No shaan patti this. Just check out the way the city speaks, tadka marke types. Ashok Rai celebrates Bollywood stars who care for their dialoguebaazi.
Dilip Kumar: No one can touch Yusuf saab for pronunciation, expression and those deafening pauses which were more expressive than a thousand words.
Must hear: Uran Khatola, Amar, Devdas.. practically everything he acted in.
Naseeruddin Shah: Excellent. Period.
Must hear: From Nishant right to A Wednesday (forget Tridev)
Amitabh Bachchan: Picked up a trick or two from Dilip Kumar and evolved his own distinct, baritone style.. particularly good during those angry young days. Too much haiiiiinh now.
Must hear: Deewaar, Amar Akbar Anthony, Agneepath, KBC shows.
Shatrughan Sinha: Khamosh!
Must hear: From Mere Apne to Khudgarz (forget Aan:Men at Work).
Rishi Kapoor: Knows his Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and English without stress or strain.
Must hear: From Bobby to Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic.
Rekha: Knows her Urdu inflections perfectly.. a husky voice.. terrific at accents and dictions. Considered the Best Dubbing Artiste after you-know-who.
Must hear: Muqaddar ka Sikandar, Khubsurat, Umrao Jaan.
Shabana Azmi: Dramatic, home bred in Urdu, adept at pitching dialogue to just the right level.
Must hear: Arth, Mandi, practically everything she acts in.
Anupam Kher: Fluent in any dialect.
Must hear:Saaransh to A Wednesday.
Tabu: Understated, underpitched and yet gets every nuance of the language she speaks in, spot-on. Also outstanding in Telugu.
Must hear:Maachis, Astitva, The Namesake.
Govinda: Despite his tendency to go crazily colloquial, he’s excellent in Hindi dialogue, now if only he got dialogue writers who wouldn’t make falooda of his zubaan.
Must hear: In snatches from his movies..and if you interview him.
Ajay Devgan: Cool, correct pronunciation and fluency.
Must hear: Phool aur Kaante, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Company.
Shah Rukh Khan: Has the Delhi lehza. Initially had the trademark stutter k.. k.. k.. k but dispensed that to give shape to each one of his words.
Must hear: Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Swades, Chak De! India, Rab ne Bana di Jodi.
Aamir Khan: Effortless, at home in pronunciation and diction.. can be tops in street smart stuff too (Rangeela)
Must hear: Qayamat se Qayamat Tak, practically everything he has acted in.
Manoj Bajpai: Can speak in different tongues and expressions, as easily as changing outfits.
Must hear: Tamanna to everything he has acted in.
Sushmita Sen: Self-taught and yet fluid, especially Hindi.
Must hear: Sirf Tum.
Vidya Balan: Crisp and poetic in the Gulzarish vein. Like Meryl Streep, does homework on the dialect she is supposed to speak in for a role.. knows Urdu poetry and can actually recite it.
Must hear:Parineeta.
We miss them: Prithviraj Kapoor, Amrish Puri, Raaj Kumar.
Run for cover right now: Katrina Kaif, Upen Patel, Jiah Khan, Deepika Padukone, Zayed Khan, Fardeen Khan, Lara Dutta, Kangana Ranaut.