The spell of the Thespian

Famed for making pauses an intrinsic part of cinematic acting in India, thespian Dilip Kumar is an institution. With articulate gestures and silences, his method has been adopted by generations of stars.

He is a national treasure. The title 'Thespian' belongs only to him, as Dilip Kumar's performances have been ranked as high art. This actor has influenced virtually all actors, from his contemporaries like Manoj Kumar and Rajendra Kumar, to Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan.

A Pathan from Peshawar, Yusuf Khan, came to Mumbai as a student of Wilson College. Smitten by sports then, the actor recalls, "Soccer! It has been my first love...There is a grace in losing and modesty in victory."

He graduated from the job of an assistant manager in an army canteen to films, when Devika Rani (the star wife of Himanshu Rai of the Bombay Talkies studio), handpicked him. Yusuf who could speak English and Urdu fluently was signed by the marquee queen.

As hero of Bombay Talkies' Jwar Bhata (1944), Yusuf Khan was rechristened Dilip Kumar. Unnoticed initially, Dilip Kumar came to be recognised after Jugnu and Shaheed.

The ’50s saw the success of Mela, Andaz, Babul, Jogan and Deedar, all tales of thwarted passion, depicting Dilip as a doomed lover. Bimal Roy's Devdas was the tragedy king's crowning glory. A subtle use of the microphone gave his voice an intimate quality. With a mere glance, Dilip Kumar conveyed turmoil sans melodrama. However, consistently playing pain-soaked roles took its toll on the actor's psyche, which reportedly made him seek psychological counselling.

As therapy, through the ’50s, Dilip switched from tragedy to action and drama with Azad, Kohinoor, Naya Daur and Madhumati.

The ’60s brought new challenges. His portrayal of Prince Salim in K. .Asif's classic Mughal-e-Azam was one of them. The high point of the epic was the sensual romance between the prince and the courtesan Anarkali (played by Madhubala). Having been through a real-life tumultous love affair with this actress, the pair's on-screen chemistry had suggestive undertones.

Another blockbuster, Ganga Jamuna, added to Dilip Kumar's oeuvre, where he played Ganga, the boisterous village bumpkin. He reached the apex of his career with Ram Aur Shyam, where he spearheaded the trend of double roles.

In the ’70s, he made an interesting team with actress-wife Saira Banu (though she was half his age), in films like Gopi and Sagina. In Bairaag, he even attempted a triple role.

The ’80s brought him acclaim as a character-actor who stole the show from the hero. Manoj Kumar's Kranti and Ramesh Sippy's Shakti (with Amitabh Bachchan as his co-star), were major triumphs. With his trio of Subhash Ghai films — Vidhata, Karma and Saudagar — Dilip Kumar further established his position.

The actor who feels, "Acting is all about transporting oneself away from one's personality... it's an effort to create or recreate from the world around," brought in a casualness to his art, blending it with sophistication.

Apart from performances, the star is associated with filmdom's most immortal tunes. Songs like O dur ke musafir, Suhana safar aur yeh mausam, Koi sagar dil ko behlata nahin, Guzre hain aaj ishq mein, Aaj purani raahon se, Na tu zameen ke liye, top nostalgia albums.

Also his fun-filled numbers like Yeh desh hai veer jawaon ka, Nain lad jahian hein, Sala main to sahab ban gaya and Ram chandra keh gaye siya se have cross-generational appeal.

Even in films where he played mellow roles, lyrics were written with him in mind. Maangi thi ek dua (Shakti), Hum jiyenge aur marenge (Karma) and Imli ka buta (Saudagar) with the Kumaresque appeal, won massive popularity.

Dilip Kumar does not miss having a child of his own, he says, since he has many nephews and nieces. And there is no one he is grooming to fit in his shoes. Instead there are stars right from the Amitabh Bachchan to Anil Kapoor and Shah Rukh Khan who confess to treating his films like acting syllabi.

A professional to boot, in a chaotic industry, Dilip Kumar shares a love-hate relationship with the cine world, "I love it when I am in front of the camera but there are so many things that I dislike ...the discussions, the differences, the quality of work."

Traversing from the silver screen to the pillared halls of Parliament, Dilip Kumar has been a Rajya Sabha member. Also cherished by fans globally, Dilip Kumar has proved that art binds. Pakistan showed its affection for the artist by conferring upon him the title of 'Nishan-e-Pakistan.'

The octogenarian belongs to that almost extinct genre of true-blue stars who survived without media or marketing.

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