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The
double role is a mode of expression for actors to demonstrate their
mastery over the craft. It is a challenge for an actor to display his
acting skills on the screen. His conviction may or may not come across
on the screen and create a grand illusion. Most of our leading stars
have done double or even multiple roles at one or the other time in
their career. The last to join the ‘me-too gang’ was Shahrukh Khan
in Farhan Akhtar’s Don.
In 1948, Gemini
Productions explored the dual aspects of an individual ego in Nishaan,
starring Ranjan and Bhanumati. The film-makers managed the scene
through trick photography. They masked one half of the lens at one
time and shot one character and then the ‘twin’ by masking the
other half of the lens.
Generally the film-makers represent the age-old moral conflict between good and evil through either twin brothers or father and son. External props like a beard, a heavy voice, clothes, etc are used to distinguish between the two. B. R. Chopra’s directorial debut Afsaana (1951) narrated the story of twin brothers Ratan and Chaman. Ashok Kumar displayed his acting prowess to the hilt. In its remake Daastan (1972), Dilip Kumar played the two roles—Vishnu Sahai, a judge who sports a beard, and the other of a stage actor. Dilip brought out the vast difference in their stance and personality. When they meet in a hotel and play cards, it is hard to believe that it is the same actor playing both the roles. In S.M.S. Naidu’s Aazad Dilip Kumar was marvellous playing Khan Sahib, Aazad and a dacoit. Disguised as a dacoit, he strode aggressively and loomed menacingly towards the director and talked to him in a gruff voice. What to talk of Meena Kumari whom the dacoit kidnaps in the film, even the director could not recognise him. Arguably in the most popular double-role film of Hindi cinema, Ram Aur Shyam (1967), Dilip Kumar portrays effectively a world of difference between the two characters he played on the screen. While playing the cowering Ram, we see a man with downcast eyes and a diffident gait, warding off blows of his brother-in-law with his cringing hands. As Shyam, he walks with a swagger and his flamboyance is of the loud, rustic kind. Dilip lends credence to both roles. He is at his all-time best in Umesh Mehra’s Qila (1998). There is a world of difference between the two brothers. As evil Zamidar Jagan Nath, his demented smile, edgy voice, beady eyes make him a wild beast in human form. As Amar Nath, he is a paragon of virtue. Both the portrayals
seldom make an equal impact on the audience. In Hindustani,
Kamal Hassan, as a patriarchal nationalist, makes a far greater impact
than that of his son’s character. In Appu Rajja, he is
remembered more as the midget who dwarfed the normal Kamal.
A heroine by virtue of her physicality can at the most look quite different changing from salwar-kameez to a saree or a bikni. The audience got taken in by Sharmila Tagore’s masquerade in O.P. Ralhan’s Talaash to know whether her husband is in love with her money or not. In Gulzar’s Mausam there is a sharp contrast between Sharmila Tagore playing ‘mom’ Chanda and her daughter Kajli who plays a prostitute in the film. In Amarjeet’s Hum Dono Dev Anand played two identical look-alike Army officers. Captain Anand loves Mita (Sadhana) while Major Varma is married to Ruma (Nanda). As Major Varma he was moustached and had a haw-haw style of speaking. The effort paid off, as the audience loved both the roles. Both the characters look authentic as far as possible. Thanks to Sarosh Modi who had nine different facial get-ups for Sanjeev Kumar for nine different roles in Naya Din Nayi Raat. Sanjeev gave all the characters such nuances that the audience was hard put to recognise him. Assuming the stance and posture of a leprous beggar, Sanjeev shuffled quietly to Jaya Bachchan and started pestering her for alms. When the staff chased him out of the studio, only then Sanjeev talked to her in his normal voice. Such was the magic of the get up that even Jaya could not recognise him. Earlier the calibre
and conviction of our actors came across in the roles they portrayed
on the screen. Remember Dilip Kumar in Ram Aur Shyam, Daastan,
Bairaag, Raj Kumar in Karamyogi, Sanjeev Kumar in Naya
Din Nayi Raat. The double roles they portrayed on the screen even
now bring a nostalgic lump to the throat. No such abiding memories
from Govinda (Aankhen), Anil Kapoor (Kishen Kanhaiya)
Akshay Kumar (Aflatoon) and even Shahrukh in Duplicate and
Farhan Akhtar’s Don to carry home. The quality of serendipity
is often missing as the actors now too heavily depend on external
props like dress, beard and a heavy voice to play the older of the two
roles.
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