Experimenting The Truth...

The moment someone experiments with the art of cinema, the reactions are extremes! There will be a segment of the society which would love it & swear on it and the other wouldn’t shy away in showing their hatred towards it. The latest in the list of such victims is Vishal Bharadwaj’s Kaminey, which got extreme responses from public. Either they simply loved it or hated it; no one thought it was ‘just ok’ and I fall in the former bunch. The parallel parable of twin brothers wasn’t anything new to the Hindi cinema but the conviction & the vision with which Vishal Bharadwaj has done it, is simply magical. If you miss the first 15-20 mins of the film, munching your popcorn & taking your own happy time to settle down in your seat, you’ll find yourself completely lost in the La-La Land. With every scene, he compelled the audience to rise to his sensibilities. The director blatantly refuses to bring his art piece down-to-dumb and that’s what has wounded many egos that need to be polished in time and again with Kambakht Ishq or Love Aaj Kal or Singh Is Kingg and others in similar stool.

But the bright side is Vishal Bharadwaj isn’t the only one to face such diametrically opposite remarks. It was always there in Bollywood, right from Satyajit Ray & V Shantaram’s era. You’ll not find anyone who’ll tell you the Ray’s Apu trilogy was ‘just ok’, in his case, most of us absolutely loved the films & there’re few who hated them from the word go, saying India is much more flourishing & rich than what Ray has always portrayed in his cinema. Similarly, when Mr. Shyam Benegal hit the marquee with the superlative Ankur (which, according to me, is one of the best Hindi film ever made) in 1974, critics like Khalid Mohammad entirely dismissed his kind of cinema from day one and the other slice of the society crowned Mr. Benegal as the father of New Age Cinema. 

And if you think it’s only the case with the ‘art house’ or ‘meaningful’ cinema, think again! When Hum Aapke Hain Kaun released, most of the Indians went crazy & there was a euphoria created by the film. Suddenly, everyone wanted a big, joint family and Madhuri Dixit had been incorporated into every family’s world, everyone was either familiar with Nisha or wanted to know her more. Now she was not only a popular star but a hugely respected & immensely loved one! But there were people who hated the film, finding it too boring and irritating. I’m not saying that it was an experimental film but it came as a fresh, cold zephyr when Hindi cinema was producing revenge sagas & male dominated action thriller. Hence it was a brave attempt from Sooraj Barjatya to create something like HAHK in that era.

Also when Sanjay Leela Bhansali attempted Devdas, opinions were as different as cheese & chalk. Few fell in love with its grandeur & emotions and few find it too synthetic and a forced classic. It was again an experiment in terms of the scale. It was a never-seen-before range for a Hindi film & an ensemble cast which was worth to die for. His next two releases also faced the same reactions. Many thought that Black was over-the-top, pretentious and they loved to hate the film but most thought it has changed the idiom of Hindi cinema and consider it as one of the landmark films of Indian cinema. And when Bhansali tried to narrate a story in the form of a dark musical opera with Saawariya, people called it the worst film of the year and in this case 95% people hated it but the rest 5% was in awe of it completely.

There can be as many examples as you want but if we try to analyse such reactions, the basic & very obvious reason would be population’s obdurate mind set towards the change. Though we all claim to like the changes & believe in experimenting but the truth is, when someone exposes you to the change, asks you to leave behind all pre-conceived notions & experience a never-before stance, it hits you like an intrusion to your subconscious, which has a comfort level with a certain kind of outlook (read cinema in our case). Hence when the first time we saw a smooch on-screen instead of two flowers, it shocked our guts because our film-makers made us comfortable with the flowers.  When you see a Bollywood mother killing her own son (Mother India & Vaastav), it hits you because we’re comfortable with mother cooking “tumhari pasand ki kheer” for her son or burning midnight oil & stitching clothes so that her son can go for higher studies.

Though not completely evolved yet, I’m thankful that at least, Hindi films & their audience have grown up and I’m sure the evolution will be ‘coming soon’…films like Dev D, Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, Kaminey, A Wednesday & Welcome To Sajjanpur etc. are being accepted by the audience and more than the acceptance, I’m happy to see that there is actually an audience for such films today. 

But all this doesn’t mean that I don’t support our typical masala Bollywood films. There will always be a place for an Om Shanti Om, a Jab We Met and a No Entry but my only request to the makers is just in the name of “completely masala, paisa vasool” film, please don’t punish the audience with tortures like Kambakht Ishq, Chandni Chowk To China, Tashan & Ghajini etc. They’ve to respect the intelligence of the audience & audience also has to realize & clearly define their sensibilities.

The moment audience would stop taking all the crap from the stars & producers, Hindi cinema will be equally respected on the globe as any other film industry in the world.

No Aaj-Kal

We had decided to go for the early morning show of Love Aaj Kal as my roomie & his friends had to go to office after that. The show was at 7:15 am and I got up at 4 in the morning on that particular Saturday! Not because I was too excited to go for the film but I just couldn’t get the sleep after that. Though I LOVE morning shows but I was so sure that I’m gonna sleep in the theatre as it was in Red Lounge where you can completely slouch down in a sprawling sofa seat and have the blanket to cover yourself from the A/C!!!

Anyways, I was excited for the film ONLY because it was an Imtiaz Ali film. He is one of the very few directors who can narrate the same dreary masala stories with the realm of real in them and can make them obnoxiously refreshing to watch. So the film starts and how! Amazing non-linear snap shots & almost silent with minimal dialogues (similar to the opening of Jab We Met). It looked so promising that I thought Imtiaz Ali has hit the jackpot again. Within 15 minutes of the film, the lead pair was breaking up and in an extremely logical, practical and factual manner, sans all the melodrama and the crying and the sad song! Also the reason of the break-up was equally rational. The girl was leaving San Francisco (where the film was based) and coming to India for the restoration of monuments. It was an invigorating treat to watch a Hindi film heroine to have an occupation which needs more physical strength & tedious hours of labor. She wasn’t working in some fashion magazine or a doctor or a model… they were not interested in long distance relationship so decided to part ways amicably instead of dragging on. And if that’s not enough, they also decided to throw a “break-up party” to part ways smilingly & happily. Like audience, their friends were equally zapped whether to be sad or happy for them and what to gift them and most importantly how to wish them??? Refreshingly different, isn’t it?

I simply loved the logical & practical approach towards life by the couple. But unfortunately that was end of the best part of the film. After that film slowly but surely decides to clinch for any other regular love story. The only difference here was there was a parallel love story going on of 1960s (superbly designed & executed) and how the 2009 Gen Next’s cool dude Jai founds an eerie resemblance with the old fashioned & traditional 1960s Veer. Slowly he realized that may be the time has changed & materialistically we’ve progressed at a rocket speed but when it comes to love and emotions, we’re still very traditional & conservative. And that’s where the problem of the film lies… it’s too regressive & drab in today’s time. Like any other romantic film, both of protagonists tried moving on in life with different people but ultimately they realized that they’re made-for-each-other type couple and madly in love with each other (huh!).

