When animals steal the limelight
By Janki Dass

IT is a fact that in most hit movies animals have scored, performance-wise, over veteran actors and actresses. A glaring instance of this was Insaniyat 1935 S.S.Vasin directed by in which the chimpanzee Zippy, with his flawless performance, proved to be a greater draw than its top heroes, Dev Anand and Dilip Kumar. In producer Devar’s Haathi Mere Saathi — the super hit movie — its animal star was hailed as the greatest artiste of the decade. Again, in Devar’s Maa it was the baby elephant who eclipsed both Hema Malini and Dharmendra, today’s top stars. If you took out the dog from Sachcha Jhootha, it would dwindle to merely Jhootha and would never have seen its jubilee. In another Devar film, Gai aur Gauri , the cow flagrantly overshadowed Gauri, played by that great actress Jaya Bhaduri, and the tiger’s performance was perhaps more authentic than Shashi Kapoor’s.

Producer-director Raj Kumar Kohli’s Nagin turned out to be a big hit with as big a performance by a cobra as producer S. Mukerji’s 20-year earlier Nagin. And who can forget the performance of the snake (Naag) in Shubh Din? In Bairaag it was the cobra that gave an all-time high performance and incidentally, also a new life to veteran thespian Dilip Kumar. And Nagina starring Sridevi dazzled the public.

In foreign films too animals have forged ahead as more talented artistes than human beings. Remember the avenging tiger in Maneater of Kumaon and the famous donkey of the Francis series, and earlier still in the silent era, Rin Tin Tin, the super dog, who attained even greater fame than Douglas Fairbanks, the lover-hero of the day. The huge gorilla in King Kong still frightens me in my dreams and I still envision vividly Lassie of the Lassie series and her love for her master, and all the animals of Hatari. All these animals created box office history for their films, and millions of fans in all the countries of the world.

Has any film star ever had the misfortune to be replaced by a donkey in a film which went on to become a great hit? Only Janki Dass has had the honour of this dubious distinction ! I shall never forget the late director A.M. Khan, the first director who signed me on as leading man in one of his movies. I had the role of a cunning minister of the king, played by the veteran actor Master Shiraz, who wanted to usurp the throne for his own son. The darbar scenes were shot in the first schedule and everyone was full of praise for my talented acting. All this praise and adulation turned my head and soon I became proud and haughty, shouting and screaming at the assistants and other workers.

I took no notice even of the director’s instructions on the sets, and became convinced that my way was the only way. The Director was not only a friend but also depended on my party for the financing of his movie. First, he tried to ignore my behaviour, but my unending interference with his direction and my continued arrogance finally got on his nerves.

The second schedule consisted of picturisation of the wazir’s palace, in which I had at least 15 scenes. On the first day of shooting the director himself escorted me to my make-up room. As A.M. Khan left, his assistant rushed in, and to my curious surprise cleared the room of all those who waited on me, including my make-up man. This assistant director was my man and I had got him his job as assistant to A.M. Khan. He bolted the door and whispered to me: "Janki Dassji, I must tell you the truth..."

"I don’t follow you," I interrupted."What are you talking about?"

"Khan Sahib is going to turn you out of the movie."

"Impossible," I said. "You must have misunderstood him."

He opened the script and whispered again: "Janki Dassji, by God, I’m telling you the truth. See, here it is in the script...."

To my horror and shock, there I saw it in black and white.... "The minister is to be turned into an ass and replaced by his son — no more shooting for Janki Dass." It was a bolt from the blue! In spite of my being in the fold of continuity, in spite of the help from my financing party, he dared to turn me out of his film! I hadn’t expected this from A.M. Khan !

I snatched the script and rushed to the sets where shooting was in progress, followed by the terrified assistant. There I saw a tall, hefty man, with a long beard and flowing robes, a human skull in both his hands — obviously, I thought, an actor playing the role of magician — the magician who was going to turn me into a donkey, and oust me from the film !

Khan Sahib was giving instructions to the camera man. As I entered pin-drop silence reigned, and he asked the magician to leave. It was quite apparent that it was a conspiracy, I thought. I asked Khan Sahib point blank: "What scene are you shooting today?" He seemed to have been caught unawares and said: "You don’t need to know about the first scene — it doesn’t concern you — you get ready by lunch time." My suspicions became belief and I persisted: "Unless I know what scene this is, I won’t complete my make-up." Khan Sahib flared up: "Behave yourself. No artiste has ever dared to talk to me this way before."

"Listen to me, Khan Sahib," I interrupted, "I am more than an artiste. I am a super-artiste. It is for your good and for the good of your picture that I am taking such an interest in it and offering my valuable suggestions."

Khan Sahib was on the verge of losing control of himself. "I don’t want your valuable suggestions which, if I used them, would ruin my picture." He refused to let me interrupt. "I’ve had enough of you and your interference, and I won’t stand anymore of your nonsense. Don’t instigate me...." He shouted at me in front of the entire staff, the camera crew, the electricians, made me lose my temper and I shouted back.

"Do your worst. I am leaving, never to return. Remember! great director! that I am in the middle of my part and that without me you will never be able to complete your movie all your money, time and energy would go down the drain."

Just then our attention was diverted to the open passage of the set from where a donkey made its sauntering way on to the stage. Khan Sahib burst out: "You — you continuity artiste - I’ll now turn you into a donkey with my magic wand and complete my movie with an even better artiste. You need not complete your make-up - you are not required at all. You may leave forever!"

That is how I was ousted from the best role of my lifetime. And, believe it or not, the picture with the donkey, Jadu-e-Angoothi when screened for trial was hailed by the distributors, who however, suggested to keep the role of the donkey throughout, cutting out the few scenes done by Janki Dass became a super hit! A donkey proved to be a better artiste than I was. The credit for the outstanding performance of the donkey goes only to the talented director and only a donkey would try and claim it for himself. Fortunately that four-legged ass did not have the inflated ego of the two-legged one to misuse it!

I realised later that even inanimate objects may steal scenes from veteran artistes. In Shantaram’s Duniya na mane, a clock dominated the entire film. Keshorao Date plays an old man who marries a teen age girl played by Shanta Apte the star of stars of those days.

In Pakeezah, it is the shrill sound of the train whistle that reminds Meena Kumari of her love and freedom which haunts the filmgoer. The musical been in S. Mukerji’s Nagin while it bewitches the cobra, makes a permanent abode in our hearts. What about the sterling performance of the clock tower in Bombay Talkies’ Mahal that alerts Ashok Kumar to the ghostly allusion of Madhubala?

The hoarded experience of many a film generation nevertheless reveals that it is the script that makes or mars a movie, and it is the situation in the script which creates artistes and stars who are pieced together to make the movie. An animal or an inanimate object put in situation becomes a hero and a hero put out of a situation becomes a zero.

The next time you see a great performance, do not forget that behind it is an imaginative writer, talented director and a team of capable technicians.