The Greats: Dharmendra

08.12.1935- 24.11.2025
Photo courtesy: India Today Archives

This was not what I had planned, nor indeed, expected, when I wrote this post and scheduled it for today. I’d meant it to be a celebration of an amazing artiste’s 90^th birthday. Instead, two weeks ago, I woke up to the shocking news that he had passed away. And because the press, including highly ‘respectable’ newspapers and news channels, had killed the man off previously, it didn’t hit me at first. But slowly, as the idea that ‘Veeru’ had passed away (Sholay being the first film I consciously remember having watched) sank in, the news felt more devastating than I’d expected. I wondered then, whether I should relegate this post to the backburner and post a tribute instead. But, what better tribute than an actor have than to be remembered for his performances? So, the original post in its entirety, in tribute to a man who could effortlessly combine romance, comedy, ‘action, tragedy, drama’ – Dharam Singh Deol, better known as ‘Dharmendra’. 

The Candidate (1972)

Directed by: Michael Ritchie
Music: John Rubenstein
Writer: Jeremy Larner
Starring: Robert Redford, Don Porter,
Peter Boyle, Allan Garfield,
Melvyn Douglas, Karen Carlson

The day after I published my review of Raj Hath came the news that Hollywood icon Robert Redford had passed away. He deserves a tribute if ever anyone did, and I mentally reviewed the Redford films I’d watched: should I rewatch All the President’s Men (a favourite of mine, and so relevant to today’s political environment here in the US) or Sting? Or perhaps Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid? That evening, my partner-in-crime, Shalini, texted me – shouldn’t we watch a Redford film to commemorate his passing? Of course!

Raj Hath (1956)

Directed by: Sohrab Modi
Music: Shankar-Jaikishan
Lyrics: Hasrat Jaipuri, Shailendra
Starring: Sohrab Modi, Madhubala, Pradeep Kumar,
Ulhas, Murad, Kammo

When Tom sent me the print of Raj Hath to subtitle, I was intrigued. I had watched this a long time ago, but my feeble brain had forgotten everything about it, except that it starred Pradeep Kumar and Madhubala, and had one of my favourite songs – Ye vaada karo chaand ke saamne. And since I have a huge tolerance for raja-rani films, I was looking forward to watching it again.

Without a Clue (1988)

Directed by: Thom Eberhardt
Written by: Larry Strawther, Gary Murphy
Music: Henry Mancini
Starring: Michael Caine, Ben Kingsley,
Jeffrey Jones, Lysette Antony,
Paul Freeman, Pat Keen,
Matthew Savage, Nigel Davenport,
Peter Cook

Honest confession? I’d never heard of this film. Until someone, in a film group that I’m part of, mentioned it, and the other serious film aficionados in the group all piled in to say what fun it was. So, I bookmarked the film and then, as is usual with me, forgot about it. Until yesterday, when, after a particularly horrid week, I was looking for something light to watch and my husband said, ‘Hey, what about that Michael Caine/Ben Kingsley film you told me about?’ 

Rear Window (1954)

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Music: Franz Waxman
Cinematography: Robert Burks
Starring: James Stewart, Grace Kelly,
Thelma Ritter, Wendell Corey,
Raymond Burr, Judith Evelyn,
Georgine Darcy, Ross Bagdasarian,
Sara Berner, Frank Cady,
Jesslyn Fax, Rand Harper,
Havis Davenport, Irene Winston

As I’ve mentioned before, Alfred Hitchcock’s films hold a strange fascination for me. The dialling up of suspense, the background music that elevates the suspense, the setting, scenes and dialogues… all work their magic on me, even if I’ve watched the film before and know the who, how and why. I’ve previously reviewed several of the Master of Suspense’s movies, both classics and the not-as-well-known ones – Notorious, Rope, Dial M for Murder, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Vertigo, To Catch A Thief, Suspicion, Mr & Mrs Smith, The Trouble With Harry, North by Northwest, The Lady Vanishes, etc.