Film was funny in most of the parts but second half drags bit in many scenes. As an audience you don’t feel the pain & trauma that the lead pair is going through and that’s not a good sign for the director, actors and especially the writer. On the directorial front, film was impeccable but lacks indefinitely in the scripting level.

Performance wise Saif was convincing as a goofy, confused, suffering from commitment phobia like most of us but actually how hard it would be for him to play that? He has been playing similar roles since his Dil Chahta Hai days…Salaam Namaste, Hum Tum, Kal Ho Na Ho, Hum Saath Saath Hain…he is always goofy, confused, cool dude and adorable, nothing new for him. Also his Sikh act was hideous, especially the accent. According to me, except Omkara, he hasn’t done anything remarkable in his career. But all said and done, he was plausible and good in the film.

As far as Deepika is concerned, she was confident and true to her role. Again, she had a similar, strong-willed, practical, career oriented girl role in Bachna Ae Haseeno with beau Ranbir Kapoor. But she acted surprisingly well in LAK and is improving with every film till now.

The cameo by Rishi Kapoor was enchanting. He is funny, a friend, a father-figure, a guide and a love guru! What else one need? But the cameo by Rahul Khanna was a total waste of hi talent. He is a fine actor and he has proved it time and again so I don’t understand why he picked up this role?

Film has few really magical moments like when Jai (Saif) kisses Meera (Deepika) in a car for the first time; he looks all over the place, saying, “Kisne dekha? Kisne dekha?” and starts kissing her again. And then when he comes to India and meets Meera after very long, she is in a blue mechanic-dress with dust all over. He asks her what happened to her fashion sense? Has she lost it completely because she was away from him for so long? And she replies rather derisively, “Haan Jai, main toot gayi!!” She literally makes fun of her feelings for him. It was such a delightful change from the usual majboor and bechari Hindi film heroines of ab-meri-zindagi-mein-kuch-nahi-bacha types! Another magnificent scene was when both of them get really drunk and Jai comes to drop Meera at her building, he says, “koi tumhara fayeda utha sakta hai”, pauses for a jiffy and wonders, “agar fayeda hi hona hai toh mera kyun na ho?”

But the film as a whole contains no magic. It falls flat if you remove these few scenes. The parallel-comparative love story of 60s is cute but doesn’t help to retrieve the warmth of Jab We Met and the bubbles of the brilliant Socha Na Tha. I still feel the best work of Imtiaz Ali is Socha Na Tha by far. Also the problem he is soon gonna face is his pattern. He now has a blueprint where the protagonists initially were meant to be together but they part ways because they don’t realize that at that time then they would move on with other people and ultimately will realize that actually they are the soul mates. Also in every film of his, travelling plays a very important role. In every film, the lead pair travels.

Anyways, music of the film is already superhit and very upbeat. The visuals are equally stunning, for example the main kya hoon song has a whole journey in itself, the journey of Jai’s life for a certain period of time.

Technically, the best part of the film was its non-linear editing. Aarti Bajaj deserves three cheers for this.

The real hero of the film is the characterization. Just few expressions, reactions and replies and you know what’s that particular character is all about. For example, if you wanna have an insight in Meera’s character, watch this scene:
Jai walks up to Meera, saying “main pile on nahi karna chahta”, the clear eyed Meera interrupts, “toh kyun pile on kar rahe ho?”

and smiles…

To sum it up, film starts off on an enormously promising note but fizzles out to be a regular romantic film which lacks in warmth and got lost in the gloss and grandeur. The USP of Imtiaz’s previous works was their simplicity and down-to-earth approach, which is scarce in Love Aaj Kal. Also I’m a dense NON-believer of pyar-zindagi-mein-sirf-ek-baar-hota-hai funda!!! I think you can fall in love more than one time in your life. You just have to be little practical. And that’s where my disagreements start with the film.

Though this is NOT a review, if I’ve to rate it, I would give it a 2.5 out of 5.

Good but not great…

Emancipating GEETA from DUTT

When the first sound film of India was on its way of completion in 1929-30, miles away from the bedlam & the bustling of Bombay, in a small town called Faridpur, in the then undivided Bengal, a girl was born on 23rd Nov 1930। The wealthy & eminent zamindar couple of their area named their baby, GEETA... Little they knew that their baby daughter later would become the skylark of India because of her GEETS!!! She was born with the silver spoon in her mouth। She grew up in the sprawling mansion in Faridpur, with lots of cousins & her own brothers. But as the luck has its own ways, the family first shifted to Calcutta & then finally relocated to Bombay in 1941.

In Bombay, their base was in Dadar Hindu Colony. The little training that Geeta was getting in Calcutta from her teacher was also now not there anymore. While living in Dadar, she started teaching music to other girls, not for money but for her own expressions & perfection. Beneath her apartment there was a dance school where the music director Hanuman Prasad often visited. One fateful day, there was a knock at the door. The guest was Hanuman Prasad himself who asked her father, “Who is the girl who sings every evening here?” After learning that she is the daughter, he persuaded the father that she must sing for the films. And that’s how the immortal & heavenly musical voyage started. She got to sing two lines in a mythological, Bhakt Prahlad. The year was 1946… someone was really overwhelmed with those two lines & asked Mr. Hanuman about the voice. The man was SD Burman & he also followed the voice till Dadar Hindu Colony. And after he found the voice, all hell broke! Their journey started off with Do Bhai, released in April’48. Geeta lent her voice to the Prima Dona, the superstar of the era, Kamini Kaushal. Film was a disaster on the box-office even after having mega stars of that time but songs were the instant hits, esp. mera sundar sapna beet gaya. This was a gem by 40 something musician & 17 year old singer! Geeta got instantaneous fame & she swept the nation off its feet. Her voice was like a refreshing break from the super successful nasal singers of that time, Noorjehan, Shamshad Begum, Rajkumari Dubey & Amirbai etc. She became the biggest threat & challenge to all of them with her debut as a singer itself. And by the time Lata Mangeshkar started her struggle & was trying to hold her forte in the industry, Geeta Roy was already THE most popular & busy singer of the industry!

But her success never went to her head। She never had any friction or cold war with any of her colleagues or any music director for that matter, which is very rare in this glamour world. And more than anything else, it defines the woman. Geeta Roy was a secure woman when it comes to her profession & even otherwise. It was flagrant that the legendary Madan Mohan never trusted her singing ability but she never held a grudge against him. Whenever he gave her any song (which was very rare!), she quietly sang it in the studio & came out smiling as she knew she again had a winner. In just four years from 1947 to 1950, from Geeta, she had become THE Geeta Roy!

