On the 100th birth anniversary of legendary actor Dilip Kumar, viewers will get a chance to watch four of his most acclaimed films on the big screen as part of a two-day film festival, ‘Dilip Kumar Hero Of Heroes’, jointly organised by The Film Heritage Foundation and PVR cinemas .

Aan (1952), Devdas (1955), Ram Aur Shyam (1967) and Shakti (1982) —all featuring Kumar as the lead— will be screened in over 30 cinema halls across 20 cities on December 10 and 11. Here’s a ready reckoner for you, in case you are planning to catch these classics at the cinemas this weekend.

Aan (1952)

Mehboob Khan’s 1952 classic is a complete entertainment package. Full of action, adventure, comedy, romance and drama, Aan features Kumar, Nimmi, Nadira and Premnath in important roles. Kumar plays a village simpleton Jai who defeats prince Shamsher Singh (Premnath) in a bout of fencing. Furious, Shamsher hatches plans to exact revenge on Jai. Meanwhile, Jai is besotted by Shamsher’s sister Rajshree (Nadira) and tries to woo her. Kumar’s portrayal of a hero oozing machismo and his sizzling chemistry with Nadira work in favour of this blockbuster.

Devdas (1955)

Kumar plays the iconic literary character of Devdas in this adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s novel by Bimal Roy. Devdas and Paro (Suchitra Sen) are childhood companions whose friendship blossoms into love. However, Paro is forced to marry another zamindar when Devdas’s family refuses to accept her as their daughter-in-law. This turns Devdas into a depressed alcoholic who takes solace in the company of a courtesan Chandramukhi (Vyjayanthimala). Till date, Kumar’s haunting performance as Devdas remains one of the most memorable portrayals of the tragic hero. He humanises the character by expressing his deep-seated anguish and pain with maturity, forcing the audience to empathise with Devdas. His indecision and misplaced sense of pride is well articulated by the actor.

Ram Aur Shyam (1967)

Kumar plays a double role as twin brothers in Ram Aur Shyam. Waheeda Rehman, Mumtaz, Nirupa Roy and Pran appear in key roles in this comedy drama directed by Tapi Chanakya. Ram is a shy and cowardly man who lives with his sister (Nirupa Roy) and unscrupulous brother-in-law Gajendra (Pran) in their family estate. Taking advantage of Ram’s docile nature, Gajendra routinely abuses and beats him up. One day Ram escapes from his home when he overhears Gajendra plotting to kill him. His twin brother Shyam —strong, mischievous and bold— takes Ram’s place in the household and teaches Gajendra a lesson.

Kumar, who was mostly known for playing tragic romantic heroes on screen, surprised the audience in his comic avatar in Ram Aur Shyam. He also essayed the diametrically opposite characters of Ram and Shyam with a natural flair.

Shakti (1982)

Ramesh Sippy’s Shakti is the only Bollywood film in history to bring veteran actors Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan together on the screen. Written by Salim-Javed, the crime drama tells the story of a father’s (Kumar) rocky relationship with his son (Bachchan). Kumar plays an honest police officer Ashwini Kumar who refuses to negotiate with a gangster when his son Vijay is kidnapped. Vijay grows up harbouring a grudge against his father and gets sucked into a life of crime.

Kumar’s electrifying performance as the upright policeman is matched by Bachchan’s brooding persona. Everytime the two actors appear on screen together, magic happens —be it the scene in which Ashwini is reprimanding his son or Rakhee’s death sequence in which Vijay consoles his heartbroken father.