The life of a cinema actor…!

A common man always thinks that a cinema actor is a blessed and very lucky person. The good personality, a neat appearance, the unfaltering diction with good choice of words are all endearing to people, who try to emulate them in their daily lives. Added to that, the jumping and dancing, fighting sequences, thrilling adventures etc make the actors look much larger on reel life than what they are in real life.

However, what people tend to forget is that these actors are as human beings as they are. The actors too face their failures in life; they have their own problems and their own limitations. However, most of the time, these remain hidden and hence not known to the public in general. And therefore, whenever such things come out, they become news for the media and the public.

Recently, Sanjay Dutt is in news on whether he should be pardoned or punished under the arms act. The supreme court after considering all the evidences and evaluating all the circumstances for last so many years, has given the judgment punishing him for 5 years imprisonment. Just because he has acted in benevolent roles in couple of films does not absolve him from his earlier wrong doings.

However, few people are imagining the pain Sanjay Dutt has to undergo as an actor in the next few days, when he shall be completing the remaining films, before he goes behind the bars for three and a half years. There would be several scenes in those films in which he shall be acting like a policeman or like a mighty person putting up a brave face in difficult situations. When he shall be shooting those scenes, his real acting skills would be tested. He would be required to be seen his normal self, enjoying on the screen, while in his heart he would be crying about his immediate future.

Sanjay Dutt is not alone in Bollywood to have undergone such a trauma.

Few people know that Shekhar Suman also faced a very difficult situation in his early career days on television. His son was in hospital fighting cancer and at the same time, Shekhar Suman was just getting some recognition in his TV serial ‘Dekh Bhai Dekh’. It was a tough call for him, whether to be beside his son, or to concentrate on a comedy serial to further his career. Finally, his son died leaving Shekhar Suman in a state of regret all through his life, for not being able to spend time with his son in his last days.

Everyone knows that Amitabh Bachchan suffered a serious accident on the sets of Coolie in 1982. He was battling for his life and the entire nation prayed for him for weeks. Surely, the fear of getting hurt must have been at the back of his mind for new few years, but he needed to appear his usual bravado on screen. And he did it so well.

Bhagyashri, the tender looking girl in Maine Pyar Kiya was in early stages of pregnancy during the shoot of film. Her husband, Himalaya was always behind the screen to monitor and ensure that she did not do anything which would affect her condition. More than that, the early stages of pregnancy means frequent nausea, vomiting etc. However, she did the entire movie without ever letting the audience know her actual condition or the conscious state of mind due to presence of her husband.

While shooting for Krrish in Singapore, Hritik Roshan once fell down from a high rise building. There was a safety net below which saved his life and any injuries. However, for the next few shots, he must have got scared during such shots, which he never made it appear.

Similarly, everyone enjoyed the ‘Mast mast...’ dance of Raveena Tandon in Mohra, but few know that she had a high temperature while the dance sequence was shot. Yet she appears very glamorous in the dance sequence with all the makeup and expressions.

The songs of suspense thriller ‘Gupt’ were very catchy and shot on exquisite locations. But few noticed that in many of the songs, Bobby Deol generally moved only upper part of his body, without moving his feet much. That is because he had to undergo a surgery in his legs and it pained him very much to move his feet.

Recently, Parineeti Chopra has mentioned in one of her interviews that the actors are required to work as per schedule, even if they are down with Malaria, cold, or any other illness. That sums up her feelings about the hardships faced by actors in this industry.

Some of the actors end their lives in a very pathetic manner evoking sympathy from the common man. Parveen Babi, the heartthrob of 80s, died of Alzheimer disease and confined herself alone in her apartment for almost three years before her death. A.K. Hangal did not have enough money for his and his son’s medication during his last few years. The Bollywood fraternity generously helped him then to survive. Meena Kumari died due to excessive drinking which damaged her liver completely.

So, all that glitters is not gold…unfortunately, the other side of a cinema actor’s life is often not as rosy as it appears on the screen…!