Apart from SD Burman, she shared a great rapport & camaraderie with many other music directors like OP Nayyar, with whom she had sung many hundreds of songs before he decided to turn his back towards his “mentor” and opted for his one-sided love, Asha Bhonsle. The reason why I called Geeta Roy OP’s mentor is it was Geeta who actually recommended OP to Guru Dutt for Baaz. The down in the dumps OP was all set to leave for the station to catch the train back to his village after many consecutive flops but it was Geeta who asked him to wait & recommended him to Guru Dutt for Baaz. Though, again the film bombed but songs were the rage at that time & OP Nayyar stayed in Bombay till his last breath after that… she has worked with every legendary music director, be it Hansraj Behl or Ghulam Hyder or SN Tripathi (a legend in mythological films) or Bulo C Rani or Jayant or C Ramchandra or Hemant Kumar or Jaidev etc. She was equally comfortable with everyone, regardless of the fact whether they were comfortable with her voice or not! There were few legends who never trusted her voice like Madan Mohan or Shankar Jaikishan but she never let that affect her. She continued to croon and how!!! Her most fruitful & successful union was with SD Burman which spanned from 1947 to 1964! The legend composed around 70 songs to be rendered by the irrevocable Geeta Roy.

She had some amazing pairing with many screen Goddesses like Nirupa Roy, Geeta Bali, Kamini Kaushal & of course Wahida Rehman & Meena Kumari. Nirupa Roy was the queen of mythological films which were the ‘in’ thing back in 40s & Geeta Roy was the ‘audio’ Devi of Hindi cinema! From 1948 to 1951 (peak of Nirupa Roy), Geeta’s voice escorted Nirupa in not less than 40-45 songs! And for her namesake Geeta Bali, Roy was THE voice. Right from Geeta Bali’s debut film, Suhag Raat in 1948, Geeta Roy was her voice. Be it Bansaria, Garibi, Nishana, Ghayal, Johri, Nakhre, Bedardi & Bawre Nain etc. Geeta Bali & Roy were inseparable. And of course then there was Baazi, Jaal, Coffee House & Albela. Can you envisage tadbeer se bigdi hui taqdeer bana de without either of the Geetas? Roy complimented Bali’s naughtiness & expressions so well that the song became the identity of both of them…With Wahida Rehman & Meena Kumari, she delivered the most popular & satisfying songs of her career. Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam, na jao saiyyan, piya aiso jiya mein, chale aao & jane kya tune kahi… each song is a tour de force!

Geeta always eluded controversies throughout her life. Arguably she was THE most meek celebrity Hindi cinema has ever produced. Miles away from any disagreement for a tune or creating maha hungama for the royalty or divergence about who has sung how many songs & who should be in the world record books or keep having affairs with the film directors, top people from music labels & musicians just to get more & more work, Geeta was more passionate about her singing. She never threw any tantrums or never had any reservation about not singing a cabaret or a mujra or any other genre for that matter! She sang whatever people offered her and that’s what makes her much more respectable & dignified than most of the “living” legends of that era. She was the personification of poise & grace. She was human with blood & flesh & was never a larger-than-life celebrity.

It’s a general myth that Geeta Roy could achieve whatever she has only because of the songs & the films of Guru Dutt but I would LOVE to clear this annoying fallacy that she was the most busy, powerful & successful singer of the industry even before she met a certain Guru Dutt! She was the one who actually toned down the super success of Shamshad Begum, Noor Jehan & Rajkumari Dubey etc. Guru Dutt was just a struggler when she met her. He got his first break as a director in Baazi after assisting many directors in many films. SD Burman sent word to her in a fateful morning to report for the rehearsals at the Famous Studio in Mahalaxmi, Bombay। Geeta & her father reached the studio & parked the car in the compound. Her father went out to locate the rehearsal hall & she stayed in the car. Minutes later a young man came up to her saying, “Come, I’ll take you to the rehearsal room”.

He spoke Bengali & she went with him after he re-assured her with his manners. They went upstairs where Mr. Burman was rehearsing & the first question she asked was, “Who was that Bengali gentleman?” Mr. Burman laughed saying he wasn’t a Bengali & that his name was Guru Dutt, the director of the film!

And from that particular morning, the most important phase of her life started…both, personally & professionally. After many consecutive meetings, Guru was head over heel in love with her & was ready to cross every possible obstruction in the universe for his “Geetu”. Ultimately she had to give in to his unconditional love.

They both decided to get married & it irked many eyebrows that point of time as she was THE singer in the industry with Lata Mangeshkar desperately trying to reach the top & Guru still wasn’t THE Guru Dutt as his Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool & Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam was nowhere near making & he wasn’t a legend। Many friends & well-wishers warned her as well। But like most of us, madly in love people would do, she decided to ignore & overhear all the speculations & tied the knot with Guru on May 26th 1953.

Now, she was a content, successful & as they say, a “complete” woman. Guru Dutt was madly in love with his wife who was far more flourishing professionally than him at that time. She had shifted from her sprawling bungalow in Khar (called Amiya Kutir) to Guru’s apartment. She never complaint... Post marriage, his life had also changed completely. Now he is making Pyaasa, Mr. & Mrs. 55, Kaagaz Ke Phool, Aar-Paar, Chaudhavi Ka Chand & Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam etc. and also now he is a proud father of two children. He seamlessly reached to the top with the likes of Bimal Roy, Raj Khosla, BR Chopra & V Shantaram et al. On the other hand, Geeta was also giving superhits after superhits like piya aiso jiya mein & jane kahan mera jigar gaya ji etc. but by then Lata was already reached the top & all the music directors used to swear on Lata’s voice. Slowly but surely Geeta’s career was on a decline…it was like she gave all her luck to her beloved husband.

And then came a phase in her life which was catastrophic! There were strong rumors in the industry about an intense love affair between an approaching, beautiful actress & a legendary director. No prize for guessing, the actress was Wahida Rehman & the director was Guru Dutt। As the rumors were becoming reality, Geeta’s life kept getting more and more despondent. Though she kept singing for Guru’s films, she refused to lend her voice to Wahida Rehman! And this was a completely justified step to be taken by a wife who was losing her husband to some actress, who was, strictly according to ME, way behind Geeta in both, looks and talent. It must have devastated her but a warrior that she was; Geeta never let this affect her children at all. She always tried to shirk all this from her kids. She never created a scene in public nor gave any statement in press. Gracefully she decided to go away from her Guru’s life but he wasn’t ready for that as well. According to him, he loved BOTH of them!!! He never let Geeta go because subconsciously he also knew that Wahida would never be a ‘wife’, she can only be a ‘lover’…

Ultimately, Geeta & Guru’s relationship arrived at such a node where they just couldn’t live with each other. They started living separately. And as soon as Geeta stormed out of his life, she also took all the good luck away from him. Kaagaz Ke Phool bombed so miserably on the box-office that Guru Dutt was sprinkled completely. He completely lost the control over his life. KKP was his dream project with his “dream woman” Wahida. Now, even Geeta was not there at home waiting for him to come back and his relationship with Wahida was also on the sharp edges as both of them were as diverse as cheese & chalk. He was a hopeless romantic & Wahida was a strong willed, extremely practical & a very successful actress who was going great with every release of hers. There was an overt strain between the two. She made it very clear to him that if he wants to keep the relationship with her, he has to divorce Geeta, for which Guru wasn’t ready because all said and done, he loved his Geetu as well.

