Deol Dhamaka: on the topic of firsts.

I have an obsession with firsts.  First films, first appearances, first time I've seen someone in a film -- all of these are important to me.

I mentioned that my first exposure to Bobby, his first film, Barsaat, had me totally smitten.  And my first exposure to Sunny was Arjun Pandit, which was enough to put me off him, at least for a while.  First films, first encounters -- they can make or break your relationship with an actor, if you let them.

I love first or debut films (for actors, for directors, for writers) because I love to think of them as the seeds for whatever comes next in their career.  In Bollywood, in particular, where there's this tendency for whole families to go into the business of cinema, and for one generation to launch its sons or daughters, first films take on a whole new meaning -- we're not just talking about an actor getting his or her big break, we're talking about a manufactured, carefully prepared launch, and as such, often those first films are tailored to show off what the young actor can do, to introduce them carefully and lovingly to an audience, and often project the kind of image or avatar the family hopes they'll take on in the industry.

I find it interesting that in the case of Sunny, Bobby, and Abhay -- all three were launched by Dharmendra, all three were paired with a heroine also making her debut (Amrita Singh with Sunny; Twinkle Khanna with Bobby; and in the case of Abhay, Ayesha Takia -- though it wasn't the first of her films to be released, in the end.), which stands a little bit in contrast to the trend today, to pair the debutant(e) in question opposite an established star.   And although each of their films is different, there are also these strong core messages in each of them that are dear to the Deol clan.

I'll be writing about each of their debut films here during Deol Dhamaka.  Alas, I do not own Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere, listed as Dharmendra's first film everywhere.  Everywhere, that is, except in the Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema, which, curiously, has one film listed prior to DBTHBT:  Railway Platform, from 1955, directed by Ramesh Saigal, and featuring amongst its cast one Sunil Dutt, making *his* film debut.

I have not seen Railway Platform (yet.  It's on one of my endless lists....), but I was incredibly curious, so I went trolling videos on YouTube, and sure enough, I found Dharam-ji, in the video for the song "Andher Nagri Chaupat Raja": 

Seriously, he's there:  watch carefully from around 0:30 to 0:37, he's in the back on the right.  Yeah, I know, blink and you'll miss him:

 

I love it.  Just love it. I don't know if he's anywhere else in the film, but he's not in any of the other videos from it that I've watched on YouTube.  But still.  I love it.

Comments

[Beth]

Cuuuute!

I'm not sure I personally put much stock in firsts as a whole but I also have a hard time not remembering them or thinking about them. They stick in my head. You make a good point about the very deliberate firsts of Indian films, though - a launch is a very different thing than an accidental first (like whatever Dharmendra film _I_ happened to see first) (Sholay) or from a first that arrived quietly of someone who, shock!, actually worked their way up (like SRK).

[katherine]

I think I look at "firsts" as some kind of continuum -- an actual first film, a deliberate launch as a first film, a first film that actually turns out to be a hit with an audience and maybe makes everyone really sit up and take notice, the first film I watch of a particular actor. Basically, as I said, this is just a personal obsession, and doesn't mean much beyond that, my own personal interaction with a film. I'm not trying to expound some great theory here, just explain how I tend to interact with films.

[nakhrewali]

I think your obsessions with firsts is a very valid and interesting avenue to explore. I like the point about there being all kinds of firsts.

It is interesting to see what a hero or heroine are launched as because yeah I bet if you are from a filmi family a lot of thought has to go into the image you want to project - not just to the audience but people who are going to be hiring you for future projects.

I didn't realise how all the young Deols were launched with new heroines as well.

[DG]

I really like this idea and your exploration of it with the Deols... looking forward to the posts - I am especially looking forward to the one on 'Barsaat', as I've heard so many good things about it.

[katherine]

@nakhrewali I rather like the idea of debuting hero/heroine in the same film, the only more recent film I can think of that did that was Saawaariya, with Sonam Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor.

@DG Thanks -- I don't think I love Barsaat as much as I did the first time I watched it, but I do have a lot of good things to say about it.