In continuation with my previous post, I'd like to make a slight point about the wonderfully charming, handsome and talented Dharmendra(ji). I mean, it is so ironic that the man is best known for his roles in action movies (most notably, Sholay), and his dialogue " Kutte, main tera khoon pee jaunga", and his jauntiness, his comical antics, his signature dance moves, and his overall "macho" persona.
I mean....it is so totally not right!!! I wish he was remembered more for his portrayal of the sensitive, thinking, idealistic common man that he so effortlessly played in movies like "Bandini", "Anupama", "Anpadh","Satyakam", "Guddi" and other such movies that he worked in during the 50's-70's. "Sholay" again was one of his highlight movies, and his garrulous, dare devilish, romantic Veeru was a perfect antithesis to Jai's brooding, contained persona. Watching it today is a bit poignant because Dharmendra was never to star in anything worthwhile again. Though he continued to work as a hero till the end of the century, developing a tough new Garam Dharam persona along the way, the films he made were consistently appalling and by the time he went into semi-retirement in 2000, he was a B-grade movie star.
But watch Dharmendra(ji) sing "Ya dil ki suno" in Hemant Kumar's melancholic voice-over and you will instantly relate with his sensitivity and range, which unfortunately was not tapped properly in his latter work.
Or watch scenes from the movies listed above to understand that he was definitely better as an actor playing roles that gave him an opportunity to show his sensitive, understated, charming, slightly flirtatious side that will make any woman fall head over heels in love with him.
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| Bandini |
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| Satyakam |
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| Anupama |
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| Guddi
The fascinating aspect of this phase of Dharmendra's career is that he became the vehicle for Bengali literary realism in Hindi cinema. Just as Guru Dutt's "Sahib, Bibi aur Ghulam" was a Bengali film in Hindustani GARB, so too were "Bandini", "Anupama", "Manjhli Didi" and "Satyakam". That a strapping Jat hunk managed to play the bhadralok protagonist with such intensity and conviction is an achievement for which Dharmendra gets too little credit.
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