On the other hand, Geeta found the solace in alcohol. She surrendered herself utterly to the life. And when in such condition she sang piya aiso jiya mein and na jao sainyyan from Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, she sang them for her Guru! Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam proved to be one of the last superhits in Guru & Geeta’s career. Her singing ability was soon in question by her very own SD Burman & others who were now saying that she has lost her voice to alcohol. SD Burman shifted his focus to Lata completely & so was Guru who went to Lata for Chaudhavi Ka Chand after Geeta refused to sing for Wahida. Geeta soon had neither her singing nor her man. The endless shambles of her marriage must have pushed her on & on towards the bottle to a point of no return…like Chhoti Bahu of Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam! Strangely like Meena, Geeta Roy also died of cirrhosis of liver. Meena & Geeta died within 12 months…strange but true…

One morning, the telephone of an apartment in Peddar Road, Bombay, rang. Servant picked up the phone & answered to a female voice that Saab is sleeping. After sometime, the phone rang again & servant answered that Saab’s room is locked from inside, Madam. A panicked & shrieking female voice asked the servant: break, break the door, immediately…The day was 10th Oct 1964 & the legend of Indian cinema decided to get rid of his life. Guru Dutt was dead…a suicide…it was like Geeta knew about it & that’s why she asked to break the door immediately! The conversation on the previous night between the two must have given her the premonition. She knew her Guru inside-out.

Now she was even lonelier than ever! Till now at least the man she loved was physically present somewhere but now she was left with no one. Geeta Roy faced the hostile world bravely post his death. She also fell ill time & again due to over drinking. While Geeta’s career was nil, it was Lata all the way. Everyone was talking about Lata; the whole nation was swinging in Lata’s tune…Lata…Lata…Lata…even Lata was once caught saying it on records that the only singer she felt ‘threatened’ & ‘insecure’ was Geeta Roy.

Geeta was rendered penniless. There was some dispute over the huge property of Guru Dutt films & also in 1956, when she bailed out Guru by financially supporting him for Sailaab, she was declared insolvent as the film was a total wash out at ticket window. And from which Guru Dutt apparently was in no mood to bail her out! Hence at mid-thirties, THE most powerful & successful singer of 40s & 50s, Geeta Roy was begging for alms for her & her three children’s survival. It was the same Geeta Roy who bought a bungalow at the age of 18 in Khar along with a brand new, sprawling De Sotto car. It was the same Geeta Roy who used to travel across the world at least 15 days a month & used to order designer gold & ruby ornaments!! It was the same Geeta Roy who stretched her “wealthy” helping hand in the formation of Guru Dutt Films in 1953; just 10yrs back…time was punishing her for absolutely no faults of hers. And I completely blame Guru Dutt for her condition. He was a coward & that’s the one fact which people should accept.


But like a phoenix, Geeta raised back from the ashes. She took one year to overcome the depression & other multiple ailments. Though her life was a desolate wreck but she never gave up, she had three kids to look after. She always kept her ill-health away from her kids. By 1966, she was back in action. She was singing like never before, mostly in Bengali films, she even played the protagonist in few Bengali films (Badhu Baran etc.) and also turned producer. If that’s not enough, she had also composed music for films as well.

With time her health was falling down the steep hill. With her broken heart, swollen liver, watery lungs & penury, Geeta Roy’s Hindi film career ended with Anubhav in 1972, starring Sanjeev Kumar & Tanuja. So at the concluding threshold of final departure, at 41, she didn’t sing. She just whispered…mujhe jaan na kaho meri jaan…this could easily be themost romantic song of Hindi cinema and definitely one of the most thoughtful lyrics by Gulzar. It’s my request to all of you who’re reading this (even if you’re not interested!), listen to this song at least once before you die…

On 20th July 1972, Geeta Roy bid adieu, alone and sick. She definitely deserved a better death, especially when the two people who ruined her life are now being considered as legends…Guru Dutt & Wahida Rehman…the latter is still alive, living her life to the fullest & doing Delhi 6 & 15 Park Avenue etc.! God has strange ways and no one could ever understood them…why is that Geeta preserved all the letters from Guru Dutt till date but their replies couldn’t be found anywhere? Why the “so-called” legendary director never cared to keep the letters from his wife intact? Was it that he never wanted anyone to read them because it could’ve ruined his image or was it just carelessness? No one knew the answer and no one cares now.

This is my tiny way to pay tribute to a legend and make people aware that it was GEETA ROY who made Guru Dutt & not the vice-versa…it always broke my heart when people call her Guru Dutt’s wife so finally I decided to leave my helplessness behind & take this opportunity to emancipating GEETA from DUTT…

Geeta Roy – 23rd November 1930 to FOREVER

Emotions in the Garden...

Fireflies in the Garden…the name itself sets the tone & the feel of the movie. Hence I went to watch the film, expecting it to be on the lines of The Reader or Milk or Closure and it didn’t disappoint me at all. I was really excited about the film as it had my sweetheart Julia Roberts in it. The last film that I saw of hers on big screen was Ocean’s 11 as I watched Mona Lisa Smile, Ocean’s 12 & Charlie Wilson’s War on HBO. Though I knew she wouldn’t have much screen space as the film was all about Ryan Reynolds but one thing I guaranteed about was Julia’s role & performance! She has never ever let me down & I’m certain she never would.

Film sensitively deals with family values & its importance in everyone’s life. The tagline of the film is the crux of it. It says “sometimes family has to fall apart to come together” & the entire film was about it.

In his feature writing/directing debut, award-winning filmmaker Dennis Lee guides a stellar ensemble in this haunting family drama of recrimination and reconciliation in Fireflies in the Garden. Oscar-winner Julia Roberts is at the center of the story playing a beleaguered family matriarch who has subordinated her needs and desires to those of her family, particularly her cold, demanding husband (Oscar-nominee Willem Dafoe). Roberts’ sudden death brings her entire clan together and triggers a series of flashbacks that reveal how the today’s seeds of discontent were planted years earlier.

The opening scene sets the whole atmosphere of the film & establishes the characters resolutely. The scene has Julia Roberts, Williem Dafoe and Cayden Boyd as kid Ryan. The trio is coming back from some gathering and its raining cats & dogs. With in few minutes, director, Denis Lee, establishes a completely sour & strained relationship between the father & the son and consequently it has disturbed the equation between the father & the mother too. Julia is a protective, doting mother who always tries to shield the son from the father who can abandon the 10-12 year old in the middle of the road when its raining profoundly & zooms off with the mother sitting inside the car, helplessly trying to stop him. And the son is a rebel already at the age of 10 or 12. He dislikes his father, may be hates him, we don’t know yet. He loves the mother & sympathies with her helplessness. The 10-min-first-scene just drags you to their world. Visually the film was one of the most appealing pieces in recent past, thanks to Daniel Moder (Spider Man 3, Monalisa Smile & Déjà Vu etc.) for the unblemished cinematography.