But it’s been a while since I reviewed a Hitchcock film. So, sometime last year, I’d decided that since Hitchcock was born in August, this month would showcase some more of his films, from his earlier ones to the Hollywood period. I even roped Shalini in, and together, we made a list of six films that we thought would highlight the art and craft of suspense in his films. Unfortunately, we were only able to watch three out of the six films we had shortlisted.
So, let me begin with the last film we watched.

Nagina (1986)

Directed by: Harmesh Malhotra
Music: Laxmikant-Pyarelal
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Starring: Sridevi, Rishi Kapoor,
Sushma Sreshta, Prem Chopra,
Komal Mahuakar, Jagdeep,
Amrish Puri

The 80s were certainly not the greatest period in Hindi cinema. There were a few bright spots here and there, but overall, the decade was dominated by mindless action movies and regressive ‘family dramas’.  But this era also saw the rise of one of Hindi cinema’s most iconic female actors –Sridevi. Having made the Bombay film industry sit up and take notice with her histrionics and comic timing in a slew of forgettable southern remakes and male-dominated ‘action’ films opposite ageing stars like Rajesh Khanna, Jeetendra and Amitabh Bachchan, she cemented her stardom with her first ‘woman-oriented’ role in Nagina.

My Favourites: Rajendra Kumar Songs

20.07.1927-12.07.1999

After struggling through the previous two posts, I felt that I should let my blog fall into a decline yet again, and was wondering what I could write about that wouldn’t tax me too much. So, looking through my drafts and half-finished posts, I thought I could do a post on Sunl Dutt songs, and began compiling my favourite solos of the actor. It was only when I was halfway through the post that I realised I was a month too late – the actor’s birthday was in June. I was back to square one. Then I realised that there was yet another actor whose birthday was coming up, and soon. Rajendra Kumar. He's not one of my favourite actors, but I must be in the minority, since the actor held sway over countless hearts in his heyday. 

My Favourites: Guru Dutt's Songs

Guru Dutt’s birth centenary deserves more than a passing review. I’d initially thought I would make a list of Guru Dutt’s songs – songs that were picturised on him; songs that were happy and romantic instead of being bitter or cynical. But Dutt had never positioned himself as a romantic hero. And while he was competent (and convincing) in the romantic ballads, that didn’t seem enough. Yet, he had a very well-deserved reputation as a ‘song director’. So much so, that even in films directed by his associates, he filmed the song sequences. So, I decided to change tack and examine all the song sequences in his films. This meant that I could widen my net from songs that were only lip-synced by him.

Kaagaz ke Phool (1959)

Directed by: Guru Dutt
Music: SD Burman
Lyrics: Kaifi Azmi, Shailendra
Starring: Guru Dutt, Waheeda Rehman,
Baby Naaz, Johnny Walker,
Veena, Minoo Mumtaz,
Pramila, Mahesh Kaul

Earlier this year, I missed Raj Khosla’s birth centenary. Today is the birth centenary of his mentor and friend, Guru Dutt, a luminary in his own right, and someone who has contributed his mite to the golden age of Hindi cinema. It seemed only fitting that I acknowledge and celebrate this milestone.

The question was, how? Do I write about him under ‘The Masters’? Do I curate a list of songs, given that he was an accomplished song director? Or do I review one of his films? (I have reviewed my favourite Guru Dutt films before – Aar Paar, Mr & Mrs 55, which is a guilty pleasure, and Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam, which, though not directed by him, had his fingerprints all over it.)

My Favourites: Manoj Kumar Songs

24.07.1937-04.04.2025

As long-time readers of my blog know, I’m not a fan of Manoj Kumar. His pop-nationalism scarred my senses; the regressive roles of women in his films annoyed me, and his films never resonated. As an actor, while he initially was earnest and could be quite charming, his mannerisms soon took over to a point where he was a caricature of himself. Yet, as a scriptwriter, filmmaker, editor, and yes, even as an actor, Manoj Kumar left a legacy behind that’s worthy of being commemorated.