by Dilip Kumar
Eid celebrations used to have us cousins flocking to Yousuf Uncle and Saira Aunty’s house. Plans of extorting large sums of Eidee [money given as a gift to children] were followed by us kids running around in the gardens of the bungalow, chasing one another as we played cops and robbers. The feeling that filled my heart was that there was no better place then here at the bungalow for Eid.
We cousins as children would get together to have musical parties at the bungalow, where some of us kids would set up the sitting room as an auditorium for Yousuf Uncle. On his arrival he would be promptly be dragged into the room and then made to sit on the ‘chair of honour.’ After that promptly one by one, each of us would jump out from behind a curtain near the window and enact songs or qawwaalis to impress Yousuf Uncle. Of course the motive was always to help Yousuf Uncle lighten his wallet and this was done in the form of tickets for a show, which he had to buy. The catch here was that he had to buy tickets for each and every member in the house, domestic help included. If we had had our way, the whole locality would have been on the list.
I signed my first film and then went to let my uncle know of my decision of becoming an actor.
I remember taking my producer and director to Saira Aunty’s house to meet Yousuf Uncle. There were butterflies in my stomach as I waited for Yousuf Uncle and Saira Aunty to descend from their room upstairs to the sitting room on the ground floor.
I remember as I waited in the room, looking out towards the window facing the garden, I heard the shuffling of feet, which were those of my producer and director standing up because of the arrival of Yousuf Uncle in the room. After all the pleasantries, we all sat down and my team promptly began updating my uncle about all that was being planned: the story, the shooting schedules, the ad campaign and so on. What caught my attention was Yousuf Uncle’s constant gaze towards me. His eyes spoke so clearly to me. I could feel the room reverberate with the thoughts in his head that were directed towards me.
Without a word being said, it clearly became evident that I was going to be representing a legacy from here on in the film industry. And in my heart of hearts, it was very clear that no one could ever match the greatness of my uncle, let alone me, but I had to at least be able to imbibe the principles of Yousuf Uncle’s great work so as to be worthy, if ever my name would be taken in the same breath along with his by the industry.
Very soon the mahurat was planned and Yousuf Uncle sounded the clap. It was all a haze. So much was happening. With my proud mother and friends, family members and others looking on the happenings of that day unfolded. What remained with me was Yousuf Uncle’s gaze on me. I wonder whether he was being able to foresee the coming hurdles or strengths that were going to take me through this path I had chosen for myself.
My life took many twist and turns. I moved on and made fleeting contact with my uncle. The one point that stood out was during my first marriage. Saira Aunty and Yousuf Uncle held functions at their bungalow for me. Never imposing their desire or trying to dictate anything during these celebrations. I was just stepping into the world of responsibilities and had very limited resources. What gave me great courage was the respect my aunt and uncle bestowed on me during this very eventful time in my life. With such ease they stood by me and my mother’s side and gave us so much support that nothing will ever match up to it.
Saira Aunty has always been supportive of my relationship with my uncle. She has always made sure that I was a part of events and celebrations. Even during the time when Yousuf Uncle was hospitalized recently for a heart ailment, Saira Aunty made sure that I spent the evenings with him (when I got back from work), always making sure that nothing interrupted our interaction.
Truly, Saira Aunty has made sure that Yousuf Uncle has remained connected with his side of his family, for which I will always be grateful to her.
*Dilip Kumar’s nephew; Nasir Khan’s son.
SALIM KHAN
I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT WRITING ABOUT a great man would be an easy job, especially about Dilip Sahab since so much material is available on events, incidents and anecdotes right from his birth till the present. But when I sat down to write this piece, I didn’t know where to start. I am, anyway, going to make a sincere effort! I have been asked to condense an epic into a sonnet!
