There are stars, and then there are superstars–one such legend was Ashok Kumar, arguably the first superstar of Bollywood. A law student who loved cinema, but was camera-shy; wanted to direct films, but ended up becoming a lab technician; did his first movie with zero acting experience and interest, yet gave consecutive hits, improving film after film. Eventually, dedicating over 60 years of his life to the craft and appearing in over 350 movies. Was that all?

He was also a singer. A homeopath, he cured a thirteen-year-old girl, saving her from amputation due to gangrene. He was a painter whose work impressed even MF Husain, who remarked, “These are not the strokes of an amateur,” according to his daughter Bharati Jaffery. Ashok Kumar was also an astrologer and a chess champion. He mastered several languages—German, French, English, Hindi, Sanskrit, Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati. You name it, he did it. The actor even played tabla among other instruments. Is this why he became Bollywood’s first big star?

After reluctantly making his debut with the 1936 film Jeevan Naiya, he starred in Janmabhoomi and then Achhut Kanya, the latter creating a significant impact. Ashok Kumar’s daughter recalls in the book Dadamoni: The Life and Times of Ashok Kumar: “I never forgot the singular laurel that had come to you after the release of Achhut Kanya. Among the flood of letters and telegrams was one that said, ‘Congratulations Ashok Kumar on the success of Achhut Kanya.’ Below it, the signature read ‘Adolf Hitler.’ ‘How could you tear and throw away such a historical document, Papa!’ I had cried out. I will never forget your words: ‘Laurels can never be more important than principles and human values.'” This was during a time when Nazis were on the rise.

In 1943, he starred in Gyan Mukherjee’s film Kismet, which introduced bold themes to Indian cinema, showcasing an anti-hero character in double roles and depicting an unmarried girl getting pregnant. The movie became the first major hit in the history of Bombay cinema, and first blockbuster in Indian cinema, running in packed theaters for three years.

Fast forward to 1949, Ashok Kumar backed India’s first horror film, Mahal, as both the lead star and producer. This marked the directorial debut of Kamal Amrohi, launched Madhubala, and introduced playback singer Lata Mangeshkar. Most notably, it introduced the theme of reincarnation for the first time. The film emerged as one of the biggest hits of the decade and the biggest financial success in Bombay Talkies’ history, a studio founded by Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani, with which Ashok Kumar was associated for nearly 20 years. Did his risks make him a superstar?

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In 1950, Ashok Kumar took another risk by becoming the first hero to portray an anti-hero in Sangram. The film ran for sixteen weeks in packed houses. Bharati Jaffery recalls, “In the sixteenth week, the police commissioner came home to say that Chief Minister Morarji Desai had decided to ban the film. Why? Because of the impact of your performance. This film was about a boy spoiled by his indulgent father who gets into nefarious activities: he gambles and kidnaps the girl he loves. You tried to explain to the police commissioner that the film has a moral, that ‘the hero gets his punishment.’ But he said, ‘Dadamoni, the problem is that you are on the other side of the law. In the gunfight when you shoot and the police get injured, the audience was cheering for you! The law cannot permit this. You are a role model, Dadamoni; people want to follow you and will end up against the law. We cannot let you do that.'”

It was 1959 when Ashok Kumar took another huge risk. He starred in a courtroom drama Kanoon–a film on the practice of capital punishment. A movie that questioned if it was right for the state to take a life on the basis of claims of an eyewitness. Ashok Kumar played Badri Prasad–the judge suspected of being the culprit. This was also arguably the first movie that had no songs. A time when songs were the public expression of every emotion of the characters. Kanoon, with no songs, became a milestone.

He went on to star in films like Ek Hi Raasta, addressing widow remarriage–still a societal taboo. Meri Soorat Teri Aankhen–a film about an ugly man with a lovely voice, in love with a beautiful girl. It was the perennial story of inner vs outer beauty. Jewel Thief–where he played the villain, and Gumraah, a film based on the theme of infidelity. Ashok Kumar continuously reinvented himself, shifting from leading roles to anti-heroes to character roles, but with every role–big or small–he continued to resonate with his audience until his final film Achena Atithi in 1997. People even accepted him playing dark shades–be it Bikash, the freedom fighter in Bandini (1963), Judge Ajay in Do Bhai (1970), or Dr Prakash in Aarti (1962). Was it his experiments that made him a superstar?

“I never liked running and singing romantic songs. I prefer character roles,” Ashok Kumar said in an interview with Prasar Bharati in 1988. While he continued to shine in every role he did, he also wanted to leave cinema after every film he finished.

“I cannot tell anybody how I stayed relevant in the industry for so long. Its been over 55 years since I began my acting career, but how it happened, I have no idea. People usually survive in film for 10 years at max as stars. When I was five years into acting, I thought to leave the industry and continue my unfinished law degree. But, at that time, I was still in demand, so I gave it a thought and decided to give another five years to acting. And just like that many five years passed by. Now, after all these years, I regret to not have collected any of my work. Now, even if I want, I cannot find my previous works. I never collected it because I never thought I would be in films for so many years. People ask me for secret, but there is no secret,” Ashok told Prasar Bharti.

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The one secret to his success, however, was his response to challenges: “When somebody challenges me or comments, ‘You can’t do this or that,’ I end up showing them I can,” said Ashok Kumar in an interview with Lehren Metro.

Perhaps this is why the reluctant actor became the first big star of India after being rejected by Franz Osten following his first screen test. He told in an interview shared by Broadcast Imaging, “They made me sit on the stairs of a building and asked me to sing. I ended up singing one of the songs my mom taught me when I was young. It was quite funny. Osten saw me and told Himanshu Rai, ‘This boy will not do. He has got a square jaw. It’s no good.’ He came to me and asked, ‘What do you do?’ I told him, ‘I am studying law in Calcutta.’ He said, ‘Go back to Kolkata and study law.’ But Himanshu Rai gave me a job as lab technician.”

“When they were shooting for Jeevan Naiyya, they couldn’t find an actor for the film. Himanshu Rai came to me and told me, ‘Please go get ready, I want you to act in this film.’ I said, ‘I can’t do it. My parents are against it.’ But he requested and assured me this would be my only film. The film was received well, then they made me do another film, and then Achhut Kanya, which too became a hit.”

However, despite all the praise he received, the actor-singer would often receive feedback like “Try acting from your heart.”

Ashok Kumar told in an interview with Broadcast Imaging, “I saw the print of my film and even I could see there was something off about my acting. The director would just ask me to say dialogues, but wouldn’t guide about expressions or eye moments.” He added, “I bought a book titled Rehearsal. It was all about theatre, but yet it helped me learn voice modulation, pauses, pitch. I would go to the sea shore and practice. Eventually, I understood, they wanted me to speak through my eyes, and once I learnt that art, I rarely said dialogues and only used my eyes to express.”

Sadat Hasan Manto wrote in his book: “Ashok’s popularity grew each passing day. He seldom ventured out, but wherever he was spotted, he was mobbed. Traffic would come to a stop and often the police would have to use lathis to disperse his fans.”

Despite the fame, and talent, Ashok Kumar maintained: “I am not ambitious.” In an interview with Lehren Metro, he said: “When I will be gone from this world, if people will remember me just as ‘he was a nice human’, that shall be more than enough. I need nothing more.”

Today marks Ashok Kumar’s 113th birth anniversary.

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