The non-linear narrative makes it lyrically rich & convoluted. Its not one of those popcorn cinema where you can enjoy your popcorn & do everything except watching the film! It challenges your sensibilities in the sense that you’ve to concentrate to comprehend. I got involved in the film hotfooted. The characters were so meticulously crafted that you feel like you know them since many years! For instance the character of Julia’s sister, played by Emily Watson, is one of the most engaging & refreshing characters that I’ve seen in many years. She is cheeky, rude yet warm, blunt, brutally honest & has a sexual undercurrent with her nephew. Of course the film is meant to appease the family audience but it also tackles the situations today’s youth would connect immediately with.

The only stereotype character I found was that of Julia’s husband, played by Willem Dafoe. He is garish, loves to hate people, ruthless & merciless like many other evil fathers we’ve come across over the years in our own Bollywood & Hollywood as well. His scene with his son at the garage is one of the prominent & most imperative scenes of the film.

Ryan’s character as an introvert, almost stone hearted & someone who has nursed the grudges against his father since his troubled childhood was refreshing & challenging to play. He still has a child in him & it was established very subtly & warmly. His relationship with his nephew & niece was cute & intense and eventually he becomes extremely influential in their lives. Ryan is getting divorced with his wife & the family doesn’t know about it. Carrie Ann Moss, who played Ryan's wife, had ABSOLUTELY nothing to do in the film except having sex with her estranged husband on the day of memorial service of his mother. The mother (Julia Roberts) dies in an accident while going to the airport to pick her son (Ryan) up as he was returning to the town after many years.

Shannon Lucio, who played Ryan’s sister, did justice to her character completely and had never come out of her character. Ioan Gruffudd (Mr. Fantastic from Fantastic Four) played Julia’s lover out of her marriage had nothing much to do & was passable. The confrontation scene of him & Ryan in a restaurant is worth & deserves a mention.

Ryan’s association with his aunt is more of a friend than a mother figure & had sexual undertones throughout the film. And his relationship with his mother was never vocal & expressive but both used to communicate through emotions.

It’s a lyrical flow of relations with lots of clichés & sluggish moments but the film draws you in because of its emotions & warmth. The semi-autobiographical story centers on the complexities of love and commitment in a family torn apart when faced by an unexpected tragedy.

Fireflies in the Garden juxtapositions the past and present in a fluid, lyrical,and emotionally resonant manner to show us that, while family is hard to live with, it is impossible to live without...

10 Best Male Actors of Bollywood Ever...

Now it’s the turn for the Best Male Actor Ever in Bollywood, pre-2000. Again there are hundreds of names which flashed in my mind for the list but I would try to justify every name I’ve in my list. Have a look at them and let me know if you guys agree with me or not (especially if you don’t!!)

10. SHAHRUKH KHAN

I know it might frown crores of the King Khan’s fans (especially my friends Debashree & Vikas) that I’ve put him at the bottom in my list but it’s not my fault at all! The other actors in my list compelled me to do so. They’re such huge powerhouses of talent that Mr. Khan’s tremendous star power somehow, gets lost; or paled rather. I always felt & believed that he is more of a star than an actor but he has proved in time & again that he can act too (not the best though!). But no matter what I think of him, he has done it all, romance, comedy, action, tragedy, drama, slapstick, negative & horror to name a few. He has not only done all but was successful in most of them also. Romance being his forte, Shahrukh redefined the romantic hero image that people like Rajesh Khanna or Rajendra Kumar has created. Dil Toh Pagal Hai, Devdas, DDLJ, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Dil Se, Kal Ho Na Ho, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi & Pardes etc. are the few examples of it. Even his maha repugnant films like Mohabbatein, Veer-Zara, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna or Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham are hugely successful ventures which show the kind of star power that the man has. Very few actors in the industry have got that strength or you can say the ability to rise above the script & take it to a level where audience forgets the film & the script but just remember them. I think he is the only actor right now who can carry off roles like Anjaam, Baazigar, Ram Jaane & Darr as well as Swades, Chak De India, Main Hoon Na & Om Shanti Om with élan. My only concern with Shahrukh is his repetition, single dimensioned & droning approach towards his characters. It might sound like a very swaggering statement coming from someone who hasn’t achieved even 1% of what Mr. Khan has but it’s just my opinion & I guess in our country, everyone is entitled for their views. Now since he has chosen a public domain as his career, he should be ready for everyone’s judgment about him as once you enter a public domain, the first thing you ever face is a criticism!!! So I’m sorry Debashree, Vikas & crores of his admirers but he fits at the bottom of my list of Best Male Actor Ever in Bollywood.

9. FAROOQ SHIEKH

Ok, I know he has never enjoyed the eminence or the star power that most of commercial actors do but when it comes to performance, he is no less than brilliant! There is something very poised & innocent in his face which immediately makes you fall in love with him. He came to the industry when the parallel cinema was at its peak. His contemporaries were no less than Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Anant Nag, Satish Shah & Rakesh Bedi etc. To be able to survive in front of these baaps of acting, I’m sure, wasn’t easy for him but he did hold his ground and that too extremely steadfastly! The best part about him is, he was & he is always open to experiment. Whether it’s a parallel cinema like Gaban, Bazaar & Umrao Jaan etc. or hardcore commercial masala flicks like Biwi Ho Toh Aisi etc. or the light hearted romantic comedies like Katha, Chashm-E-Baddoor, Saath-Saath & Kisi Se Na Kehna etc. he did it all with full conviction & buoyancy. He has worked with legendary directors like Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Sai Paranjpe & Mujaffar Ali et al. He is one of the most underrated actors that we’ve in our film industry.

8. GURU DUTT

Guru Dutt was always more accepted for his direction more than his performances but if you observe him closely, he was equally good an actor as he was a director. He was very smart in his choice of roles and never actually pushed his envelope in acting. Most of his roles were dramatic & always portrayed him as a loser, be it Pyaasa, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam or the masterpiece Kaagaz Ke Phool. Even in the comedies like Mr. and Mrs. 55, his character was a satire, subtly sarcastic and a rude comment on the society of that time. Though he pioneered in such roles, it actually has become his curtail later. He himself never tried to attempt something different or more challenging, except few films like 12 O’clock etc. which failed miserably to set the box-office on blaze. Also he had this patent look on his face which never ever changed, no matter what the situation or the scene is! He never looked happy on screen, which is strange considering he was always paired opposite his real-life lover Wahida Rehman in most of his films. (look at the pictures to believe me!) All said and done, his dramatic performances are par excellence & are the institutions of acting in themselves. Like Shabana Azmi who had limitations during her evolving period but she was such a brilliant dramatic actress that she transcends all her competition in that area, similarly Guru Dutt was so gleaming in dramatic roles that it would be a sin NOT to involve him in this list. Hence Guru Dutt grabs no. 8 spot in my list of Best Male Actor Ever in Bollywood.

