REMINISCING THE DILIPAMITABH SAGA

On Dilip Kumar’s 95th birthday, veteran journalist Ranjan Das Gupta takes us back to the time when the thespian and Amitabh Bachchan worked together in Shakti — their equation before and after

It was during the shooting of Zanjeer (1973) that character artist Om Prakash informed Dilip Kumar on phone that new actor Amitabh Bachchan had arrived. He could be a perfect foil to Kumar’s intense underplaying abilities. The thespian cherished the information, and decided to view Bachchan’s films: Zanjeer, Abhimaan, Deewar, Sholay and Kabhie Kabhie. “This dynamic actor makes me remember my acting during my youth,” Kumar had once said about Bachchan.

When Bachchan had his meteoric rise, Kumar was on the ebb as a hero. He had aged and his films Dastaan, Sagina and Bairag were flops. He had taken a break as an actor.

Bachchan has often said about Kumar, “I’m a true Dilip Kumar fan. I have seen almost all his films and will never forget Footpath, Devdas and Ganga Jumna. He is my inspiration, my idol.”

No one can deny that Bachchan is influenced by Kumar. His conscious method acting, dialogue delivery with pauses and silent expressions are proof. Kumar was never the angry, revenge-seeking type that made Bachchan legion. Bachchan lacked Kumar’s romantic charm and softness. Salim-Javed penned Shakti keeping both greats in mind. Ramesh Sippy has the unique distinction of getting the thespian and the angry young man to rub histrionic shoulders. During the script session, Salim Khan asked Dilip Kumar if he liked the script. “Bahut hi accha hai. Jab script sahi nahi hota tab kabhi majbooran kalam uthana parta hai,” he replied. Bachchan was also happy with the screenplay, dialogues and story.

In 1981, Kumar made a glorious comeback with Kranti. Bachchan was moving from success to success with Dostana, Naseeb and Satta Pe Satta. The audience expected a clash of titans in Shakti. It initiated maximum initials at the box office. Bachchan was at his best in confrontation scenes with Kumar. His drunken scene and silent emoting after Rakhee’s death are unmatched. Yet, in totality, Kumar scored with his polished approach to method acting with five dialogue modulations and controlled body language. As DCP Ashwini Kumar, he excelled in every frame. His performance received rave reviews. Raj Kapoor commented, “Lale Ne Kamal Kar Dikhaya.”

However, this never disturbed cordial relations between Kumar and Bachchan. Rumors that Kumar altered the main script to suit himself were set aside. Shammi Kapoor, however, felt strongly that Bachhan needed more acting scope in Shakti. The two never came together in any film later.

In his later years, Dilip Kumar became monotonous. He was nowhere in comparison to the Dilip Kumar of Andaz, Jogan or Mughal-E-Azam. Amitabh Bachchan was fortunate to be tried, tested, and experimented with in a variety of characters in his mature years. If Kumar was experimented with similarly, he could have yielded a lot more.

AMITABH BACHCHAN HAD ONCE SAID, ‘DILIP KUMAR IS MY INSPIRATION, MY IDOL. I’VE SEEN ALMOST ALL HIS FILMS AND WILL NEVER FORGET FOOTPATH, DEVDAS AND GANGA JUMNA’