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It was mandatory for every staff member of Bombay Talkies to be at least a graduate. Ashok Kumar Ganguli, a science graduate, was appointed a laboratory assistant by its owner, Himanshu Rai.
As the luck would have it, Rai's wife Devika Rani, who played the heroine in the company?s films, got involved with her hero Najmal Hussain while doing 'Jeevan Naiya' (1936) and eloped. She returned after a couple of days.Himanshu took her back but kicked out Hussain. Instead, he asked Ashok Kumar to play the lead.
Hesitatingly, Ashok Kumar agreed and achieved a success unmatched in this period. He had three major hits in a row: 'Kangan', 'Bandhan' and 'Jhoola'. His 'Kismet' ran for 4 years, a record till 'Sholay' broke it, decades later.
The career of Ashok Kumar, called Dadamoni in the industry, is divided into three parts. The first was when he played a sensitive hero in films till 'Kismet' changed everything. Then began a series of thrillers which are considered classics today: 'Mahal' (1949), 'Samadhi' (1950), Sangram' (1950) and 'Howrah Bridge' (1958). Sensitive performances in more meaingful films like 'Parineeta' (1953) and 'Ek Hi Raasta' too continued till it seemed that the evergreen hero would go on and on. But before he could be rejected, unlike contemporary Raj Kapoor, Ashok Kumar shifted to playing characters. And the characters were varied and often complex. 'Gumrah', 'Kanoon', 'Mere Mehboob', 'Aashirwaad', 'Mili', 'Khubsoorat', 'Victoria No 203', 'Shaukeen' and 'Jewel Thief'. Over six decades in the industry, Dada Moni still works. He and daughter Preeti run the 'Ashok Kumar Academy of Acting'!
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