7. ASHOK KUMAR

His biggest & most laudable triumph as an actor was his naturalism in an epoch where over-the-top, melodramatic way of performance was considered outstanding & accolade worthy. Ashok Kumar came as a fresh air, thanks to his mentor Himanshu Rai & Devika Rani’s influence on him. They were the ones who played the key role in influencing Ashok Kumar to watch western films & learn from them rather learning from our own cinema. And the result itself was enormously inspirational for many many more generations to come and still is stimulating for the Gen-X actors. Always more popular for character roles, Ashok Kumar played lead roles in dozens of films in 40s & 50s including the cults like Mahal, Achhoot Kanya, Bandini, Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi & Howrah Bridge to name a few. His pairing with Madhubala had taken the nation by storm; they were giving hits after hits. If Madhubala had her ways at that time, these two would be together in personal life as well but she was tremendously fond of Ashok Kumar’s wife that she obliterated her feeling for him completely. Later in his career, he started getting character roles which were equally integral to the film as the lead role. Subsequently, he had shined out everyone in that league. Films like Bheegi Raat, Khatta-Meetha, Chhoti Si Baat & Khoobsurat etc. saw an awe-inspiring character actor who can be comical, dramatic & intense at the same time, with equal conviction, convenience & finesse! He was the face of real, down to earth, natural actors which were the rarity at that time. His award winning, tragic, middle aged man portrayal in Aashirwad is still fresh in everyone’s mind whoever has seen the film and the film still haunts you & pierced your psyche. The first ‘rap-song’ in the history of Indian film industry was sung by this man and was also featured in the exceedingly venerated rail gaadi song from the same film. Even his exposé of the main villain in another classic by one of my favourite directors Vijay Anand, Jewel Thief could easily be qualified as the most real & natural baddie vis-à-vis the larger than life, caricaturished Gabbar, Mogambo & Ghajini et al.
Even his TV outing Ujaale Ki Ore was successful as it was a well written, crisply directed & naturally performed by him, Archana Joglekar & Raja Bundela etc. Dotingly known as “dada moni” by everyone, Ashok Kumar’s prevalent & the only hitch was his look. He never looked young & a ‘boy’ but always looked like a ‘man’ in his 40s and this is where his juniors & contemporaries like Motilal, Dev Anand, Bhagwan Dada, Raj Kapoor, Prithvi Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar & Guru Dutt etc. surpassed him. He always lacked that X-factor which the above mentioned actors had in profusion. But when it comes to acting, dada moni was literally everyone’s dada!!!

6. AMITABH BACHCHAN

I know many of you must be conjecturing how come he is not on the top & some may find it shocking that he is not even in top 5, after all he is THE Amitabh Bachchan! You must be thinking “Manish is out of his mind & his list is preposterous!” Even I have the same reaction whenever I find Aishwarya Rai ‘Bachchan’ in top 10 in most of the lists but like I’ve to accept it without any say, so you guys also have to control your waters and accept it quietly even if you don’t concur with it! For me Mr. Bachchan is definitely one of the most versatile actors that Bollywood has produced but certainly NOT the greatest one! There are better actors & bigger stars in Hindi & regional film industries so for me Mr. Bachchan is a little overrated but brilliant actor nonetheless. In fact he is the only actor in the history of Indian cinema to give ‘at least’ one superhit every year from 1972 to 1984! Among his myriad superhits & flops, my favourite performances are Chupke-Chupke, Amar Akbar Anthony, Sharabi, Deewar, Namak Halal & Haram and Shakti. His impeccable zest for life & learning something new everyday is really laudable and till date he keeps on experimenting with his roles like Black, Baghban, Bhoothnath, Mohabbatein & Khakee etc. But my concern with him lies here only. He indubitably does different roles & even horn different looks as well but his performance & body language remains the same everywhere & every time. If you look at the actors of Hollywood or else where they change their whole identities according to their characters! Let’s take the example of oh-not-so-great actor Brad Pitt. Everyone admits that he is more of a star than an actor & all the emphasis goes to his looks more than his depth in performances. But if you see his films, he kept on changing his body language, his looks & his expressions! Watch Burn After Reading, Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Babel & Ocean’s 11 or 12 or 13. All the films are radically different from each other and so are his characters. Though I’m not a Brad Pitt fan at all but I would love to give him the credit of bringing amazing variety & layers to each of the character and was a different Brad in all the four films. So if someone like Brad Pitt could bring that assortment & profundity to his characters why not the mega star of India could do it? Amitabh Bachchan’s performances, strictly according to me, are always one-dimensional & never allowed the audience to sub-consciously communicate to any of his characters. We all loved his roles but if you pore over his performances closely, you would realise that his approach towards most of his characters is same! May it be Ajooba or Silsila or Zanjeer or Ganga Jamuna Saraswati or Kabhi Kabhie or Laawaris or any other of his work… His love affair with Rekha still shoots up gossip magazines’ sales and if you believe the industry insiders, the love isn’t yet lost completely between the two! Anyways keeping his personal life aside, as an actor I would NOT like to keep him in top 5 and certainly not on the top spot.

5. DILIP KUMAR

And the legend continues…Yusuf Khan aka Dilip Kumar’s success story is nothing short of a film’s script. His story forces you to deem the lady luck even more. Who could believe that a canteen boy from Dehradun one day would swept the entire Nation off its feet? Young girls went Ga-Ga over his looks and the guys were trying to ape his unrivaled style. He was the most good looking one among the trio-toofan of Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand & himself. These three never let anyone challenge them in star power or popularity. Every girl wanted a boyfriend or husband like him, every parent wanted a son like him & every guy wanted a friend like him. Watch any of Dilip Kumar’s film and I can bet, you would come out remembering only him! Take Madhumati for the instance, the way Dilip Kumar melted & cried in the film was simply out of this world! The way he crooned toote hue khwabon ne or suhana safar, it just arrests you with the word go! Then take Dulari, Kohinoor, Aan, Andaz & the superlative Ganga Jumna, he just makes you fall in love with him every time he comes on-screen. He induces breath in every role he chooses. He was always been popular as Tragedy King, the male counterpart of Meena Kumari. Though I scrupulously agree with this title but I think he was equally brilliant in comedies like Gopi, Sagina or Ram Aur Shyam and in dramas like Naya Daur, Udan Khatola or Shakti. No one, and I mean ABSOLUTELY no one, can play a dehati villager the way he does and surprisingly at the same time he can play a Sauvé, sophisticated, foreign return lad with equal ease & fervor!!
Provided the kind of actors we had at that time, can you even visualize or imagine anyone else playing the legendary roles like Devdas or Mughal-E-Azam other than Dilip Kumar? In our times, we’ve seen SRK playing the former & Hrithik playing the latter (kind of) so it’s easier for us now to envisage others in such roles but I still believe that the pause, the layers, the make-belief and the magnetism that he brought in those roles, today’s star sons & furniture look-a-likes couldn’t even dream of! He has this Midas touch so whatever he does or touches, turns into a miracle. His ‘ae bhai’ rendering in Mashaal made people cry and sob as he did it with such ease that he convinced the audience that his wife is dying and he needs aid! His Saudagar, Karma & Shakti etc. are still the benchmarks when it comes to character roles. His personal life was equally popular & colorful as his professional one. The legendary affair that he had with Madhubala still sparks the audience & still is a gossip material. Though towards the end he turned into a villain when came to know the she was double timing him with Premnath. He left her for good and even didn’t come back when she was dying! He is the man with ego much more than it is needed but that’s Dilip Kumar for you! He lived his life on his own terms and never permitted anyone to cross his/her limits. He was often in loggerheads with many actors & directors. He never had spoken to K Asif (who gave him Mughal-E-Azam) after he found out that Asif was having affair with his sister. He had issues with Mehboob Khan as well who gave him Aan & Andaz etc. Never mind his personal life, as actor he is par excellence & incomparable!

