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Dadamuni or Ashok Kumar was born on 13 October 1911 in Bhagalpur. He was the eldest of three brothers, so he was called Dada. Moni in Bengali means jewel, so eventually, he became the Dada Muni of films. However, his name at the time of birth was Kumudlal Kunjilal Ganguly.
Ashok Kumar was multi-talented. He was not only an actor but also a good astrologer. He was the first superstar of Hindi films and the first person to play an anti-hero role. He entered films suddenly. He had the desire to move ahead in the technical field but then he accidentally became a hero.
Novelist and writer Saadat Hasan Manto was among his friends. Manto, who wrote stories like 'Kaali Salwar' and 'Thanda Gosht', considered Ashok Kumar a true sage. This means that the character of this actor was always flawless.
So, let's start with Manto's 'Meena Bazaar', which gives proof of his clean character. In this, he has written at one place, a bold woman took Ashok Kumar to her house, so that she could attract him. But he was so persistent that the woman had to change her strategy. She told Ashok Kumar, 'I was just testing you, you are like my brother!'
According to Manto, Ashok was not a flirt. That too when hundreds of young women loved him and wrote him thousands of letters.
Entry into films was accidental. It is mentioned in his biography 'Dadamoni The Life and Times of Ashok Kumar'. He was suddenly cast in the lead role in the 1936 film 'Jeevan Naiya'. The main actor had gone missing. The actress was Devika Rani who was known as the Bindaas dragon lady at that time. She used to smoke, drink, everything. Anyway, out of fear, he worked in Himansu Rai's film which became a hit. After this, 'Achhut Kanya' was a blockbuster. After this, the journey that started did not stop for a long time.
Over the next six decades, he played powerful characters in films like Police Wale Aur Chor, Kismat, Mahal, Parineeta, Kanoon, Gumraah, Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi, Ashirvad, Mamta, Jewel Thief, Khoobsurat and Khatta Meetha, among others. As a result, he won several awards, including the Dada Saheb Phalke Award in 1988. He wahonoredonoured with the Padma Shri a year before that.
Dadamuni's biographer Nabendu Ghosh writes that Ashok Kumar's world was vast - he was a charming orator, mentor, homeopath, astrologer, painter, linguist, poet , and above all a loyal friend and devoted husband and father.
He was a family man. He loved his family a lot, probably that is why he stopped celebrating his birthday in 1987. It was a big shock. My beloved younger brother Kishore Kumar had left this world. The sad part was that death had also chosen 13 October as the day. Dada Muni left this world with this grief on 10 December 2001.
