"Chupke Chupke Chaldi Purvaiyan..." the mischievous escapades of imposter husband and affectionate wife bring back memories of evergreen hit 'Chupke Chupke' that made lovable Bollywood pair - Dharmendra and Sharmila Tagore, a household name. The show biz world has seen many great on screen pairs but this pair is unique and phenomenal. It may sound strange that these two lovable stars share same date of birth, but it's true. It is 8th December, the date that they share for their birthdays.
Dharmendra, born on 8th Dec 1935, hailed from Phagwara district, Punjab, had an image of first he-man of Hindi cinema, though his images and roles were multifaceted but still he is better known for his masculinity and toughness. Sharmila, Bengali tigress, was born on 8th Dec 1946 in Hyderabad made striking first on screen presence in Satyajit Ray's 'Devi' and 'Apun Sansar', made sparkling debut in Bollywood with 'Kashmir Ki Kali'. Like Dharmendra, she also had multifaceted persona as an actress as her images and roles fluctuated between her sex symbol image and thoughtful actress. Dharmendra's best performance till date was in 'Satyakaam' (1969) and ironically it was his pairing with Sharmila that made it larger than life. Dharmendra gave his soulful best performance as an idealist who saw his dreams crumble after Indian Independence. It was a sensitive and thought provoking performance of a truthful and dedicated man who stood like a rock with his philosophy of total truth even in his adversaries.
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Hrishikesh Mukherjee, the master filmmaker was inspirational link between the immaculate on screen chemistry of these two legendary artistes. There were evergreen films like 'Anupama' (1966), 'Satyakam' (1969) and 'Chupke Chupke' (1975) that made this pair immortal in every movie buff mind and heart. All these films made ground-breaking success and surprisingly all of them belonged to the different genre. 'Chupke Chupke' was laugh riot while 'Anupama' and 'Satyakam' were family and social dramas. 'Chupke Chupke' is still considered to be the finest comedy film where acting talents like Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bhaduri, Om Prakash and Asrani also contributed to the film success. Films like 'Sholay' and 'Chupke Chupke' discovered the comical talent in Dharmendra after his dare devil he-man look and image. Even dimple cheeked Sharmila Tagore rediscovered herself as competent comical actor in the role of "Sulekha Chaturvedi" in 'Chupke Chupke'. In sensitive films like 'Satyakaam' she played destitute and deprived "Ranjana" who falls in love with "Satyapriya" played by Dharmendra. It could have been predictable soppy family drama but the breath-taking performances of Dharmendra and Sharmila coupled with craftsmanship of Hrishida created an immortal wonder. 'Anupama' was another masterpiece where Sharmila played "Uma Sharma" opposite Dharmendra.
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Besides these unforgettable films there were films like 'Devar' (1966), 'Yakeen' (1969) and 'Mere Humdum Mere Dost' (1968) where the pair had worked together with success. Though these films never rose to cosmic heights of success but were delightful entertainers. 'Mere Humdum Mere Dost' is one of the finest 60's love stories where rich girl played by Sharmila falls for innocent charms of middle class man played by Dharmendra. The music of the film was feast to ears with melodies like "Na Jaa Kahi Abh Na Jaa…" and "Chalo Sajna Jahan Tak Hawa Chale…" by evergreen Laxmikant Pyarelal. It was golden era of Indian film music where Laxmikant Pyarelal along with Mohammad Rafi rose to new heights of stardom. Brij's 'Yakeen' was murder mystery where the music played vital role in the film's success with hit soundtracks. The film came at a time when romantic hero Rajesh Khanna was climbing the ladder of super stardom. The film triumphed despite the fact that it was double role action thriller. It showed the prowess and compatibility of Dharmendra and Sharmila once again on silver screen and landed 'Yakeen' into the cadre of A-list action films like 'Sholay' and 'Mera Gaon Mera Desh'. It was noted comedian Devan Verma's direction in 'Yakeen' that did wonders after his on screen workmanship with this hit pair in 'Devar'. Mohan Segal directed 'Devar' was a family drama where Dharmendra played "devar" (younger brother-in-law) to Sharmila after being deceived by Deven Verma. It was a remarkable success with super hit soundtrack "Aaya Hai Mujhe Phir Yaad Woh Zaalim, Gujara Zaamana Bachpan Ka..."
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The decades have gone by but still these films and their hit pairing sounds great to ears and mind. Sharmila had the most successful chemistry with Rajesh Khanna in films like 'Aradhana', 'Amar Prem', 'Daag', 'Safar' and 'Aavishkar' but her chemistry with Dharmendra still brings smiles to faces. Even Dharmendra had colossal pairing with his real love Hema Malini but his best performance has been with Sharmila in films like 'Satyakaam' and 'Chupke Chupke'. Now the baton has shifted to their next generations and we could experience the freshness of their off-springs in present day's cinema. Soha Ali Khan (Sharmila's daughter) and Abhay Deol (Dharmendra's nephew) paired up in 'Ahista Ahista' (2006), carrying the torch of their predecessor's success.
The lucky masculine charm of Dharmendra and stylish dimple cheeked smile of Sharmila Tagore is signature of everlasting bond of unending on-screen chemistry.
