Dharmendra - Bengal owes a lot to him!

At the onset, I must say that Dharmendra has been one of my most favourite actors. So, when I now write a memoir, it would turn out to be a fanboy account. But then, can we find at least one follower of Indian Cinema who has not liked his art! Such has been his effect and contribution.

I begin with Bandini, a movie made by Bimal Roy, based on a story by famous Bengali writer Jarashandha. He was new, young, a bit lean, but excellent in his projection. He had a side-role, but whenever he would come to the screen, he would infuse dream in the life of Kalyani, the protagonist. More I would not write, but I would recommend the readers to take some hours off on a lazy afternoon and watch the film, only for Dharmendra. In a later interview, he said, he was groomed by Bimal Roy and was personally praised by S D Burman, who was the music composer of Bandini.

Dharmendra did a great part in a film by the name Satyakam. The story was written by Narayan Sanyal, who was a civil engineer by profession and an esteemed Bengali writer. The character was that of a honest person who could leave everything for his idealism. His friends and well-wishers would drift away, he would create enemies at every stage of his life - but he would never deviate from his path of honesty. There were scenes in that film that would compel us to re-think our views towards life. Dharmendra, through his eyes, posture, and crisp dialogue delivery, justified morality, which was fragile and is more fragile today. Years later, I was watching a panel discussion at a Literary Meet at Kolkata. The subject was Narayan Sanyal. A person stood up and mentioned that he had been in the same batch as Sanyal. There was indeed an unique character like Satya Priya (Dharmendra's name in the movie/story) in the class. He started crying for his two classmates, stating that they did not make such people anymore! I had not met the author or his friend, but I had met by Dharmendra and Sanjeev Kumar (who played the author-friend to Satya) through the film and I had cried in the same way towards the end of the movie.

His collaboration with Hrishikesh Mukherjee, the legendary filmmaker, was phenomenal. There was a film made by Mukherjee on the same year as Sholay, by the name Chupke Chupke. A story by Bengali  author Upendranath Ganguly was brought to screen through an ensemble cast. There was Amitabh Bachchan on a supporting role. Dharmendra had the lead role as a scientist, who entered into a string of comical scenarios, and joyfully handled all of those. A scientist with humour at heart - a difficult role to play, but he did that beautifully. He looked smart, witty, and had a tinge of Bengali grace to his presentation. Again, his charming soft moments with Sharmila Tagore (leading lady opposite) were exquisite. The film is now considered a cult classic.

Dharmendra did a small role in a film called Mamta, with legendary Bengali actress Suchitra Sen. The film was directed by Asit Sen. Written by Nihar Ranjan Gupta, another famous Bengali writer, it explored the life of a courtesan and her daughter, in a dual role played by the magnificent Sen. Dharmendra came in the second half as the love interest of the daughter, Suparna. His name was Indraneel, and he looked the boy-next-door. He was handsome, kind and consistent - any girl can fall for a person like him!

Dharmendra made a film with another Bengali director Pramod Chakraborty by the name Naya Zamana. In the film, he was a fighter with a socialist heart. His romantic moments with Hema Malini, who was the leading lady in the movie, were iconic. The way he conveyed the pain of the marginals, and established social justice and equality is an example for new actors to follow. In the song "Duniya o duniya", there were various tiny shots, where he would smile with pain written all over his face. In between he would show disgust, again through his eyes and face. The visuals were so captivating and intense that one could hardly say that he was acting. It felt so real! Such was his prowess as an actor.

I had moved to Sweden, when Life in a Metro came to me as a movie. It was 2007, Dharmendra had grown in age, and had matured immensely as an actor. He played the role of a loser, a lover and a dreamer. All contradictions were merged into a single character by director Anurag Basu. There are scenes where he showed how to be hopeful - making the entire screen, the audience and an entire new generation of youngsters hopeful.

Did Dharmendra understand Bengali sentiments? A string of unforgettable films with Bengali directors, his association with Hemant Kumar, S D Burman, and R D Burman, his constant collaboration with writers like Sachin Bhowmick make me think so. The most striking thing was perhaps - his understanding of the quintessential Bengali psyche, as highlighted above with some examples. One way or the other - Bengal should remain ever so thankful to him. Rest I leave to the readers to decide.....