TLI Staff
New Delhi: Dilip Kumar started his career with Bombay Talkies’ Jwar Bhata, the film that was the beginning of his nearly five decade long career in which he did more than 65 films. The Tragedy King of Bollywood was quite finicky about giving a perfect shot and could go to any length for making his role convincing.
The legendary actor was all of 19 years and 5 months when he gave his first shot for his debut film Jwar Bhata. Dilip Kumar’s first shot was quite similar to his mentor Ashok Kumar’s first scene. Ashok Kumar had to enter through a window to jump inside a room in his first-ever shot but his timing was not right and he jumped on his heroine Devika Rani instead and injured her.
In case of Dilip Kumar, he had to rescue his heroine in his first-ever shot for Jwar Bhata and was required to run. It so happened that Dilip Kumar who was an athlete in his college days ran so fast that the camera couldn’t follow him. The director of the film Amiya Chakravarty had to say cut before he could collide with the heroine and injure her. Amiya da then told Dilip Kumar that he’s not participating in a competition and he has to run like a common man.
The music of this film was given by Anil Biswas and C Ramchandra assisted Amiya Chakravarty in the film while Narendra Sharma was the lyricist. Manna Dey and Parul Ghosh voiced the popular bhajan Bhoola Bhatka Path Haara.
Very few peole know that another young man who was 18 at the time and went on to become one of the biggest superstars and filmmakers of Indian cinema started his career with a cameo role in the film. Well, that was none other than Raj Kapoor, the grandson of Dilip Kumar’s father Sarwar Khan’s neighbour Lala Basesar Nath and Prithviraj Kapoor’s son. He was also assisting director Amiya Chakravarty in the film.
Intrestingly, Raj Kapoor was employed by Bombay Talkies before Dilip Kumar, the former had to struggle for a longer time to make a debut as a hero in films compared to Dilip and had to be content assisting directors and being a clapper boy.
Dilip Kumar’s first salary was Rs 1250 per month as actor in Bombay Talkies while Raj Kapoor was only drawing a salary of Rs 170 as assistant director.
(Translated from upcoming book Hindi Cinema Ke Stambha authored by Suresh Uniyal)
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