Apna Dharmendra
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He turned 75 on Tuesday.
I couldn’t wish him a great birthday, news was that he was taking off for a quiet evening to his Lonavla farm. Why bug him on the cell phone.
Why not tell him what you’ve always believed? Once again, with feeling.
He inspires a personal contact. Between his easygoing screen persona and even the most nerve-wracked viewer in the auditorium. When you’re watching him, you’re in a comfort zone. You know he won’t do wrong. Sure on being provoked, he has that self-dignity to hit back, and when he does he hits hard – with a hammer-hand, eyes aflame and his physical frame ready to take on those opponents with evil coursing through their tangled veins.
Dharminder Singh Deol abbreviated to Dharmendra is every man and woman’s security blanket. The protean good guy who won’t let viciousness get the better of him. Or us out there rooting for him from a seat at the Novelty, Maratha Mandir, Liberty, wherever. Before it became fashionable for heroes to pump up the muscles, he was Indian cinema’s Iron Man. But wait, with a butter-soft heart.
Naram Dharam
The tough-gentle combo has been achieved by very few actors through the decades; Garam Dharam as he came to be nicknamed by the glossy magazines was indeed denied another sobriquet, Naram Dharam. A strong Hercules-like figure, his characters also suggested the piety of Hatim Tai.
It could be argued that the roles written for Dharmendra presented him in this two-for-the-price-of-one hero. Right? Wrong. Because be it the direction or the script, they are nothing without an actor to elevate little detail to the role. Which is why – along with Shashi Kapoor — he has remained the most underrated actor of popular cinema. He has done over 230 of them, right from the 1960s when he won the Filmfare Talent Contest. A dreamer, with looks to match, he came from Phagwara in the Punjab, encouraging generations after him to follow that Dick Whittington-like pursuit of fortune, and maybe fame.
He opened his innings in 1960 with the black-and-white Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere, with Kum Kum, a debt which he kept repaying by appearing in the subsequent films of producer-director Arjun Hingorani. He was glimpsed in Boyfriend, and assigned a rather mean edge in Aayee Milan ki Bela, in which he lost Saira Banu to Rajendra Kumar. In Bimal Roy’s Bandini, he was bypassed by Nutan for Ashok Kumar. Yet, there was this feeling that Dharmendra deserved a happier ending.
The inevitable happened with Phool aur Patthar, unforgettable for that moment when bare-chested and inebriated he hovers over the supine, widowed Meena Kumari, concluding that tense scene with credible gallantry.
So upright
Dharmendra has created a man who is irrevocably upright and inspiring, even if it was through such stock scenes in which he expresses his love for his toiling at-the-sewing-machine mother. Aaya Saawan Jhoomke had outstanding music, gloss and also a romantic young man, who plausibly got his girl and just dues.If the mother-angle didn’t lapse into sentimental mush, it was because his performance could express the varying emotions – for the family and for the beloved – with a distinct differentiation. No oedipal strains here.
How would one describe Dharmendra’s acting? Perhaps it’s best not to when an actor is casual, relating with the camera as to a manner born. That he has the classic good looks helped, no doubt, and so did the crowd-pleasing mannerisms – a certain simmer that either exploded in anger or self-denial..a measured, articulate-every-word dialogue delivery.
Often branded as the macho action hero (Ghazab went full-on to display him bare-chested and fettered), he could be an overwhelmingly emotive poet (Anupama), an effortless comedian (Pratiggya, Chupke Chupke) and a period piece adventurer (Dharamveer in which he wore knee-length skirt which he once said, fondly, made him look like Helen).
Hrishida connect
Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Dharmendra were an excellent director-actor team. Mukherjee, indeed, gave the actor his most profoundly stirring screen moment. As the incorruptible Satyapriya Acharya, he dies with a smile on his face, happy that he is leaving the world, uncompromised. That single moment from Satyakam haunts. If there were more Satyapriyas, wouldn’t the world be a more glorious place?
On another note altogether, a throwaway aside from Mukherjee’s Guddi, captures the fact that Dharmendra never plotted or planned for an emeritus position. Or supestardom. On being asked for an autograph, Dharmendra smiles wryly, and says words to the effect, “How come me? And not Rajesh Khanna?”
