What if, an institution that’s been the source of education, inspiration, a reference point for over 60 years for aspiring actors comes crashing down? The loss is unimaginable, especially if you ask those who revered and worshipped this institution, this titan of an actor from the Hindi Film Industry, Yusuf Khan, christened as Dilip Kumar.
Dilip saheb is no more, and as an aspiring actor/writer, his death has left a void in my heart too.
Early memories of watching him play the double role of Ram and Shyam with perfection & ease.
But that only reflected a shade of what he could portray as an actor. His films, namely, Andaz, Ganga Jamuna, Mughal-e-Azam, Devdas, Daag, Shakti, Karma & Mashaal, demonstrated his range as an actor. Versatile, powerful, and natural. Before any actor could stake a claim as the torchbearer for cinema in India, there was Dilip Kumar. When Dilip Kumar spoke, everyone else listened. Such was his aura, humility, such was his larger-than-life personality and stature. He was suave, nuanced, possessed remarkable articulation, displayed a range of emotions, had an immaculate style of method acting, and knew how to press the audience's emotional buttons. He was never over the top, the pitch was near perfect, never sold himself, never personified his struggle or glory which made him the GOAT of acting and a human. But his greatest gift was in displaying real-life tragedy, which made him popular as the ‘Tragedy King’. I was drawn towards him like millions of his fans have. He was perhaps the first of his kind, the most natural and gifted actor that arguably we have ever seen on the silver screen. His craft had finesse and authenticity which will never be seen again.
The famous “Ae Bhai” scene from Mashaal is still vivid in our minds. He rehearsed for 4 days straight to get it right, such was his discipline, his dedication. Two mavericks giving one of the most iconic scenes in Indian cinema. It felt as if a needle pierced our soul. Helpless, pleading for help, pain erupting from his voice and face as a volcano would. As a result, we couldn’t stop weeping, his pain was our pain, he truly lived the characters he played. And, when an actor aces the role, doesn’t it make him/her great?
R. I. P. Legend,
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