DAY 716 : Happy Birthday Dharmendra/ Sharmila Tagore

Today is both, Dharmendra and Sharmila Tagore’s birthdays and there was a time, in the sixties, the actors worked together in a number of films.

While a pair is usually popular for either commercial films or parallel cinema, Dharmendra and Sharmila Tagore were an exceptional pair equally acceptable in mainstream cinema (Mere Humdum Mer Dost, Yakeen) as in the art films like Devar particularly so from the stable of Hrishikesh Mukherjee banner ( Anupama, Satyakam and Chupke Chupke).

Interestingly while in mainstream cinema they were celebrated for their glamour quotient, the critics lauded them for their sensitive portrayals in Hrishida’s films, some got them awards too.

In the seventies, Dharmendra and Sharmila Tagore did just one film Ek Mahal Ho Sapnon Ka which also had Leena Chandavarkar and another, their last together in the eighties, Sunny which was Dharmendra’s home production.

In all these year it often happened that they were shooting together on their birthdays and  the producer cut a double cake on the sets and very rarely, they joined each other in their private celebrations.

Birthday’s way back in the 60s and the 70s was not such a big affair.

@bhawanasomaaya