Dilip Sahab’s father, Mohammad Sarwar Khan Sahab, an erstwhile neighbour and a friend of the formidable actor, Prithviraj Kapoor, disapproved of films and therefore dragged him to Bombay Central Railway Station, at the request of Maulana Adul Kalam Azad, an eminent scholar, a freedom fighter and independent India’s first education minister. Azad gave a patient hearing to Sarwar Khan Sahab and then said to Dilip Sahab: ‘Young man whatever you do, do it honestly and sincerely as if you are offering namaaz [prayer].’ Dilip Sahab did so. He brought divine spirituality to acting, converted his profession into ibadat (worship).
Dilip Sahab honed his acting skills gradually by sheer hard work and immense dedication. He pursued perfection in his profession like a person possessed. For example, he had to play the sitar for a song sequence in Kohinoor. He engaged the services of an ustad and practised for months. In the process of honing his skills, he learnt many languages. He can speak fluently in English, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Marathi and Pushtu. To describe his acting, I would like to quote Raj Kapoor, his contemporary, childhood friend and fierce competitor, who after watching Ramesh Sippy’s Shakti (1982) rang up from Bangalore and told him: ‘Lalay, aaj faisla ho gaya [today it has been decided]: you are the greatest actor of all time.’ Incidentally, we (Javed Akhtar and myself) wrote Shakti starring Dilip Sahab, Amitabh Bachchan, Raakhee and Smita Patil. When we had narrated the script earlier to Dilip Sahab, he revealed that as God had endowed him with acting talent, he never wanted to write but some scripts and dialogues were so bad that he had to do so. He added that we had done a perfect job. We later also wrote Kranti (1981), in which he had a pivotal role.
When Devika Rani, the ‘queen’ of Bombay Talkies, selected Dilip Sahab to act in Jwar Bhata (1944), everyone in the huge studio was shocked because he was not considered ‘handsome’ as per the then existing standards, but he soon went on to achieve tremendous success.
When Dilip Sahab joined films in 1944, he observed that actors in films were loud and dramatic, thanks to the influence of the Parsi theatre. He was among the first to underplay a role and bring finer nuances to a performance: for example, his use of long pauses and deliberate silence created a very unusual impact on audiences. I believe that he had heard the speeches of Jawaharlal Nehru, who used to think in English but speak in Hindustani; so the fraction of a second needed for translation created pauses. Nehru’s national popularity was well matched by Dilip Sahab’s deep impact on cinema audience. In later years, both developed mutual respect and admiration for each other. The young Dilip Kumar was ‘disturbingly impressed’ with Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel Wuthering Heights. Years later, he acted in A. R. Kardar’s Dil Diya Dard Liya (released in 1966), based upon that novel.
Dilip Sahab has always been an extremely sensitive person and introspection is not something he has done periodically; it’s a constant process with him. Intensity has been his inborn characteristic, which was constantly reflected in his work. His power-packed performance, marked by unbridled anger, in the 1961 Gunga Jumna shall remain unmatched forever. A large number of self-proclaimed stars have projected anger, but, compared to Dilip Sahab, they look like paper tigers.
Dilip Sahab had acquired the status of a one-man institution. Many of his contemporaries and actors from later generation actors tried to imitate him but none could scale the heights he did. In the process of copying him, a number of people attained stardom. Is it not surprising that Dilip Sahab did less than sixty films in a career spanning six decades? Today, youngsters do sixty films in six years. Dilip Sahab rejected more films than he acted in, but he regretted not doing only three movies: Baiju Bawra (1952), Pyaasa (1957) and our (Salim-Javed’s) Zanjeer (1973). Many actors sign a large number of films because
of their insecurity and fear. Once he remarked that talent and honesty alone can remove fear and all insecurities.
I have been in the industry for six decades and interacted with various people but I have never met anyone like Dilip Sahab. He is a deeply cultured, well-read person of tremendous integrity. His personal relationships are based on emotions such as love, loyalty and faith. I am proud of the fact that I have not only known him but worked with him and he has always considered me to be his younger brother.
Yousuf Khan bin Mohammad Sarwar Khan, alias Dilip Sahab, struck an emotional rapport with audiences many decades ago and broke the barriers of caste, country, religion, language and region. This phenomenal connect with the masses made him a superstar for about sixty years. Film audiences have been secular and truly Indian. Dilip Sahab’s phenomenal popularity symbolizes secularism, which has been the inner strength of India.
