dilip kumar

The present generation may identify Dilip Kumar as a drama-king actor from the golden era what with tags like ‘thespian’ and ‘tragedy king’ associated with his name. But the actor had much more to his histrionics than what the legend has to say. Watch Gunga Jamna to substantiate the fact – a film which displays Dilip Kumar’s sheer energy and enthusiasm to excellence. The matured actor that you might know of today for his distinct dialogue delivery demeanour, displayed a sparkling spunk in his act in this 1961 film.

In terms of its story, Gunga Jamna today might appear as the most clichéd Bollywood plots one might have come across over the years. But considering the fact that it arrived almost five decades back, these very clichés were, at that time, the pioneers of the formula that was followed in the succeeding years.

The title symbolized the two holy Indian rivers Gunga and Jamna standing for the two lead protagonists of the film. Gunga (Dilip Kumar) is an illiterate village peasant who works hard to educate his brother Jamna (Nasir Khan). While Jamna is studying in the city, Gunga is framed in a fake forgery case by the conniving village zamindar (Anwar Hussain). So moved is Gunga by the episode that he takes the wrong side of law and turns a dacoit, dwelling in the mountains outside the village with his ladylove Dhanno (Vyajayantimala). Of course, like Robin Hood, he robs only the rich and the ruthless.

Jamna returns to the village as a police officer and learns about his brother’s illegal ways. He initially asks him to give up his deeds and subsequently is pitted against him. In the climax a duty-bound Jamna has to shoot at his much-loved elder brother cum guardian Gunga. Gunga Jamna falls in the genre where the hero of the film is actually the antihero. The film initially glorifies this outlawed antihero by winning him audience’s sympathy for being a victimized character. But as the laws of cinema only permit the victory of the good over evil, the agonist’s redemption comes only through his death at the end.

Sumber: http://bolliwoodstories.blogspot.com/2009/05/dilip-kumar.html