 I
have just come back after listening to the man the world calls
"the God of acting", Dilip Kumar. And the best news
he gives me is that he is going to make all out efforts to release
Aag Ka Dariya, 14 years after it was started. He also gives
me a feeling of elation, of excitement, an enthralling feeling
where it has been I wanted to know all this long. He told me
that he would whatever the circumstances complete his first
film as a director, Kalinga.
Dilip Kumar - "the thespian, the phenomenon, the living
legend, the God of acting" and a number of other more glorifying
adulations, admirations, accolades. All these for a man who
has done just 84 films in 53 years, some good, some bad but
he, Dilip Kumar, the actor, the ultimate hero, never bad whatever
his handful of critics may say. Dilip Kumar always means and
still means perfection.
He started off as a tragedian and rose to become one of the
greatest tragedy kings in the world of entertainment, not just
in India but all over the world. Filmmakers and actors and writers
who came visiting India often wondered what made this actor
such an extraordinary actor only because of his being so good
at playing tragic roles. In fact, at one stage he took himself
as a tragedian so seriously that he believed in himself as the
tragic character he played in the films that he did that his
doctors immediately advised him to rush to the best psychiatrist
in London for treatment. It was then that the doctors in London
suggested that he play some comic roles and the the actor in
Dilip Kumar took up the challenge and did films like Kohinoor,
Ram Aur Sham and Ganga Jamuna. Amitabh Bachchan has gone on
record to say that any actor in the last 50 years who says that
he has not been influenced or inspired by the histrionics of
Dilip Kumar is lying. Take a 12-year-old child and make him
sit before one of the better films done by Dilip Kumar and watch
his reaction. The magic still works. The magic will always work.
Sham Sunder, Jaipur:
I always find Saif Ali Khan a very natural actor. Why is he
not getting the offers he should?
Saif’s being the son of the Nawab of Pataudi and actress
Sharmila Tagore could be one of the reasons which have come
in his way. His own behaviour as the Chote Nawab in which he
believe also seems to have played a part. He went through a
very bad patch in between but just one film, Kya Kehna! has
brought him out of the woods. He has signed a number of good
films in recent times and if he is sensible and doesn’t
lose track of himself I am sure he will be one of the better
known actors in the years to come.
Shireen Patel, Mumbai:
Isn’t it high time something serious is done to protect
animals from being ill-treated in films?
Maneka Gandhi is trying her best to come to the help of the
animals and be their saviour. She has already created a lot
of problems for the makers of R Mohan’s film because of
some ill-treatment towards a baby elephant. She vows that she
will not allow any animal or bird to be ill-treated in films
or anywhere else. One Maneka can’t do anything much. We
will have to need many more Maneka’s if we will have to
protect our animals which are our treasure.
Shobha R, Surat:
Do you feel Subhash Ghai will complete his new film Yaadein
in what he calls the "shortest possible time"?
I believe in anything that Subhash Ghai says. If he can make
Dr. Dang out of an ailing, old Anupam Kher in Saraansh, he can
do anything. I believe Subhash Ghai is a blessing to the Indian
film industry.
Roop K Chatterji, Bareilly:
What do you know about the latest of the veteran Ashok Kumar?
He is running 90. He is not keeping very good health but he
is still running his acting classes with his daughter Preeti
Ganguly. Doing so much at his age and more than anything keeping
his memory intact in whatever he has done during the last 50
years is what makes life interesting for him and his friends
who go to see him from time to time.
John M, Cochin:
When will our Hindi films improve?
When the taste of the audience improves, when the audience threatens
the writers, the directors and the music directors to give them
good entertainment and more than anything else when the audience
gets something in return for the very high prices they are paying
these days for their tickets.
Sharmila Ghosh, Delhi:
I am a small-time politician myself but I am ashamed at the
way you filmmakers show some of our politicians. Why do you
do this?
Yes, my dear politician, politicians are being treated very
badly in our films because look around you and then look within
you and you will know why not only filmmakers but most Indians
dislike politicians and try their best to show their dislike
in the best way possible.
Porus Cooper, Mumbai:
It is high time some one took some of these filmmakers to court
for making fun of one of the most respectable communities, namely
the Parsis. What do you say?
I am in total agreement with you when it comes to making fun
of any particular community and I have seen that the Parsis
are the special targets. It is high time the filmmakers stop
making fun of a community which has given us leaders like the
Tatas, the Godrejs, the Palkhiwalas and the Sorabjis and the
Pochkanwalas. And if they still don’t understand then I
feel there are among Parsis people who will stand up one day
and tell these filmmakers what they think about this problem
which is driving them mad.
Joshua D’Souza, Goa:
Why have filmmakers stopped coming to Goa for shooting their
big films? Why are they started going towards Switzerland, Australia,
South Africa and New Zealand? Has Goa lost its charm?
Goa can never lose its charm. These filmmakers are always on
the lookout for something new. They have now found these new
places in faraway lands. They feel that if they show these lands
to their audiences they will be tempted to walk in to see their
films even if they are badly made. Don’t worry Mr D’Souza,
Goa is beautiful, Goa is great, Goa is my favourite city and
the favourite city of many all over the world.
Solomon S, Mumbai:
How many films are Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek doing
together?
At the moment they are doing just one for their own company
ABCL which is trying its best to come back to life. The film
is being directed by Rakesh Mehra who has directed most of Amitabh’s
ad films. The father and son team is being flooded with offers
but like everyone knows the father and now the son both are
not fools to follow trends just to make money.
Prakash Sawant, Mumbai:
I was in Goa recently and I saw some of the films made there.
To put it kindly, they were atrocious. Goa is supposed to be
a state of some of the most creative people. Then why this atrocity?
You have asked this question at the right time. I was in
Goa recently. I spent a lot of time with the Chief Minister
of Goa, Mr Francisco Sardinha. He has promised to come up with
a full-fledged film city in Goa. He has promised to give every
talented artiste and technicians all the facilities he or she
requires to make good films. He is also planning a film nagar
in Goa where artistes and filmmakers and technicians can live
together and think together to give Konkani films a better place. |
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