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Dilip Kumar's was arguably the greatest actor of Bollywood cinema.
He was a 'Method' actor without knowing what that really meant. In film
after film he threw himself body and soul into his characters and after
a succession of leading roles in tragic dramas it took such a toll on
his psyche he suffered a nervous breakdown.
"After Dilip Kumar had essayed the tragic and doomed lover
in countless tearjerkers such as 'Devdas, Deedar, Dagh, Amar, Andaz'
with consummate Žlan in the early fifties, the tragedy king suffered
a serious break down. As he confessed years later, the seriousness with
which he approached and enacted his roles had begun to profoundly affect
his inner state. An enforced break from films and a visit to innumerable
therapists, including a trip to the US, resulted in a conscious change
of roles and image. 'Azaad, Naya Daur, Gopi and Ganga Jamuna', which
helped Dilip Kumar reinvent
his career and his acting, are all films of that same phase.
" 3to6.comDilip
was a marvelous actor, or was he really acting or by transference actually
living and feeling his roles? It could be said that he literally embodied
Bollywood with all its histrionics, tragedy, and melodrama. It seems
no wonder that he suffered a breakdown in consequence.
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