Before going to his movies (heavens smile on us, there are so many) let us begin with an Alok Nath music video.
Popstar (?) Anaamika had once employed the services of Alok Nath and Rima Lagu in her Punju music video for:-
Kaala Sha Kaala (Black Utterly Black)
At a ladies? sangeet session during a garish wedding, boys and girls seated afore each other, segregated by gender and a carpet. Amidst the ruckus, dancing and singing, a red-hot affair is brewing secretly, to which the whole world is alas oblivious. Alok gives nuanced smiles to a blushing Rima. When the kids attack each other throwing Marigold Flowers, Alok not to be left behind, wants to throw one at the seemingly-nonchalant-but-knowing-it-all Rima, but can?t get himself to. He just takes aim repeatedly and blushes. Finally, when he does it he hides, much to Rima?s pleasure.
Alok Nath brings out this character?s inner turmoil beautifully. This is a man attending a punju wedding, witnessing youthful kids getting flirty with each other, has his eyes set on a well-rounded lady giving him her best possible ?come-hither-and-take-me-royally-you-tiger? looks, he so badly wants to throw caution to the winds by aiming a Marigold Flower at her but just can?t. Aakhir lok-laaj, sabhyata, izzat-aabru naam ki bhi koi cheez hoti hai. (After all, there are such things namely - shame, culture, virginity et al).
This one song epitomizes all that Alok stands for in 95% of his movie appearances. Alok Nath has become the man of choice whenever Bollywood needs a middle aged father, or a selflessly unmarried uncle, or a samdhi experiencing the stirring of a love that dare not speak up, or the father of wronged daughters, or anyone dejected, disappointed and taken aback in life yet braving all odds with twinkling eyes and of course that endearing smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Way back in 1989, when Maine Pyaar Kiya had just released, I was fascinated to note how here was an actor, Alok Nath, who neither laughs nor cries. (Shocked??) He does them both together!! He laughcries! Alternately, he crylaughs!
Alok laughcries when darling daughter Bhagyashree becomes jawaan (of an age to rid herself off the gruesome burden of virginity). In a scene worth repetitive viewings, rustic Alok crylaughs while barging into a board meeting which his city-bred, corporate type pal is conducting. Registering a divinely prasanna mudra on his face, with weltering tears in his eyes, Alok bashfully questions, ?Mujhse gale nahi milega, yaar?? (Won?t you embrace me, you duckface?). I forgot to mention The Voice. Its mellow. Its hushed. Its a wavering dulcet. A tone that usually men above forty-five employ to sound like young college boys.
Without awaiting an affirmation, Alok rushes across the table to hug his, too stunned to resist, old male friend. Alok?s hug is accompanied with such an achingly gratuitous expression on his laughcrying face that it almost conveys, ?this is not just another everyday hug, but a kind of a long-awaited, kinked-out sexual release.?
On the other hand, if you haven?t seen an Alok Nath quivering with rage, you have seen nothing. Its priceless. He trembles, his jowls shake, whines like a nagging wife, and looks like a total lost cause in life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Then came THE movie that ruined Hindi cinema irreversibly, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, showcasing Alok Nath as never before.
I so wish I could quote in toto a three sheet monologue by Ajit Vacchani introducing Alok?s character. Ajit V. goes, ?Aap hain Ramkishenji/ Durgaprashadji or whatever his dumb name was?
As an aside, Alok always has these archaic, long winding names in his movies. RamSharanji / Vidya Charanji/ Radheshyam Shuklaji/ Shyam Prasad Bharadwaj ji or something equally annoying. Or he has to have ?babu? suffixed to it, its never alone. Pick from - Sharad babu, Shekhar babu, Dayashankar babu.
... Returning to Ajit V?s three sheet monologue introducing Alok Nath, ?Aap hain LongWindingName ji?, blah blah about how he started off young with two rupees in his pocket, went ahead to build up a business empire, and how with hard work he selflessly conducted the upbringing of his two moronic nephews, Monish and Sallu, ignoring any of his own necessities, yak yak. This eulogy ends with a traffic stopping, heart wrenching phrase, ?aur aapke ke bare mein kya batayein, aapne toh abhi tak shaadi bhi nahi ki.?
Note how during this verbal character-sketch by Ajit V, the camera pans lovingly on Alok?s laughcrying face soaking the words of praise with characteristic timidity, diffidently shrugging away the compliments. As a fitting finale to this brilliant bit of emoting, Alok removes his glasses, cross-stitches eyebrows together, wipes 4 tears, with 32 teeth in full frontal display, saying something that goes, ?heheheh Aap kyun sharminda karte hain Govind Babu?? or something equally banal. Also note, Alok is the only guy who can smile with lips upside down yet show maximum teeth.
All I can say about the Samdhi Samdhan song is that this is stuff that legends are made of. Its the original of the aforesaid music video, but instead of ending with Marigolds throwing match, it ends with Rima singing some heavy-duty lines on how her daughter is now the shobha of Alok?s aangan, (the USP of his backyard). So, Alok silently portrays that henceforth he will ward off and quash all overtly sexual feelings for Rima keeping the laaj of this naazuk rishta intact, needless to add, accompanied with a crylaughing face.
(Topics closest to my heart run into the comments section. Heheheheheh! Aap bhi na, sharminda hi karte hain!!:-)
