Tango

Daag starring Dilip Kumar, Nimmi and Usha Kiron (1952)

The hallmark of a true classic lies in its ability to transcend the barrier of time and fickle audience tastes. There is an element of timelessness in such movies, an ability to hold cinemagoers’ interest for the entire duration. The same timel ess appeal makes this black and white film,starring the power couple of Dilip Kumar and Nimmi, a treat to watch, more than half a century after its release.

The film showcases why Dilip Kumar is revered as the most consummate star to have graced the Indian screen, ever. His command over his skill is unparalleled, evident in his portrayal of Shankar, a good-hearted, angst-ridden village artisan, who makes toys for a meagre living, but is shunned for his love of the bottle. He exhibits complete mastery over his inimitable oeuvre of emotions — the drunkard with a fine comic timing, the intense interaction with his ailing mother, his effort to stave off social stigma of being perceived a troublemaker and his romance with the petite Nimmi. The man is superb in every scene.

Seeing him perform, one can discern why future generations of actors — including the Big B — have imbibed his style. His imprint and influence on their histrionics is perhaps the biggest tribute to the icon. The film won him the first Filmfare Best Actor Award. He went on to win seven more.

The story is engaging. The poor family of Lala Jagat Narain (Kanhaiyalal), his wife (Leela Mishra), daughter Pushpa (Usha Kiron) and step sister Paro (Nimmi) hit the jackpot when a dead relative bequeaths her wealth on them. Paro shares a childhood bond with Shankar — akin to friendship, but which is actually unsaid love. Although Shankar also harbours a soft corner for her, he hides his feelings behind an acerbic tongue. He finds it difficult to make two ends meet because of his habit of drinking.

Despite exhortations from his ailing mother, and Paro, Shankar is not able to shed the bottle, till he leaves for the city after subjecting Paro to a vicious bout of violence.

When a reformed Shankar goes to Paro’s house to seek her hand in marriage, he is insulted by her relatives. He goes back to his old ways, till his mother dies – due to his inability to get medical help, despite monetary help from Paro. This has a cathartic effect on him and in a happy ending, Shankar and Paro settle in happy matrimony.

Amiya Chakrabarty exhibited a fine sense of timing in wielding the baton. The director was in complete control of his craft — the way he narrated the script, handling myriad twists and turns in the story (by Chakrabarty himself and Rajendra Shankar and dialogues by Rajinder Singh Bedi) with acumen. Handling actors of the stature of Dilip Kumar requires a director of high calibre, which Chakrabarty, who gave films like “Seema”, “Kathputli”, “Patita” and “Dekh Kabira Roya”, was before his untimely death in 1957.

The film retains a breezy pace throughout, thanks to taut editing by D.B. Joshi, who ensured that there is not a dull moment. The camerawork by V. Babasaheb is competent, particularly the close-up shots which capture emotions with sensitivity. The duo of Shankar Jaikishen, who scored music for the movie, did a commendable job in all the numbers, but the soul stirring “Ae Mere Dil Kahi Aur Chal” stands out. It was perhaps the first instance in a Hindi film where a song comes on more than one occasion, in different settings — twice in the dulcet voice of Talat Mahmood — a sad and a happy version — and then by Lata Mangeshkar.

Nimmi, with her innocent, vulnerable good looks, as Dilip Kumar’s love interest, manages to hold her own. She infuses credibility in the role of Paro, who is desperately in love with Shankar, and is willing to accept him with all his flaws. The two share a rare screen chemistry — that was enduring — and were seen together in several successful films, including “Deedar”, “Amar”, “Udan Khatola”.

The film saw a string of good performances by several veteran actors, who over the years became ‘stars’ in their own right. Leela Mishra, Lalita Pawar, Kanhaiyalal, C.S. Dubey, Jawahar Kaul and Usha Kiron form a valuable backbone of the movie with their virtuoso performances.

It is a tragedy that has beset Bollywood since the beginning of the silent era. Typecast is a word of immense significance in Hindi cinema. Several sterling artists have been condemned to an image from which they never managed to escape, despite their obvious talent.
Daag” saw an ensemble of artistes, who for most part of their careers are dubbed as ‘character actors’. Thus, a not-so-old Lalita Pawar, a siren of the silent era, played mother to Dilip Kumar. It was the persona of a mother and later a wicked mother-in-law, which she could never come out of despite a long innings in the film industry. Similar was the fate of Leela Mishra, another veteran of the silent era, whose entry into the ‘talkies’ meant a life of being typecast as a soft-hearted mother or as in “Sholay”, the well-meaning mausi!

Although each of these actors had the capacity to give flawless performances, their talent, though recognised, was not duly exploited by filmmakers. Thus, a very young looking Kanhaiyalal and C.S. Dubey in “Daag” continued in elderly roles with negative connotations.