Happy Birthday Amitabh Bachchan

Having starred in over 180 films in a career spanning more than four decades, Amitabh Bachchan continues to hold sway over millions of his fans with his rich baritone on the big screen. The megastar was born to Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Teji Bachchan in Allahabad on October 11, 1942. Bachchan is one of the busiest actors in Bollywood thanks to his knack for adapting and reinventing himself to the demands of showbiz.

Big B’s versatility as an actor has given us many memorable moments through his films with Dharma Productions. We see him play the role of Police Officer Vijay in the 1980 ‘Dostana’. We then see him play the role of Vijay Chauhan, a Man seeking revenge for his father’s death in ‘Agneepath’. His pivotal role as a rich businessman who is a father to two sons in ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...’ was one of the key elements in making the film such great success.

Finally we see him play the role of a fun-loving father, Samarjeet in ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna’. Amitabh nails it with a performance that carefully treads the fine line between old perv and naughty senior. It is to his credit as an actor, that he can switch from playful to prophetic, as he offers those words of wisdom that eventually become the direction that the cheating couple take in the film.

Amitabh is an actor that wishes to continue his innings in acting with the same enthusiasm that he started with. "The wish is that something challenging comes up everyday... I will continue working till there is strength in my body," says Big B.We would like to wish Amitabh Bachchan a very Happy Birthday with many years of splendid films ahead! Do share some of your favourite Amitabh Bachchan scenes from our Dharma films in the comments below.

Finally, a villain you will fall in love with!

Sanjay Dutt garnered appreciation from all quarters for his wicked smile, puffed-up eyes and malicious appearance in ‘Agneepath’. However, he admits that his 'villainous' act scared him as well. In Karan Johar's Agneepath, Sanjay essays the role of the villainous Kancha, a reprisal of the equally villainous ‘Kancha Cheena’ made notorious by the inimitable Danny Denzongpa in the original movie, while Hrithik Roshan  reprises the role of Vijay Dinanath Chauhan.

Dutt’s Kancha is shown as a wicked bald man who dons a black Dhoti Kurta, with an overpowering physique, tattoos on his arms, a silver ring on top of his left ear and sporting a black Dhoti Kurta. This menacing look of Sanjay Dutt in the film was painstakingly created to meet the director’s expectations. Karan Malhotra admits that Kancha’s look was designed keeping Marlon Brando’s ‘Apocalypse Now’s’ bald look in mind, Sanjay however respectfully disagrees. Other than the earrings that Brando’s Colonel Walter E Kurtz doesn’t wear Sanjay points out that Kancha doesn’t even have eyebrows and eyelashes. Sanjay was initially supposed to go in for prosthetics but when the make-up started melting in the heat of Diu, he decided to shave his head for the first time in his life.

The bald look instantly became an eye catcher in the film’s first promos, as did the dialogue, ‘Vijay Deenanath Chauhan ko marna padega’ (Vijay Deenanath Chauhan has to die), followed by vile laughter. Dutt admits that he was inspired by Jack Nicholson’s Joker in Batman and it was on his mind when he was working on Kancha‘s laugh. In an interview, Sanjay also admitted that during dubbing for the film he needed to take a break because he couldn’t see himself like this, his own portrayal of Kancha left him disturbed! Sanjay says, “Our film is not a remake but a tribute to Agneepath and its director Mukul Anand. It’s Karan Malhotra’s vision and story. It took guts for a debutant director to take on an iconic film, but he’s come through with flying colours. He even made life simple for me by sketching out Kancha perfectly.”

Everyone who’s seen the film will agree that Kancha is one villain you will grow to love, simply for the iconic way in which Sanjay Dutt has pulled off the role. For someone who has always played the more heroic roles, this was a first for Sanjay Dutt and he certainly deserves applause!

Happy Birthday Rishi Kapoor!

The proverb “old is gold” holds true with actor, film producer and director Rishi Kapoor. Just like fine wine, he has matured over time into an amazing actor and we are proud to have him as a part of our Dharma family. Today we joyously celebrate the birthday of one of the most versatile actors of our time; Rishi Kapoor here’s wishing you a very Happy Birthday!
His power packed performance in Agneepath as Rauf Lala, an underworld drug lord, left fans with chills down their spine! He seamlessly pulled of the absolute unabashed, unapologetic, evil portrayal of Rauf Lala. The brilliant part is that even when he was trading off young girls you still see him as a flawed human being instead of a monster and that is a feat only Rishi Kapoor can pull off.
In contrast to Agneepath, Rishi Kapoor displayed remarkable flexibility when he played the role of Dean Yogendra Vashisht, in Student Of The Year. It was for the first time ever that a mainstream actor enacted such a diverse role and with Rishi Kapoor playing the role of a flamboyant man, he certainly gave us a power-packed performance.
We are extremely proud to have worked with such a legend and hope to see him starring in many future Dharma Productions. Here’s to you ‘Chintuji’, may you have many successful years ahead. Do join in the celebration and share your favorite Rishi Kapoor scene from Dharma movies in the comments below.