This piece is not a close examination of the every screen performance of actor Dharmendra.
He was a great entertainer as a performer.
One small but essential take away from his performance or the roles he played would leave one wonder -- whether a man should be more 'He man', more middle class, more outward-looking, dashing and more funny and liberal.
His popular films will definitely include 'Sholay' as the one and only - Veeru -- the lover boy for Basanti, a good friend to Jay and an useful 'hired man' for the Thakur.
The one-liner .... or rather a few classic phrases - "Sheru ki maa" to address Hema Malini was something the youngsters enjoyed for decades and loved the same style to be applied in their lives too.
Dharmendra as Veeru was suggesting ... his son (if Hema/Basanti becomes wife) - will be called Sheru.
In 'Chupke Chupke' the action hero showed how effortlessly he could make the audience laugh.
His role as a prank-loving professor pretending to be a driver remains one of the finest comic performances in Bollywood history.
In emotional drama 'Satyakam' (1969);
Dharmendra arguably delivered one of his strongest performances. He played an 'honest man' struggling to remain truthful in a corrupt world. His sincerity and depth in this role earned him accolades from critics and fans. In this film the chief protagonist is an idealist.
Many critics later compared the characters in this film with those in 'Anand' (with Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh.) Compared to Role: Satyapriya Acharya (Dharmendra in Satyakam); Rajesh Khanna - though a cancer patient performed as a cheerful optimist.
Satyakam is a 1969 Indian drama film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, based on a Bengali novel of the same name by Narayan Sanyal.
Satyakam was no only about a honest man it was a reminder that moral beliefs, practised and not just spoken, come at immense personal costs.
In Anupama,
Dhrmendra played a soft and gentle character - a thoughtful writer.
He gave a calm and heartfelt acting and created a memorable and touching love story.
See the beauty how director Hrishikesh Mukherjee handled his starts and how an actor like Dharmendra delivered the role.
An early scene in the film 'Anupama' (1966); Ashok (Dharmendra) encounters two extreme women - Annie and Uma - one unnervingly quiet and the other garrulous and the time span is hardly five minutes ---- Ashok tells himself quickly - "I could write a novel about these strange characters".
 |
| Ashok in 'Anupama' - 1966 |
The plot is handled so well. It is a film about two individuals -- for whom personal growth has to be achieved in different ways -- one - learns to face the world ...
and the other ... -
calmer and more introspective. Dharmendra (the writer) in the meanwhile grows in his own way.
In Basu Chatterjee's 'Dillagi'; -- following Dharmendra as Swarnakamal, a mild-mannered Sanskrit professor whose earnestness clashes hilariously with the spirited, no-nonsense chemistry teacher Phoolrenu (Hema Malini).
It was a charming slice-of-life romance. Even though their path is complicated by a rival suitor and social expectations, what starts out as a string of awkward misunderstandings gradually turns into affection.
In 1973 came a new era of Bollywood. Brothers getting separated.
Directed by: Nasir Hussain; 'Yadon Ki Baraat' had
Dharmendra, Vijay Arora, Tariq Khan
In the chaos that ensues after witnessing the murder of their parents,
three young brothers are split up and only reunited by the
titular lullaby they used to sing together.
Dharmendra portrays Shankar, the eldest, who develops into a ruthless, vengeful criminal who is still troubled by memories of that evening.
Years later, he encounters his younger brothers, one of whom is a romantic drifter and the other a budding singer.
But they are unaware of their common history.
The film had a few popular songs.
In Chetan Anand's 'Haqeeqat' (1964)
Dharmendra has co-stars --- Priya Rajvansh, Sanjay Khan and the illustrious Balraj Sahni.
This grim war movie centres on a small platoon of Indian soldiers who become stuck in Ladakh during the 1962 Sino-Indian War.
As Captain Bahadur Singh, Dharmendra gives a subtly moving performance.
He strikes a balance between hopelessness and ephemeral human connection.
Haqeeqat, they say is an early example of Dharmendra’s dramatic range.
Wrap up:
My mother liked him; for us he was He Man, Veeru etc --- my sister had several complaints about his nose !! That's life too.
This is also the dilemma of our times. At times ... we are so popular, so influential and then suddenly - we may become less-useful even if not useless.
People say the country has reconciled the conflict long back.
Is it madness not to be on the road ?
And who can forget "Basanti, tum in kuton ke ssamney nahi nachogi" ???
ends
No comments:
Post a Comment