Guest article by DP Rangan to pay tribute to Kumkum (22 April 1934 – 28 July 2020) on her first death anniversary
(The dancers had an important place in our films. They came in amazing varieties. There was a tradition of the top actresses themselves being professionally trained in classical or popular dance forms, such as Vyjayanthimala and Waheeda Rehman, to Hema Malini to Madhuri Dixit, Rekha and Aishwarya Rai. Some mainstream actresses performed ‘Item Numbers’ for a lark. The other end was a night club or cabaret dancer, such as Helen, Bindu and Jayshree T etc. Since this was not seen as a very noble activity, they were generally given a small role of a vamp.
In this crowded field, it is to the credit of Kumkum that she carved out her own niche as a dancer with grace on whom some of the most memorable songs of the Golden Era have been picturised. As she had a proper training in Kathak, her dance always showed her class. Her natural talent for dance, her supple body and expressive eyes made her a sought after artist. She did several lead roles or second lead roles in which she showed her acting prowess too. To pay our tribute to her on her first death anniversary is the indefatigable DP Rangan.
As the regulars of SOY are well aware, Mr Rangan is 70-plus going on 17. He is the most prolific guest author on SOY. Undeterred by the difficulty of language, he is always after me what next he should write on. I instantly welcomed his suggestion to write on Kumkum. Thank you Mr Rangan for this tribute to Kumkum we all like so much. – AK)
The lure of filmdom started right after movies started invading everywhere. Men and women in search of fame and wealth had made a beeline for the tinsel towns where studios were rooted and functioning. Our Bharat is no exception to this golden rule. Lahore was probably the first town where this started during the colonial era. Calcutta also emerged as another such centre. Then Bombay joined the bandwagon and thereafter Chennai came into the film map. As part of technical advancement, silent movies were supplanted by talkies with the film Alam Ara in 1931. All with a histrionic talent or with pretensions to it sought fame and riches in this tinsel world of glamour. Most of them came from poor families ready to confront this game of life and death. Success meant stardom, wealth and fame and those who failed to make it count were left by the wayside. Ladies with alluring looks as a powerful weapon had an easier time at grappling with the studio moghuls and those with dancing skills had a decided advantage.