In real life, he has that casual wryness too. A knee-high kid asked him for an autograph on the sets once and exulted that he loved his films. Patting him on his mophead, the actor smiled, “I am sure you mean Sholay?” The kid nodded yes, Sholay, of course, Sholay. Veeru of that blockbuster was central to the film’s tremendous success, but as it happened, the credit went to its technical sweep, script deftness and the psychopathic edge given by Amjad Khan to Gabbar Singh. But take away Veeru’s drunken scene atop a water tank or the chemistry with Basanti, and you subtract the blockbuster of a significant part of its insuperable entertainment value.
Hopelessly sentimental
In a piece per se, I can only skim the surface of the Dharmendra magic.Too many diverse roles (Naya Andaz, Aankhen, Ghulami) – how do I fit them all? How can I expostulate that he was the logical successor to the Raj Kapoor-Dev Anand-Dilip Kumar trinity. He had the cool, in varying degrees, of all the three. How do I describe the joy of the song Aaj mausam beimaan hai (Loafer) to which he moved, celebrating the divine flush of seasons.
I’m hopelessly sentimental about Dharmendra, the actor and the man (that’s a thesis by itself). I’m aware that the ‘90s weren’t an auspicious time for him, as he attempted to make the transition to the senior tough guy (Paap ko Jalaakar Raakh kar Doonga, ouch). I’d like not to leave out certain mind-spinningly quirky characters he played too (the swarthy slave in Razia Sultan). I wouldn’t like to omit his major, latter-day successes (Hukumat), or the impact of his brief but unforgettable appearances (Khamoshi,Yaadon ki Baarat). And yes, there is the fact that every actress was his ideal arm candy, some of them sparking terrific screen vibes – be it Tanuja (Do Chor), Mumtaz (Jheel ke Us Paar), Raakhee (Jeevan Mrityu, Blackmail) and of course, Hema Malini.
Our Satyaprakash
In his 70s, too, when he shows up you watch: Apne, Life in a Metro, and Johnny Gaddar. He brings back the uncomplicated mood of the movies of the 1960s and the ‘70s. He asserts that an actor never retires. He just becomes more valuable.
Indeed, there may be no more Satyaprakash Acharyas on the scene any more. But there’s always Dharmendra.
Tags: Aaaya Saawan Jhoomke, Aayee Milan Ki Bela, Anupama, Chupke Chupke, Dharamveer, dharmendra, Ghazab, Ghulami, Khamoshi, Loafer, Phool aur Pattar, Pratiggya, Satyakam, Yaadon Ki Baarat
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Nice post yet again … somewhere I guess it wasn’t as comprehensive as you had written about Shashi Kapoor… It definately missed a lot of the obvious details that general public are aware of (and of course why write the obvious) … but would ve loved to know how, till Sunny Deol happened, none of his other family members ever showed up on any forms of media… heard about his huge family that lives together, none of them ever seemed to have appeared anywhere even when the articles about hema malini are published, which is pretty strange yet dignified, in an industry in India where until you don’t lead the ‘right social life’ … your acting singly doesn’t seem to pip your popularity ….
That apart, heard D is also supposed to be a generous person with unlimited favors given out similar to Salman Khan and thats one of the reasons why he had a list of bad movies in 80s-90s, where he was playing his presence more or less to get Karan Kapoor/Govinda… noticed … I am not sure if any of it is true, would ve been interesting to know some more…. how his leading laadies readily accepted to play Sunny Deol’s mom in Sunny… quite a few things I ve read here and there more as a testimony that people did try to bend as much as they can to accomodate and repay their gratitude to him….
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wishing him the best on his birthday ….
reminds me, also heard when Pran had suggested AB for Zanjeer, it was D who seconded his opinion (he had rejected the movie) … no clue if thats true as well… I think I heard this one on a show by Sachin Pilgaonkar…
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You posts on the legends of Indian Cinema makes great read. But I agree with PS here, that this one on DharamPa ji wasn’t as good as of ShashJi. hmm . i guess this one wasn’t completely natural.