4. SANJEEV KUMAR

One of most underrated & unlucky actors of Hindi cinema…I keep Sanjeev Kumar at the same regards of Omar Sharif, Al Pacino or Clint Eastwood et al. With a name that would be the biggest encumbrance in becoming a Hindi film actor, Haribhai Zariwala changed his name to Sanjeev Kumar as suggested by some one and went on to become one of the greatest and most natural actor of the history of Indian cinema. He did it all, lead roles, character roles, negative roles, comedies, dramas, action, fantasy & even horror! Among his innumerable awe-inspiring performances, my favourite are the little known Basu Bhattacharya’s Tumhare Liye, the cult Anubhav with Tanuja & marvelous songs by Geeta Roy, Khilona with Mumtaz, Aandhi with Suchitra Sen and Koshish & Naya Din Nayi Raat with Jaya Bachchan. During his struggling days, he even had done B-grade action-adventure films by the guru of Hindi film industry Homi Wadia. Films like Alibaba Aur Chalis Chor & Aladdin & the Magic Lamp etc. Even in heroine oriented flicks like Seeta Aur Geeta, he managed to leave his mark with ease. In multistarrer like Jaani Dushman & Sholay, he always made sure that he shouldn’t get lost in the crowd. It’s almost impossible to ignore Sanjeev Kumar in any film even though he is playing furniture! His trademark smile was a killer for ladies; he was a lady-killer in every sense. He would probably the only actor, except Amitabh, who played the lead opposite an actress & at the same time her father figure as well. For example, lead in Koshish & Naya Din Nayi Raat with Jaya Bachchan & her father figure in Sholay & Parichay etc. As far as I can remember Amitabh is the only other actor who has done it with Rani in Black & Babul. As I said before, there are very few actors that we’ve in our industry who could rise above the script & take the film to another tangent all in all & Sanjeev Kumar is one of them. Watch Shatranj Ke Khiladi for example, film wasn’t great at all but he took the film to a level where many consider it a cult classic today! I always loved him in comedies. Who can forget Gulzar’s classic (based on another classic) Angoor? Till date it’s one of my all time favourite comedies. The incisive irony & the spill of humor are unforgettable. In many ways he had eerie similarities with Ashok Kumar. Both of them were enormously innate & real actors, both of them played the lead as well as the character roles through out their careers, both of them were spur-of-the-moment on screen and even they share the same drawback of always looking older than their ages. More than anything else he had a heart of gold. Except for coming late on the sets, he never used to throw any tantrums & never demanded attention. Without taking the name I know a film journalist whom Sanjeev Kumar dropped till the door of her flat at 2 am after a party, went back to the same party, enjoyed till wee hours of the morning and reached the sets 8 hours late next day! Which star or actor do you think would drop a film journalist to the door of her flat on 7th floor just because it was too late in the night?
Sanjeev Kumar at no. 4…

3. NASEERUDDIN SHAH & OM PURI

Ok now it’s a first clash in the list but it was inevitable! I don’t think choosing one out of these two actors would be fair to either of them and more than that it’s simply NOT possible to pick one! These two are two of the most prolific contemporary actors from India’s ‘New Age Cinema’, Smita & Shabana being the female counterparts. Whenever you watch their films, it’s like they’re saying, “Here is the world, and here are the possibilities we have”. Both of them explode the contradictions, the ferments & the transition of their characters with their unique styles which are drastically different from each other. Their films are like the mirror of the society & these two have like a fraught of changing it! Films like Mandi, Junoon, Arohan, Paar, Masoom, Ardh Satya, Sparsh, Susman, Aastha, Antarnaad & Nishant are the perfect examples for my statement. Often disparaged for doing only didactic & socially relevant films, these two shut their critics’ mouths by doing films like Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, Katha, Hero Hiralal, Tridev, Mohra, China Gate & Premgranth etc. Among the two Naseeruddin Shah proved to be luckier as he gets the lead roles till today in the form of A Wednesday or Maharathi whereas the equally talented Om Puri has to settle down with character roles like in Pukar, Kisna or even the C-graders like Buddha Mar Gaya etc. After getting a 15-min part in Kisna, he stated that it took him 27 long years to get a film in a banner like Mukta Arts! Om had also stated once that if he had continued doing the films he believed in, he would be living in some place like Dahisar or Nallasopara today! (For those who’re coming late, these two are Mumbai suburbs far far away from the city, more than 100 kms). The other similarity that both of them has is their participation in International cinema. Unlike few synthetic dolls who go crazy & let even the nuts & bolts of the world know that they’ve signed a “Hollywood” production & are the self-proclaimed “ambassador” of Indian cinema in Hollywood, Naseer and Om always let their work speak rather than press conferences! They’re the ones who’ve done the Hollywood productions with complete international cast & crew in REAL sense and not with some Gurinder Chadhha or some Jagmohan Mundhra! Films like The Ghost & The Darkness, League of Seven Extraordinary Gentlemen, City of Joy & East is East etc. Both of them worked together in so many films and never had any insecurity about each other, rather Om Puri often jokes that Naseer got meatier role because his English was better! Both of them always learnt from their frailties and that’s the only reason they’re such accomplished & polished actors today. In spite of tasting such success, accolades & awards, both, domestically as well as internationally, the duo till date are as meek & simple as they could be. Another similarity both of them share that they never let their personal lives overshadow their work & it’s a lesson for today’s generation as now they’re more interested in talking about their break-ups, affairs & finally lavish weddings rather than concentrating on their work but they keep claiming that they don’t like to share their personal lives in media! Phew! Anyways talking about the two living legends, Om Puri & Naseeruddin Shah, my personal favourite performances of Naseer bhai are Mirch Masala, Mandi, Nishant, Paar, Maqbool & A Wednesday and that of Om Puri are of course Ardh Satya, Arohan, Dharavi, Maqbool, Pitaah & City of Joy. Needless to say both of them are equally brilliant in comedies, drama, action or any other genre concerned. It really hurts to see both of them so dissatisfied & dismissive about the film industry today & they’re also not hesitant to make it palpable. Naseeruddin Shah keeps complaining for getting Mr. Bachchan’s rejects & looked very apathetic on the success of his own A Wednesday and on the other hand Om Puri felt cheated on certain films where he trusted the director completely & didn’t even read the script (read it as Buddha Mar Gaya!). So it’s my own little way to respect their gargantuan contribution to the industry & just to tell them there still are few people like me who tremendously believe in their kind of cinema & wants them to keep giving us more Khuda Ke Liye, Firaaq & Dharavi!