Let me state the obvious here: Dilip Sahab is the greatest actor ever. Dilip Sahab has given his fans and admirers, including me, so much happiness with his presence and his performances that we are indebted to him and I pray to God that he gives a small part of each of his fans’ and admirers’ lives to him so as to prolong his life and that he shall be with us for a long long time.
MANOJ KUMAR
EVERYBODY KNOWS MANOJ KUMAR IS a disciple of Dilip Kumar. I have spoken about Dilip Sahab as my inspiration and guru in umpteen interviews. What I wish to bring forth in this piece that will go into the history of our cinema is the simple personal attributes of Dilip Sahab that I have observed over the years and which make him the most loved and respected legend of Indian cinema.
First of all, I must say from the bottom of my heart that if there is anyone other than my parents and my immediate family who has given me love and a sense of emotional security it is Dilip Sahab. From the very first time I met him in a dark cinema hall to this day, he has given me the same measure of affection and fraternal protection.
My first meeting itself is memorable and indelibly etched in my mind. I was a struggler in Bombay those days. I used to go around wearing the few bush shirts I had and I wore chappals because shoes meant a lot of upkeep. A film show was organized by a group of media persons and the then Filmfare editor, L. P. Rao, who was very good to newcomers in the industry, invited me to the show. I reached the theatre late and I was looking for a seat in the auditorium when a hand was extended towards me, which drew me to an empty seat. I gratefully occupied the seat and when I turned to see who I was seated next to I could not believe my eyes. It was Dilip Kumar! He was smiling at me and even in the darkness. I could see the natural benevolence shining through his eyes. In a few seconds his sister Farida came rushing to occupy the seat she had vacated perhaps to go to the ladies’ room. She frowned, seeing a stranger seated next to her famous brother. Dilip Sahab leaned over to her and told her gently to find herself a seat in a row behind and she obeyed instantly.
As the picture – The Story on Page One [1959], starring Rita Hayworth – unfolded Dilip Sahab kept talking to me as if we had known each other for years. When the film ended and the lights came on, he invited me to breakfast at his bungalow the next morning! I felt I had achieved everything I ever wanted in life. Imagine the biggest superstar of the time inviting a rank newcomer to his house for breakfast! I went over to his bungalow the next morning and I saw how simply he lived with his large family and he was ever so cordial and warm with me. It was unbelievable. He asked about my background, my parents and so on; he said he would be happy to meet my father when I told him about my birth in the North West Frontier Province in undivided India. He told me he was busy with the production of Gunga Jumna and he said I could call on him whenever I wished. A morning I can never forget.
My next visit to Dilip Sahab’s house was when I went to invite him to the premiere of Kanch Ki Gudiya [1961], in which I got my break as a hero. Naturally, I was excited. Dilip Sahab was with some important visitors who had come to finalize a programme for the next day and there I was, with my invitation for the premiere the next evening. I felt dejected thinking he would not accept my invitation as he had already finalized everything for the next day.
I could see that he was indeed very much occupied with the release of Gunga Jumna. When he saw me he greeted me with affection and asked me if all was well with me. I rather gawkily told him I had come to request him to attend the premiere of my film. I told him H. S. Rawail, the director of the film, had been trying to reach him and I had mustered the courage to come to him at the last minute because I wanted him very much to grace the show. He said: ‘Bhai, you just heard us finalize tomorrow evening’s programme.’ My heart sank.
Then, seeing the disappointment on my face, he said: ‘Give me a minute, let me just go upstairs.’ He returned in a minute and he called his younger brother Ahsan and told him to cancel the next day’s programme. ‘I will be with you,’ he said and thumped me on my back. Needless to say, he was the star attraction at the premiere. A gesture I can never forget.
