in their actor’s acting.
Many actors have been doing mimcry act on Ashok Kumar’s part of vast acting style and they have established an image that Ashok Kumar was limited to that kind of style only but to know Ashok Kumar’s depth as an actor, one has to see his peformances in the scenes like abovementioned scene in Khatta Meetha.
It has no usual mannerism which mimcry actors can catch.
If an actor can copy this performance of Ashok Kumar then he should think that he has achieved in acting and he can now act independently in any role given to him.
Movies, Review , Acting
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18 Responses to “An ideally enacted scene by an actor :: Ashok Kumar in Khatta Meetha!!!!”
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You are right RK.That indeed is a brilliant scene.It highlights the combined genius of both Basuda and Dadamoni.Another scene in the movie that stands out is Dadamoni’s reaction when Rakesh Roshan tells him that he wants to leave the house so that the family doesn’t have to suffer and Dadamoni’s reaction
Yes Vikram, Khatta Meetha has many other good scenes as well. In that particular scene intensive involvement of Ashok Kumar is amazing.
Amitabh Bachchan and Mahesh Majrekar got almost similar scene in “Virudh” But it did not make this impact.
Aamir Khan had got this opportunity in Mangal Pande but he also could not come close to this particular scene’s equality. Where an actor becomes the scene itself.
Anupam Kher’s emotional outburst in Saaransh also can be said as 50% to what Ashok Kumar did.
That shd suggest the class of that scene.
now i know why my father respects dadamoni saab so much…thanks RK, i haven’t seen the movie or just changed the channel when it’s being played on tv..but u explained it in such a way that i am dying to get a copy of it and watch…
“actor becoming the scene itslf”..how rare is that
its not only about Khatta Meetha RK…I cry everytime while watching “Ashirvaad”…for me he has been much brilliant actor than Dilip Kumar or Raj Kapoor…He dint get to play lead roles much due to his non-hero kinda look…but wotever roles he played, whether a comedian in Chalti ka naam gaadi, villain in Jewel thief, father in Mili/Khoobsoorat or Public Prosecutor in Dhundh…his characters are so full of life with attitude…
The way he used to hold pipe or reading glasses in mouth…just too much…long live Dadamoni!!
I had watched “Khatta Meetta” a long time ago. I can’t remember the scene RK mentioned. The only scene I remember is when Ashok Kumar’s son comes injured after after a cricket match. The criket ball had hit his private part and he was in pain. Ashok Kumar takes him to the toilet and makes him piss. It was a funny scene. The expression given by that boy was very nice :d:d
The song and picturisation of the song “Thoda Hai Thode Ki Zaroorat Hai” is my all time favorite.
“Khatta Meetta” was remade in Malayalam. Not sure of the name. But I think it is “Piriyilla Nammal”. Ashok Kumar’s role was played by the guiness book record holder, Prem Nazir.
Jai:
Ashok Kumar has left many many brilliant performances behind him. And he was forced to become an actor and its worth to study his journey and subsequently progress as an actor. He developed different mannerisms for different charcaters and brought styles to many characters he played over the years and made them memmorable.
He hardly let down the expectations of audience whatever role he played and gave his soul to the roles.
Your father might have seen his journey and so its obvious why he is such an ardant fan of Ashok Kumar.:)
Ashish: Yes Ashok Kumar’s brilliant performances are spread in hundreds of films he did in his life time.
But I would not like to bring any comparison to Ashok Kumar, Motilal and Dilip Kumar and to some extent Balraj Sahni also, because these are the actors who had no examples before them and they created the craft themselves and each explored their acting capability to the maximum depth. Though all are actors but they all are different and unique in their own respective areas. Though they all bring satisfaction to the audience of seeing class of acting but this satisfaction is also different.
They may be different school and later all the actors more or less followed their foot steps. If they did not copy their styles then they thought for a minute before enacting their own scenes that how these actors would have performed in such scenes?
These four actors brought reality touches in the otherwise bit theatrical acting, prevailing in Hindi cinema in those years. They brought psychological depth in their performances of the different charcaters and brought out acting out of the dialogue based performances. They brought out complexities of the characters on the screen. Earlier it was only dialogue delivery but these people changed the scenario forever.:)
Justin: You have to enjoy Khatta Meetha again.The enough Fun you will get through many scenes. Why to stuck at the memory of one funny scene only. I recall guy who was injured by cricket ball was Ranjit Chaudhary. Where he disappeared. He made him noticed in Baton Baton mein, Khubsurat, Kalia, Chakra and after that no clue abt him in hindi films. In Chakra he made good pair with Naseeruddin Shah, as son of Smita Patil. Some very funny scenes he got there.
lol, that scene was hilarious, “tu apne popat ko……”
RK I simply love the way you write about these classic legends…every time I read, it looks like this is something I kept thinking and got written by you…great!
…waiting for your next brother!
Ashish:
Basheer Badra saab wrote
” Kai Sitaron ko mein janta hun bachpan se
kahin bhee jaon mere saath saath chalte hain”
(I know several stars since my childhood,
whereever I go they walk with me)
No matter from which part of world we see the stars we may have same feelings. So it happens with us all the time.
RK :
Check ‘Kaante’ and you will have another dose of Ranjit Chowdhury
Pavan:
Cant recall him in Kaante. Perhaps he lost somewhere in so many stars, ishq samundar, countless abuses etc.
He played any character which was in original Reservoir Dogs also?
Ranjit Chow was the translator when Sanjat Dutt is being investigated.
I remember Ranjit Chowdary in Kaante. Never knew that he was the same boy in Basu Chatterjee’s movies. He was there in Deepa Mehta’s Fire, Bollywood Hollywood, also. Many people will remember him as the servant in Fire.
Justin John:
yes He was in Fire, The servant, who watches BFs before mother of KulBhushan Kharbanda.
Memory Plus is badly needed
Khatta Meetha was a remake of “Yours, Mine and Ours”
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063829/
Ashish: you saying that that dadamoni didnt get to play lead roles like dilip kumar and raj kapoor is anything but TRUE.
Check out his filmography. In the 40s and 50s, he was force to reckon with. He was a leading actor and star in those times. He was the hero of Bombay Talkies for years before he even took up the production reins of the house. He has innumerable beautiful films as hero, to name a few:
AZAD
BHABHI
KANGAN
JHOOLA
ACHHUT KANYA
NAUBAHAR
MAHAL
ANOKHA PYAR
EK SAAL
GUMRAAH
and many many more..I dont think I can even remember 10% of his output.
They dont make actors like that anymore!