2. MOTILAL

I’m sure many of you who’re reading this must be wondering who the hell this Motilal is. But let me assure you that if you watch any of his film, you will pat my back for keeping him in the list. I literally swear on his performances. He was modish, he was pulsating, he was flamboyant, he was handsome, he was a lady killer, a mammoth star & a stupendous actor as well. A rare combo, isn’t it? Like Ashok Kumar, he was never strident & over-the-top but rather always played it subtle & grounded but unlike Ashok Kumar, he has that X-factor which is a stipulation to attain a star status. His entry in the industry was also a rebel as those were the times of excessive body language & disproportionate facial expressions! He was a welcoming change with measured expressions & he was widely accepted. The competition could never frisson his stand in the industry. He was one of the highest paid actors at 30s, 40s & 50s; he had incendiary affairs with the crème-de-crème of the industry at that time, including Nutan’s mother & Kajol’s maternal grandmother Shobhna Samarth. In fact, both of them even launched Nutan in Humari Beti where Nutan played the title role at the age of 13 or 14 & Motilal played her screen father. It’s a shame that we generally avoid him in most of the books on Indian cinema & from the 30s & 40s, the only name today’s generation ‘might’ be knowing is K L Sehgal because of his peculiar voice more than anything else. Anyways, coming back to Motilal, he was equally good & accepted in character roles as he was in the lead. Watch Jaagte Raho & Parakh for instance, he was so comfortable in his space that he literally heaves you into his world & you just wish not to come out of it ever. His watertight rendering of Chunnilal in Devdas is an institution of acting for every aspiring actor till date! Even as a lead, his films like Waqt, Ab Dilli Door Nahi, Humari Beti & Mr. Sampat are the bible of character improvisation & depth. I’m certain that most of you wouldn’t agree with the list, especially having Motilal in top 3 but you’ve to watch him to believe me…go, buy the DVDs of his movies if you don’t want to miss the real acting…

1. BALRAJ SAHNI

Now the top spot…I’m sure many of you must be incensed and giving me gaalis for wasting your time if you’re reading this by any chance! Must be muttering kahan-kahan se pakad ke laaya hai yeh logon ko, never even heard such names, isn’t it? Well, I’m genuinely sorry for that but I can’t just put popular names for the sake of it when I don’t even believe in them, right? Anyways, talking about Balraj Sahni, the lesser said the better as words will fall short for him. He had the most beatific face in the industry ever, which, by many, is considered as his curb because he could never played a villain, courtesy: his face! He was THE most sorted & meek actor/star Bollywood has ever produced. According to me, he is THE best actor of India, including regional cinema & is in par with any actor in the entire world. Sahni was always interested in acting, and started his acting career with the plays of the Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA). It was in 1953, with Bimal Roy's classic Do Bigha Zameen, that his true forte as an actor was first recognised. The film won the international prize at the Cannes Film Festival. He was the personification of natural & grounded performances. For the well-educated Sahni, evolving as a performer and human being was more important than cultivating an image or wooing stardom. Aesthetic satisfaction rather than monetary emoluments motivated him. This rare quality backed by prodiguous talent made him an icon, notwithstanding the fact that he never really fit into the idiom of the regular hero. His characters were always made of blood & flesh and he was never larger-than-life. To be on the same bandwidth as me, you’ve to watch the classics like Seema, Kabuliwala & Do Bigha Zameen etc. The moment he comes on screen, you just instantly bond with him and wants to know more about him as a person and not about the character that he is playing. It is very rare coup for an actor. His on-screen image was exactly what he was in the real life, a simple, down-to-ground, uncomplicated person. He was completely a non-controversial person, which in today’s time is termed as “boring”. He never had any rancor with anyone in the industry rather he was one of the very few actors people look up to & respected immensely. Balraj Sahni's acting was very well liked and appreciated in all his films. He acted opposite top heroines like Nutan, Meena Kumari, Vyjayantimala and Nargis in films like Seema (1955), Sone Ki Chidiya (1958), Satta Bazaar (1959), Bhabhi Ki Chudiyan (1961), Kathputli (1957), Lajwanti (1958) & Ghar Sansaar (1958). However, he is perhaps best remembered by the current generation for the picturization of the legendary song ae meri zohra jabeen from the movie Waqt (1965) on him. Like most of the great actors, his popularity as a character actor was as colossal as it was for his lead roles. Performances like Pavitra Papi, Heera Moti, Garam Coat, Mere Apne & Garam Hawa are unimpeachable & unparalleled. Sahni made his bow as a director with Lal Batti (1957), an experimental suspense thriller. Commercially, the film went out like a light during a power failure. Ae meri zohrazabeen & tu pyar ka sagar hai wouldn’t be half as accepted as they’re if it wasn’t for Balraj Sahni. People often deprecated him to be limited to positive, simple, dramatic roles but he repatriated his critics with roles like Sangharsh starring Dilip Kumar & Vyjyanthimala. Though film bombed at box-office, he played one of the best villains Bollywood has ever produced! The biggest raison d'être for film’s hapless fate was its subject which was way ahead of it’s time. Film deals with religion & how opportunists use it as a rabble-rouser to veil their peccadilloes. It’s one of my all time favourite films for it’s bold theme & for Balraj Sahni’s convoluted performance & role. The legend emanated with Insaaf in 1946 and continued till the intellectually stimulating Garam Hawa in 1972. In my opinion, the latter is one of the preeminent roles & performances ever by any actor anywhere in the world. He always believed in what is known as 'Neo-Realistic' cinema. He was an extremely well read and politically conscious person. Balraj Sahni also dabbled in screenwriting; he wrote the 1951 movie Baazi which starred Dev Anand and was directed by Guru Dutt. He was also a recipient of the Padma Shri Award. Sahni would have notched many more milestones in his career but the death of his young daughter Shabnam left him hearbroken. At the age of 60, Sahni himself succumbed to a heart attack April 13, 1973.

Anyways, I don’t think I’m adequate enough to talk about this man whom I idolize & always wished to know him better as a person. I’m trying to get a hand on his autobiography which was released in 1978, not yet succeeded but am still optimistic for it. My wish to meet him would remain a reverie forever and I will bewail it for eternity…BALRAJ SAHNI…The Best Male Actor Ever in Bollywood…


Now there are few more actors I’m dying to have in my list, esp. Sohrab Modi, Pran, Pankaj Kapoor & Raghubir Yadav but they seldom played the lead roles, they were more of the character actors through out their careers. Also if I include them in the list then I HAVE to embrace Om Prakash, Rehman, Amrish Puri, Satish Shah, Ravi Vasvani, David, Rakesh Bedi, Mehmood, Ajit and many more such actors too. And if you talk about other lead actors then I don’t think very highly of the pretentious, Aamir Khan as an actor, same is the case with Dev Anand & Raj Kapoor. The latter two were great directors & were much ahead of their times but as actors, they could never overwhelmed me. I don’t count Salman in actors’ list & other Kapoors were only good but not the greats! Probably only Prithvi Raj Kapoor should be in the list but his rein in was his exaggeratedly rigid Pathan personality which always restricted him in pushing the envelope. The list is endless so let’s hold it here let me know who all according to you should be in this list…