It was only after almost a decade of knowing him that I got the chance to work with him as a co-actor in Aadmi [1968]. Though Bhim Singh was the director, it was Dilip Sahab who was actually shaping the film. We were shooting in Coimbatore (now in Tamil Nadu) when Dilip Sahab had to go to Bangalore for some personal work. He called me over to his side at the location and told me there were some scenes to be shot the next day and he had to leave for Bangalore. He had written the scenes roughly and he wanted me to can those scenes. He left the same evening and I shot the scenes the next day. That is the kind of trust he had in me. After Aadmi, I often addressed him as Raja Sahab, the name of the character he played in the film.
The greatest quality Dilip Sahab possesses is his ungrudging admiration for the achievements of others in the profession. When we were shooting some scenes on a ship for Kranti [released in 1981], a journalist had come to interview Dilip Sahab. I heard Dilip Sahab giving the journalist not his own example but that of Raj Kapoor as the inspiration for generations of film aspirants to look up to. In our fiercely competitive profession, such magnanimous praise and respect for a colleague’s achievements are rare. Only a good soul like Dilip Sahab can do that.
I must narrate how unaffected he was when he was appointed sheriff of Bombay [in 1980]. When the news spread in Bombay and all his colleagues in the industry were trying to call him, he was on the terrace of his house flying a kite and enjoying himself. Dilip Sahab is like that – not swept off his feet by any honour, any award or any recognition.
I approached him with the story of Kranti after taking an appointment with him. It wasn’t the right time to meet him because his brother Noor Sahab had been admitted in a hospital that day and he was in a hurry to go to the hospital. He said: ‘I am afraid I won’t be able to spare three hours today to listen to the story.’ I told him: ‘Jo kahani teen ghante leti hai sunane mein, woh kahani kahani nahin hoti hai. Main sirf pandrah minute loonga.’* He sat down and listened for fifteen minutes. Then he rose from his chair, smiled and said: ‘The land is very fertile.’ I understood that he liked the essence of the story. I then said: ‘Agar hal achcha chalayenge to fasal bhi achchi ho sakti hai.’* He gave me the green signal.
All through the making of Kranti, he inspired the entire cast with his dedication and commitment and never changed a word in the dialogue or anything in the script. It was again a demonstration of his trust in my capabilities.
He and my father shared a great bond. My father loved him and enjoyed sharing memories of their native land. Once when my father was in hospital, Dilip Sahab visited him and spent quite some time talking to him. It was like an elixir. My father was feeling so much better by the time Dilip Sahab took leave of him.
The nicest memory I have of Dilip Sahab is of the days he sat by Saira’s bedside in a London hospital when she was ailing with ulcerative colitis. I had announced Purab Aur Pacchim [released in 1970] with her in the lead role at that time. I could read the anxiety and concern on Dilip Sahab’s fa
ce and I gathered from the hospital’s doctors that he did not sleep a wink in the initial weeks when her condition was precarious. She is looking after him now with as much devotion if not more. He is God’s gift to her and she is God’s gift to him. They make an ideal couple, taking care of each other and giving strength to each other in difficult times.
*A story that takes three hours to be told is not a story at all. I will take just fifteen minutes.
*If the ploughing is done well, the harvest could be good.
HEMA MALINI
A JEWEL IN THE CROWN OF INDIAN cinema, a phenomenon so rare and, as he is always called, an institution in acting.
My association with Dilip Sahab has been lesser in films and more personally. A magnanimous personality, he packs a whole lot of wisdom, charm and compassion in one persona. I had just one opportunity to act with him in the 1981 film Kranti (though not opposite him) and his presence at the shoot was electrifying. He also directed me in his home production, a TV serial, and I noticed how much depth he had. It was an experience working with him, something that I would treasure for a lifetime.
He has always been graceful and encouraging to me in every step of my life. I cannot forget my first press meet in Madras in 1968 for the film Sapnon Ka Saudagar* hosted by B. Ananthaswami, the producer, which Dilip Sahab and Sairaji attended. Years ago, I remember that Dilip Sahab went out of his way to warmly look after me when I performed at his friend Raj Kapoor’s daughter Rita’s marriage with Rajan Nanda. I was relatively new and there was a bustling, huge crowd of people.