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Late veteran actor and celebrated artiste Dilip Kumar had done many memorable roles in his long career, but the one role he is still remembered for with reverence is the 1955 release Devdas, based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s novel of the same name. The film (among other features like Ram Aur Shyam and Shakti) is being re-released in select cinemas on the occasion of his 100th birth anniversary, on December 10 and 11.
Helmed by Bimal Roy, the feature starred Dilip Kumar in the titular role, and marked the Bollywood debut of Suchitra Sen who played Parvati/Paro in the movie. Vyjayanthimala was seen as the courtesan Chandramukhi, while Pran and Johnny Walker appeared in cameo roles. The film has been lauded for its narrative, direction and, of course, the performances.
In his book co-written with Udayatara Nayar, Dilip Kumar The Substance and the Shadow, the actor had spoken about his hesitance to play the heavy-duty part, stating, “It troubled me initially to experiment with the rendering of a character who carried a heavy measure of pain and despondency under the skin and could mislead the more vulnerable youth to believe that alcoholism offered the best escape from the pain of losing in love. As I reflected over the subject, which had already been filmed very successfully with K. L. Saigal in the title role, I felt that it could become a memorable film and find itself a place among the iconic films of all time if I played the part with appropriate discretion.”
“The lines from Devdas, I must mention here, are some of the most responsible and sensitive ever written for a Hindi film hero. In fact, the dialogues of Devdas are replete with a haunting sensitivity, spontaneity and meaning,” the actor continued.
In a separate interview with Channel 4 series Movie Mahal, in 1986, Dilip Kumar had elaborated upon the rootedness of the character and his relatability with the masses which spanned over decades.
“Their popularity emanate from the fact that characters like Devdas are so close to the soil. It was an education to work with Bimal Roy. I was in my formative years to work with a man who leaves you to get under the skin of his character. There are institutions now where you can go and learn to act, there weren’t any institutions those days. We could learn only through such instruction and persuasions and by one’s own personal application, because the thing in Devdas was trying not to do, rather than doing.”
It is to be noted that Dilip Kumar was one of the first Indian actors who practised what came to be known as ‘method acting.’ Many working actors, young and old, have cited the late great Dilip Kumar as one of the major influences for them to follow this profession, including superstars like Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan.
Interestingly, Shah Rukh Khan went on to play the same role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s successful Devdas in 2002. Later, Dilip Kumar was asked to comment on the SRK-starrer, and he said, “It could have turned out to be better than mine. I did Devdas 45 years ago. And now, the techniques have developed, the instrumentation is versatile and at the disposal of the filmmaker. There are so many developments.”
You can watch Devdas on streaming platforms like ZEE5, Amazon Prime Video and MX Player.
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