Dilip Kumar’s Ram Aur Shyam is a mediocre comedy that has somehow achieved cult status

In films like Devdas, Madhumati, Naya Daur, Mughal-e-Azam and Gunga Jumna among others, Dilip Kumar gave performances that are considered a masterclass in acting. But, like most celebrated performers, Dilip also had a few missteps in his career and in my opinion, one of his films that gets way more credit than it deserves is the 1967 film Ram Aur Shyam.
For the unversed, Tapi Chanakya’s Ram Aur Shyam is the story of two identical twins. One is the meek man who is terrorized his brother-in-law and the other is an uber-confident man who can stand up to bullies. They exchange places accidentally which leads to major transformations in both their lives. Years later, we saw the same formula get repackaged in films like Hema Malini starrer Seeta Aur Geeta and Sridevi starrer Chaalbaaz. The story is simple, but here, the execution of this ‘comedy of errors’ is anything but comic.
Dilip Kumar in Ram Aur Shyam. (Photo: Express Archives)
Ram Aur Shyam is all hunky and dory till the time Shyam starts living in Ram’s house and stands up against Pran’s Gajendra, who has been abusing the docile Ram ever since they were children. The film eventually turns into a murder mystery with Shyam framed for Ram’s murder, and this point, everything in the plot of this film just hinges upon the characters not knowing the truth, even though the audience knows it all.
Ram Aur Shyam also stars Mumtaz and Waheeda Rehman, who play romantic leads opposite Dilip Kumar. In one scene, Waheeda’s character is assertive about her life partner. The film points it out over and over again that she is a woman of the ‘modern era’ who can make her own decisions, and even applauds itself for it.
Of course, the 1960s were a simpler time, but the oversimplification of the story here makes you feel like you are essentially watching the same scene over and over again. While a lot of Dilip’s films since the 1950s have aged gracefully, Ram Aur Shyam, sadly, isn’t one of them.
Dilip Kumar and Pran in a still from Ram Aur Shyam. (Photo: Express Archives)
the time this film released, Dilip Kumar was the biggest star India had ever seen. Most of his films were loved the audience, and as it happens with stars of all eras, the audience sometimes accepts mediocre content and hypes it up to be something iconic. In the years since, Dilip Kumar’s legacy has stood tall and amongst all his films, even Ram Aur Shyam has found a place as a film that gives him a range to perform, since he is playing identical twins.
In Dilip’s memoir Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow, the actor mentioned that after playing many tragic roles back-to-back, he was recommended a therap to take up lighter roles and so he chose Ram Aur Shyam. The film’s intention to be a comedy can be seen in flashes but for the most part, it is emotionally and physically violent and that hardly leaves any room for laughs.
Ram Aur Shyam was celebrated as a success at the time, and it was its success that later spawned similar films. However, for an actor of Dilip Kumar’s stature, he probably deserved a better movie that utilised his skills properly.