Dutta talks of five actors who have inspired her craft.
Sanjeev Kumar
Sanjeev Kumar was one of the most natural actors in our industry. The kind of versatility he displayed has been unmatchable. Emotions, drama, humour, he was adept at them all. I really wish he had lived longer than he did; can’t imagine the spectrum of roles he would have covered in later years. Along with being a fabulous actor, he was a genuinely good person at heart, which reflected in his performances too. In a film like Aandhi, where he had to sacrifice his love for his wife’s career, you were convinced that he would do that in real life too, that's how natural his performance was. I loved him in Angoor, Anamika and, of course, Sholay.
Madhubala
That shararat Madhubala brought to screen can't ever be replicated. I could watch her forever in a song like Haal kaisa ha janaab ka. She was lovely in Mr and Mrs 55, Tarana and, of course, Mughal E Azam. The scene where she runs from Dilip Kumar to Prithviraj Kapoor is memorable; the innocence in her eyes stands out. That crooked smile was to die for. She played an array of characters, from Howrah Bridge to Mahal.
Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi has balanced her roles well throughout her career. It's not like she started in typical heroine roles and then eventually graduated to playing mother roles; she managed to bag good roles throughout her career. I watched Mandi all over again the other day and was completely mesmerised by her performance.
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is the reason I'm part of the Hindi film industry. I grew up dancing to his songs; as a child I wanted to grow up to be Amitabh Bachchan. I have had the good fortune of working with him on five films and his professionalism is hard to beat. He was never late on set, and carried himself, off-camera, with unmatchable grace. I remember shooting a serious scene with him once, and he managed to create a similar atmosphere around him, with everyone on set being dead serious. And during the shoot of a comic scene, he kept joking around and had everyone in splits. My favourite Bachchan performance is the one in Main Azaad Hoon.
Madhuri Dixit
We have the most talented, and the hottest, actresses today but no one's been able to replace Madhuri Dixit. She was the rare combination of a fabulous dancer, great actor someone with great poise and stunningly beautiful. The ada in her dances drove an entire generation crazy, and she could balance a dhak dhak in Beta with the kind of performance she delivered in Hum Aapke Hain Kaun. The more I watch her, the more I learn.
Divya Dutta spoke to Aniruddha Guha
Source: DNA
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