Dinesh Kamath talks about Amitabh Bachchan and Dilip Kumar

Dinesh Kamath (Acting Editor of Newsband) is in the first picture. He is the writer of this piece.

Amitabh Bachchan, as he was in the film 'Deewar', is in the second picture.

Dilip Kumar, as he was in the film 'Shakti', is in the third picture.

Today I'll talk about two greatest actors of Bollywood. They are Amitabh Bachchan and Dilip Kumar. It is extremely difficult to tell as to who between the two is a greater actor. If you compare Amitabh's role in the film 'Deewar' and Dilip Kumar's role in the movie 'Shakti' you'll find it extremely difficult to judge as to who between the two is a better actor. Amitabh has his own style of acting. Dilip Kumar too has a style which is not less superior than that of Amitabh. It was a pleasure to see these two Titans of Bollywood clashing with each other in the movie 'Shakti'. Both performed extremely brilliantly in that particular film. Both these actors are legends. In the past, Amitabh excelled whenever it came to playing roles of angry young man, while Dilip Kumar would excel when it came to playing the role of a cool and romantic figure.

In Shakti, Dilip Kumar played the role of a cool, honest and strict police commissioner. What a way he played that role! What a way he delivered his dialogues in that particular film! Although he was aged he appeared like a genuine hero. Marlon Brando had proved in the movie 'Godfather' that an aged man beyond sixty can play a hero convincingly. Dilip Kumar proved the same thing in the movie 'Shakti'. That's the reason why Dilip Kumar is called 'Marlon Brando of Bollywood'. In the film 'Vidhata' too Dilip Kumar had played a fabulous role. He plays a man who is aged and yet he appears like a hero. In this film he was cast along with Sanjay Dutt, Shammi Kapoor and Sanjeev Kumar. Yet it was Dilip Kumar who stole the show throughout the film.

Amitabh's best film was undoubtedly 'Deewar' in which he played an anti-hero. This was the film in which Amitabh was at his very best. He was given excellent support by Shashi Kapoor in this particular film. After Amitabh played the character Vijay in Deewar, the movie-lovers began to compare him with the legend Dilip Kumar. They began to find it very difficult to tell whether it was Amitabh or Dilip Kumar who was the best hero of all times. Other films in which Amitabh excelled as an actor were 'Zanjeer', 'Agnipath' and 'Trishul'. But his performance in these three films could not beat his performance in 'Deewar'. In 'Deewar' Amitabh' was at the peak and his role of coolie-turned-smuggler in 'Deewar' can only be compared with Dlip Kumar's role of tough police commissioner in 'Shakti'.

I am sure that both Amitabh Bachchan and Dilip Kumar will be ever remembered as the two best Bollywood heroes of all times. I can't imagine anyone anytime in the future beating these two gems of actors in acting department. The two will ever remain legends. Hat's off to both Amitabh Bachchan and Dilip Kumar! Bye!