Bombay Talkies Kismet film popularized double role
The movie that made double role a permanent feature in commercial Bollywood film was Kismet (1943). Filmmaker Gyan Mukherjee of Bombay Talkies introduced a unique experimentation of lost and found of identical brothers. The lost and found formula was a big hit in the 60 and 70’s. Remember hit films like Waqt (1965), Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973), and Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Dharam Veer (1978), Fakira (1976) etc.
It was a novel concept not attempted by any filmmaker earlier. In short, Kismet was India’s first ‘Masala’ entertainment film Kismet (1943), with crime, love and patriotism. The film starred India’s first official Star Ashok Kumar. He played a double role. The movie was potboiler and gave an impetus to experiment double roles on screen. In the ’50s Nargis played a double role in Afsana – Ashok Kumar (1951), Anhonee – Nargis (1952), Papi – Raj Kapoor (1953), Azaad – Dilip Kumar (1955), Hum Dono – Dev Anand (1961), Akeli Mat Jaiyo – Rajendra Kumar (1963) etc.
Dilip Kumar’s Ram Aur Shyam set an All Time Hit Formula
Dilip Kumar’s award-winning performance in Ram Aur Shyam (late 1960s) inspired many hits. The film’s plot of two brothers – one bold, one shy – became a favorite among filmmakers. This plot was repeated in multiple films, including Jaise Ko Taisa (1970s) starring Jeetendra and Kishen Kanhaiya (1990s) starring Anil Kapoor. Similarly, Hema Malini’s dual role in Seeta Aur Geeta (1970s) paved the way for Sridevi’s dual role in Chaalbaaz (late 1980s).
Interestingly, despite the same plot, all the above films were blockbusters at the box office. Double roles continue to charm audiences, proving to be a box office winner, as seen in Varun Dhawan’s Judwaa 2 and Salman Khan’s earlier hit of the same name.
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