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Once again a great post. I completely agree with you that he is truly under rated. hrishida indeed brough out the best in him. Pratiggya, Satyakam, Chupke Chupke etc are indeed some of his best works. Would love to see an article by you on Sanjeev kumar and our dear Mithunda. Coz i feel Mithun is also under rated. As in his acting prowess was never fully tapped except for some rare occassions. Never mind the Ooty phase. In a nutshell, gr8 write up. :yahoo:
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Oh ya Khalid Sir,
Would appreciate. If you could write some ‘EXCLUSIVE’ articles about Sanjeev Kumar and gulzar saab.
Hope you are listening !
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Yes, public demand… please write about Gulzar saab
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One correction, i think it’s s Naya Zamana’ and not ‘Naya Andaz’.
His role as an idealist in the socialist drama suited him to the tee.
A very good writeup on a great actor.
Happy Birthday Dharam paaji.
Wish definitely to see more of him.
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Brilliant piece of writing, probably because I am a huge fan of Dharmendra since my childhood. Thanks a lot Khalid ji.
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Thank u ashwini…it is indeed Naya Zamana..and not Naya Anadaz..thank you for yr correction…duas.
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Thanks Khalid. Anupama, Satyakam, and Chalte-Chalte truly show the real actor that Dharmendra can be given a character with some depth.
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dharam paaji was really good in ‘aadmi aur insaan’, ‘jeevan mrityu’; and those spy movies like ‘charas’ and ‘aankhen’.
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he was a tremendous actor until 1980′s where he did a whole lot of macho-man howler movies. if u pick up any movie of dharam paji, pre-1980, you will see a completely different dharamendra. the man who did movies like ‘pathar aur payal’, ‘blackmail’, ‘mere hamdam mere dost’ etc
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my belated birthday wishes to dharam ji, an actor whose talent was not truly extracted. he has more in him than machismo
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Happy B’Day to Dharam Paaji, hoping that Garmi lasts forever.
Some other great movies of Dharam Paaji
Shalimar- Pretty slick heist movie, i thought for the 70′s. Dunno why it flopped. And those Jinga Lala sounds.
Ghulami- One of the best movies of the 80′s, it was reminiscient of many David Lean movies. The desert was never so beautifully captured on screen. Fantastic acting from Dharam Paaji, Mithun Da, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Naseer and Smita Patil.
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My wish to see all my favorite 70′s heroes-AB, Dharam Paaji, Vinod Khanna, Shotgun together. Their combos on screen were dynamite.
Be it AB and Vinod Khanna facing off, in the Hum Premi Prem Kar Na Jaane song from Parvarish, the tension between AB and Shotgun in Kaala Patthar, Vinod Khanna and Dharam Paaji in Burning Train, Batwara, or Dharam-Shotgun in Dosti, Blackmail, these actors, elevated those movies with their acting. Even today, i don’t miss a chance to watch their movies whenever they come on TV, they had that spark, that charisma, that IT factor, which hooked you completely.
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AB’s face-off with Shotgun in ‘Dostana’ was fantastic too. And his combo with Dharam ji in ‘chupke chupke’ was awesome. so, was AB’s camaraderie with Vinod Khanna in AAA and ‘Hera Pheri’.
would love to see these guys face each other once more, re-create those scenes…amen!
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“But there’s always Dharmendra.”
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Touchwood. Great post sir. nostalgic kar ditta tussi.
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kutte!
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No offence here. I mean how can an article about dharam paaji be complete without this endearment?
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Yeah he effortlessly portrayed different emotions as if it were different people performing various emotions
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But I found him quite endearing when he played almost himself in Guddi and Mera Naam Joker.
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Sometimes I think his “asthma” style of emoting took the attention away from his performance
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Nice post Khalid….It is really amusing how the current breed of movie watchers have no idea of his past endeavors just because of his 90′s nonsense. But a good tribute to one of the most handsome Indian actor on screen..
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Nice post Khalid but, Dharmendra gave a power packed performance in Yaadon Ki Baarat it wasn’t a brief one like Khamioshi. As akid watching the opening sequence of Yaadon Ki Barat when Dharamendra jumped on the running trian used to give me goosebumps. What a show man!
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The photo of Dharmendra at the top with the cigarette in hand is how I would prefer to remember him.
