Art & Entertainment

Hall Of Mirrors

So who do our actors idolise? Pick up the echoes, the logic of eternal recurrences.

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Hall Of Mirrors
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Dilip Kumar
Dada Moni’s (Ashok Kumar) Kismat left a deep impact on me.He made me realise what a good performance is all about. I was very impressed byhis dialogue delivery, also how he made the anti-hero popular amongst theaudience. He will always be the Bheeshma Pitamah of acting for me.

Amitabh Bachchan
Dilip Kumar
and Waheedaji

Shah Rukh Khan
I have grown up on Amitji’s films. He has a special place in my life asan actor. That’s the reason why I am always so keen to do remakes of hisfilms.

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Grace Unlimited: Waheeda Rehman weaves her aura in films like Guide, Kaagaz Ke Phool

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Shabana Azmi
A star is one who has the charisma to hold you enthralled both on screen andoff screen. Stars are to the manner born; they need not necessarily be greatactors although it helps if they are! For me, though, a star must stand the testof time rather than someone who has a meteoric rise and then disappears. DilipKumar has had the longest innings. Generations of actors after him have beeninfluenced by his acting style. Nobody can romance like Dilip Kumar did onscreen, nobody can touch the depths of tragedy, nobody can play comedy with suchelan. And never, never has he done anything that can even mildly be calleddemeaning or cheap. He remains both larger than life and yet very real.

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Shashi Kapoor
Among the stars I’d say my brother Shammi Kapoor was one of a kindin terms of the frenzy he aroused. That’s what stardom is about, isn’t it?Being larger than life, elusive, different, sought after. His stardom wasdifferent from others’, he was different, followed no rules except his own.

Akshay Kumar
I loved Dharmendra’s action roles. He was our first and last HeMan. I also loved the way Rajesh Khanna used to romance his heroines byblinking his eyes.

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Roleplay: Naseer inhabits his characters

Saif Ali Khan
I consider Amitabh and Naseer the gurus of acting. Amitji is afavourite of the new generation. His voice and enunciation were great. Fewdialogues have become as popular as those spoken by him. Whether it’s a smallrole or a lead part, Naseer just inhabits every character he plays. It was atreat working with him in Omkara.

Salman Khan
Ever since childhood watching Dharmendra’s films has been a passionwith me. The element of fun I bring along to my performances is all inspired byhim. I often tried to copy the way he used to say "Maa Kasam" to thevillain, but I somehow never succeeded.

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Screen Hogger: Julia Roberts holds her own

Rani Mukherji
Real star quality is all about watchability. It needn’t be good looks, noteven great talent, but about keeping the audiences mesmerized and engaged. Iadmire Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks. Julia Roberts eats up thescreen, everyone else seems less important. You feel that you know her from justthe way she smiles. She is a people’s person; so very natural. Tom Hanks is atease within himself and his performances are so natural that the screen seemslike his home ground. He is so believable.

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Bipasha Basu
I was hugely influenced by Zeenat Aman and Parveen Babi. Bothhad a terrific screen presence.

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Sizzler Zeenat Aman's role in Satyam Shivam Sundaramis still remembered

Irrfan
The kind of craze witnessed by Rajesh Khanna has not been duplicatedby anyone. He was the biggest and the most real star Bollywood has produced.I’d say stardom is that feeling of being possessed by your idol; you are sooverwhelmed with euphoria you lose touch with reality.

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Madhuri commands an audience

Vinay Pathak
I had to work with Madhuri Dixit to realize how comfortable she iswith the awe and respect she commands from her fans. Stardom is when a personcommands an audience and Madhuri not only does that but she’s at ease withthat. She remains human and comfortable but her presence makes everyone elseconscious!

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Shreyas Talpade
For me stardom is when an actor makes you believe in whatever he does andthen makes you want to imitate him. Amitabh Bachchan has that power ofconviction; his believability quotient is huge. I always wanted to be like him.

Kunal Kapoor
For me a star is someone you can look up to as an individual and measureyour shortcomings against, not only in terms of his success but also in terms ofthe values he stands for. I admire the honesty, integrity, conviction andsingle-mindedness Aamir Khan brings to his work. For an actor in hisposition, to take a year and a half to work and believe in a movie like TaareZameen Par is truly commendable. He does movies that affect and stay withyou. He is constantly changing our idea of what commercially viable cinemaentails instead of allowing himself to be dictated by what others believe iscommercially viable.

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Seema Biswas
I’ve always considered Dilip Kumar a real star. He is so much in mypsyche that I don’t have to see him on TV or in newspapers to be reminded ofhim. I feel the same way about Kajol.

Malaika Arora Khan
The two Khans: Shahrukh and Salman

--As told to Aseem Chakravarty, Lata Khubchandani and Namrata Joshi

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