King Among Singhs In Hindi Film Industry
Singh seems to be flavor of the season..Sardar Manmohan Singh winning a confidence motion towards the end of July and in the process nuking the entire opposition..Then Harbhajan Singh mending his way and doing the Ajantha Mendis by taking six wickets in an innings in the second Test Match between India and Sri Lanka a day before..
And now Singh Is King screaming to scorch the screens the same day the Beijing Olympics are inaugurated..
Akshay Kumar in the role of a Singh with designer turban and gaudy sherwani—trying to improve upon the sartorial tastes of Daler Mehndi..Akshay Kumar as a Singh!..Ye baat kuchh hazm nahin hui..
Many before him have tried to don the pagdi of a Sardar in their screen avatars..Amitabh Bachchan did it in AB TUMHARE HAWALE WATAN SAATHIYO..He had also done a different take of a Sardar in the movie SUHAAG where he tries to persuade Shashi Kapoor to marry Praveen Babi by singing a vibrant TERI RAB NE BANA DI JODI ( incidentally this being the title of Aditya Chopra’s post-hibernation movie in the making)..
But Amitabh Bachchan does not quite fit as a Sardar in terms of whole persona though he is the only one who can carry the role of a coolie to crorepati with ease.
I think no Khan among the reigning quartet—Aamir, Salman, Shahrukh & Saif can really look the part though they may be able to enact it well..Whether they will be able to bring in the right lingo and nuances of the Punjabi milieu is also doubtable..Though Aamir has an edge over other Khans in this department..Remember his ad for Coca-Cola with ‘Yaaran Da Tashan’ tagline!..He also did well in Rang De Basanti while speaking the typical Punjabi.
Ajay Devgan tried a trimmed version of Sardar in THE LEGEND OF BHAGAT SINGH but he somehow does not look convincing.
Then there is Sunny Deol who has atleast thrice essayed the role in a Sardar persona..He really carried this persona with great élan and panache both in BORDER & GADDAR-EK PREM KATHA.He looked the character..Though his portrayal of a Sardar havaldar in JO BOLE SO NIHAL was a big let down.
Bobby Deol too can carry the Sardar looks convincingly..His role in 23 March 1931-SHAHID BHAGAT SINGH is a case in point..
But the Baap of them and one hero who not only looks true-blue surd but carries it fantastically well is the garam-dharam Dharmendra..
You have to watch his three movies and you will get the refrain..Just reach your DVD library and rent JEEVAN-MRITYU and PRATIGYA to understand what I am talking about..In both the movies his portrayal of a Sardar — with and without a beard-pagdi, is simply fantastic! And what comic timing..You have to watch both the movies to believe it..
Of course he had Sardar get-up in the beginning of that thriller SHALIMAR too and undoubtedly he looked handsome..( I think in his hey days he was the only candidate worthy of playing Indian version of James Bond)..
Being a great fan of pre-HUKUMAT- era Dharmendra I must say he is King of Singhs.. In Bollywood..Dharam paaji da jawab nahin!
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Movies, Op-Ed, People, Thoughts , Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo, akshay kumar, amitabh bachchan, border, dharmendra, Gaddar-Ek Prem Katha, Jeevan Mrityu, Pratigya, Shalimar, Singh Is Kingh, sunny deol
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Krysh,
Dharam ji is a Jat Sikh so it should be quite natural for him to play a sikh.
few actors who have played sikhs.
As far as a proper get up of a sikh man in the comedy role is concerned, Boman Irani in Lage Raho Munna Bhai was significantly great.
When we talk about Bhagat Singh, nobody could beat Manoj Kumar (Old Shaheed).
Not in proper Sikh get up but Raj Kapoor looked like a sikh man when he covers his head with a cloth in Jagte Raho while all the Sikh people are singing and dancing, ” Mein kya jhooth boliyan”
Anupam Kher was fine in Bend it like Bekham.
Prem Nath in Roti Kapda aur makan.
There should be some other actors who have played sikhs
then actors who have played mona sikh characters should be plenty in numbers.
Good actors can look convincing in any get up.
My favorite Sikh
Jaspal Bhatti……Of Course he is an actual Sikh….but still
Just read this morning that Sanjay Dutt will be playing a sikh in a period film set in the year 1897 titled ‘21 battle of saragarhi-fron ashes to glory’. This is being directed by Rohit Jugraj and produced by Bunty Walia.
Krysh, I agree with you - Dharmendra is the King of Singhs!
RK, no doubt many have donned the pagdi to portray Sardar..Om Puri too enacted a cameo in Hera Pheri as a Sardar..But my focus was on a Hero playing the part.
@Arun Prakash,correct me if i am wrong i think Sanjay Dutt did play a Sardar character in Raman Kumar’s Sarhad Paar..I have not seen the film but from its poster i recollect and somehow he looked awkward in that gear.
I thought Boman Irani exhibhited perfect body language as the Sikh businessman in LRMB. Om Puri would make a good sardar, I imagine though I am not sure if he has done it.
How about Avtar Singh in Dasavatram?:-)
Padmini Kohlapurie - Bahdur Singh - Zammane Ko Dikhana Hain
The point is there have not been that many when it should/could have been….
The best one till date: The role of ‘Angad’ in Vijeta, directed by Shashi Kapoor.
An entirely believable character, with no stereotypes whatsoever. People who know Sikhs would agree.