My first Dharam film was Sholay. Then I saw Loha with Karan Kapoor and Shotgun. Then I watched that Anil Sharma film which had Amrish Puri going “shom shom shomo shasha”. While I really enjoyed Dharmendra’s acting in these films, his image in my mind was of a comically angry superhero. Then I watched Chupke Chupke. And was zapped.
Dharmendra post 80s was as campy as he was awesome before it.
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Oh! Dharmendra is a legend and its great to see him back in form with his recent films like Life in Metro,Apne and Johnny Gaddar.I like so many movies of his and keep watching them for this antics and dialogue delivery.His comic act in Chupke Chupke is probably my most favorite followed by Sholay.Of course I loved him in so many more movies like Blackmail,Charas,Dreamgirl,Shalimar,Dillagi,Ghulami etc.Loved his combination with AB in movies like Chupke Chupke, Ram Balram,Andha Kanoon ( Dharampaaji in a cameo as a truck driver ).I saw Hum Kaun hai recently just to see the combination back in action.
Belated b’day wishes Dharamji- wish to see more of you.
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Thanks for the lovely tribute. I loved Dharmendra in Anupama, Saytyakam and Chupke Chupke. In Anupama he had so much of repressed passion in his body language – but the passion was cloaked in rectitude and gentlemanliness. Same with Bandini. In Chupke Chupke his comic timing was impeccable. I also agree that without him as the perfect foil to Jay in Sholay, Sholay wouldn’t have beent the same. I don’t think anyone else could have done Veeru. I also vividly remember the time he received his Filmfare Award for Lifetime Achievement. He became so emotional, and was touchingly transparent in his wonder/admiration for his one-time colleage Amitabh – who had managed to continuously revinvent himself for the 90s and then the 2000s. I doubt if any other star would have ever been so candid!
A belated happy birthday to Dharam ji!
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Dharmendra’s parallel in today’s cinema is Salman Khan. He has that handsome face, tough body combination and the similar easy charm. He is also sentimental and ‘Naram’-dil like him. Even Dharmendra himself says that he sees himself in Salman. Like Dharmendra, Salman is also one of the most underrated actors of our cinema.
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Dude no offense, but u are doing a great disservice to Dharmendra by comparing him to Salman. I mean i understand that Salman is a popular star but calling him an underrated actor is stretching it a bit too far. Worse, likening his acting skills or rather the lack of them to that of Dharamjee’s is nothing less than blasphemy.
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The similarity between the two is that whenever they cried on screen, there were peels of laughter in the audience!
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I’d like to see Salman portray the role that Dharamji played in Bandini…Of course you would also need a Nutan and an Ashok Kumar alongside but never mind that…..
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Bet it would be same as imagining Dharamji in “Hello Brother” or “Hum Aapke Hain Kaun?”.
I seriously don’t get this. Salman is as big a star now as Dharam paaji was in his time, if not bigger. Both of them did some good roles and a lot of forgettable ones. Salman may even come out on the top given the type of directors he worked with.
50 years down the line, both of them will find their own comfortable spots in the history books and Salman doesn’t have to be pulled own to elevate Dharam Paaji.
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Superb, piece of Dharamendra.
Need to watch Satyakam (again)after this post.
Would have loved a HAPPY BIRTHDAY post from Sriram Raghavan as well. Another great fan of the man.
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Dharmendra is and will always remain my favourite actor. He isn’t a great actor but had this magical persona. He came into the industry when the trio of Dilip-Raj-Dev were ruling the roost. He stood on his own and was loved for his work in 60’s, 70’s and most of 80’s. As a youngster I used to make it a point to catch all his movies even if it meant travelling long distance.
It is really sad that the media always gave him raw deal. Most of the time in his career he only received negative publicity. Unfortunately in late 80’s he moved to B grade cinema. I am not sure why he must have taken that step. He however remained in the hearts of his fans. It was very endearing to see him back in action recently in Metro, Johny Gaddar and Apne. Dharamji, yeh dil mange more.
One movie which didn’t get included in the various posts is JP Dutta’s “HATHYAR”. The movie as well as Dharmendra were brilliant.
Finally, I was wondering if someone can help me with a link to old Dharam movie “SAMADHI”. I have seen it as a kid and had loved it. Have been trying to catch hold of it since some time but no luck.
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