The Most Underrated Megastar : Dharmendra

 

What an interesting year!

So many things happened that had never happened before! . For instance for the first time in the sixty years of it's existence, the film industry in Maharashtra closed all its cinemas from September 1 for a period of nine days to protest against a further steep rise in the Entertainment tax.

A momentous decision, a drastic step, one which took a lot of guts on the parts of all film industry sectors concerned to take. Unfortunately, on a vague assurance given by Government, the "strike" fizzled out, and what "concessions" came thereafter were in the nature of a consolation-price with which the industry is vastly dissatisfied.

It is a year that will be remembered, among the other memorable events, for big success and failures. Among the most outstanding success of the year were "Ram Aur Shyam", "Upkar", "Milan", "Farz", "Meherban", "Shagird" and "Jewel Thief". The failures of films that shocked the industry were "Aman", "Palki" and "Around The World".

As against  few successful films from Bombay, Madras contributed sensational hit pictures with Ram Aur Shyam which marked the debut of Tapi Chakanaya in Hindi market. The picture also marked Dilip Kumar's comeback to top form in the dual role he portrayed. The film is creating records everywhere and it is the highest grossing film of the year. Other pictures from the Madras which hit the jackpot were "Milan", "Farz", " Meherban" and to some extent "Aurat" which did average business.

1967 may be termed to be the year which marked an upsurge in experimental film-making activity, an upsurge that coincided and went hand-in-hand with an upsurge in Film Society activities which, in the current year, recorded a new high. Thus, 1967 will stand as the year pregnant with what may well, in coming years, become a full-blooded "New Wave" of film-making in India.

That is why, speaking of daring film-makers and experimental films, it must be said that the two most interesting films and film-makers of the year (if one does not count "Teesri Kasam", which was actually first released in Delhi the year before) proved to be Chetan Anand with his "Aakhri Khat" and K. A. Abbas with his "Bombai Raat Ki Baahon Mein".

That the new trend in film-making has begun to show signs of spilling over into commercial film-making as well (as evinced by the above two pictures) is an encouraging sign and stands as a portent of things to come in future years.

New trends; plenty of new faces (probably the most interesting is Bunty!); plenty of highly individualistic activity among film-makers and film-artistes that is 1967! -

Consider the debuts: Bunty in "Aakhri Khat"; Naina Sahu in "Hare Kaanch Ki Chooriyan"; Bambi in "Maikhana"; Ba- bita in "Raaz"; a whole new set in "Taqdeer", notably Farida Jalal and Jalal Agha, whose work in Abbas' film "Bambai Raat Ki Baahon Mein" is real- ly outstanding; Vimi in "Humraaz" (yet to be released at time of writing); and a whole set of newcomers introduced on a more modest scale in many another film.

Consider also the matrimonial graph this year: in March Sharmila Tagore was officially engaged to "Tiger" Pataudi; followed Sayeeda Khan's marriage to Brij; Dr. Bali's engagement to Vyjayantimala; Anju Mehendru's highly-publicised engagement to West Indian cricketer Gary Sobers; Kalpana's marriage to scripter Sachin Bhowmick (within the year, ironically, the rumours of se paration have already begun - Hollywood-style, what!); Ashish Kumar's marriage to Bela Bose; also the volatile Mumtaz's reported romantic affiliation with an American as reported in a sec- tion of the press; and finally, culmination in December with the marriage be- tween glamorous Rajshree and American fiance Gregory Chapman of a romance begun earlier "Around the World"!

A pretty generous crop for a single year - what!

At the other end of the love-hate graph there occurred in Madras, on January 12 this year, the notorious shooting epi- sode between M. R. Radha and M. G. R., two well-known personalities of the South Indian stage and screen! This remained in the headlines off and on throughout the year. Whatever the rea- sons behind it, personal, professional or political, there is no doubt that such an event too, marked out the year 1967 with an unusual "first"!

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