There have been increasing
rumours about the deterioration of your health.
It is now amusing for us when a
rumour about my health makes its rounds and we get anxious phone calls. I
answer them myself and I thank the Almighty for giving me such affectionate
friends and relatives. By God’s grace, I have been well except for an occasional
touch of cold or fever. I try not to miss my walk at Joggers’ Park — four or
five rounds at my own pace, holding my beautiful wife’s hand. I enjoy a drive
at night through the many streets that criss-cross Bandra and are quiet and
traffic free. On a clear day, it is a delight to have my breakfast in the
garden with the sun’s rays falling on the pot of piping hot tea and the omlette
that’s made to my taste. It is a real blessing to have the luxury of a lush
garden in a space-starved city like Mumbai. We owe it to Saira’s mother,
Naseemji, who thought of and landscaped the garden when she had the bungalow
designed in the ’60s.
What’s the birthday plan?
We are not planning a
celebration this year. Last year, it was a pleasure to be with friends, who
made the evening unforgettable and so special. It was a surprise planned by
Saira and her niece, Shaheen. I got wind of it only the day before, when I saw
the men lighting up the garden and moving the furniture in the foyer. This
year, it is going to be a family get-together which happens often all through
the year, when my sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews visit me. I am
fortunate to have a wife who finds happiness in uniting me with my family as
often as she can. My sisters Akhtar and Farida are at present in the United
States and Canada. It is Saira who ensures that I talk to them often and
assuage Akhtar when she is feeling low due to her ill health. My brothers and
my sisters who are in Mumbai are invited over frequently by Saira to spend time
with me.
How does a superstar’s life
look at 90?
I was never pleased by my
stardom. I have always said that there shouldn’t be a term like ‘star’ for an
actor. It is a marketing term, coined by the marketing men. It is the work that
I chose to accept that mattered to me and preoccupied me. I always lived a
normal life and never got carried away into another world of another
personality, who sought pampering and constant attention. When you do that, you
acquire a false, unapproachable personality. When you have been yourself, your
life doesn’t change at all. I am as happy and content as I have always been.
What is that one thing you wish
to live for today?
I wish to live for the
happiness of my wife. I knew and know even more strongly now that she loves me
as no one, other than my mother, has. I wish to live for her love and devotion.
It is so lovely to wake up and see the preparations she has done to make each
day worth living for. In fact, our common wish now is to care for, and make,
each other happy. You have to be truly lucky to be in my place.
Does life feel incomplete
without your own children?
It would have been great if we
had our own kids. But we have no regrets. We are both submissive to the will of
God. As for incompleteness, I must tell you that neither Saira nor I can
complain of a lack of contentment. It is enough for us that we have our
families to share our happiness and our small dismays with. Mine is a large
family, with so many nieces and nephews and their families of growing kids
speaking the language of today, which is as bewildering as it is befitting the
times they are living in. Saira’s is a small family comprising her brother
Sultan and his kids and grandchildren. We feel we are lucky to be there for
them when they need us.
In that case, who will carry
forward Dilip Kumar’s legacy?
I already see so many actors
eager to carry forward what I established in my time. When a bright young actor
comes up to me and says, ‘Sir, I wish to follow your work and walk the path you
paved for us with your foresight,’ I am filled with a sense of awe and
gratitude to the Almighty for having taken me through the paces of finding my
way in a profession I had no preparation to be in.
Sairaji is about 20 years
younger than you. She fell madly in love with you in your younger days. Tell us
about your love story.
When I married Saira she was
young, even younger than my sisters. I wondered how she would cope with
establishing the right vibes with my brothers and sisters, especially since she
belonged to a small family. We siblings were a dozen. But she not only
respected and loved them as a devoted sister-in-law, but also keeps me close to
all of them.
Amitabh Bachchan considers you
his idol...
I think it is very modest and
sweet of Amitabh to say that. I had him playing my son in Shakti (1982), the
lone film in which we worked together. I found him completely dedicated and as
eager as I was to achieve the flawlessness one strives to accomplish in
rendering even the less challenging scenes. He was attentive, not just to the
director’s vision, but equally to my interpretation too. I could sense his
absorption of the potency of the scene and it pleased me immensely that I was
sharing the experience of rehearsing scenes that demanded so much intensity
with an actor who had an equal commitment to give the scenes that glow of
excellence.
How different are today’s
actors from those of your time?
I wouldn’t say that we did
better work or made better films. Yes, we worked on tough terrain. Whether it
was Raj (Kapoor) or I or Ashok Bhaiyya (Ashok Kumar), we had to test our own
abilities and evolve our own methods of bringing the characters to life, and at
the same time understand the economics of filmmaking and the technical and
artistic components of film production. Today there are institutes that
instruct and prepare actors, directors and technicians for serious careers in
cinema. Everything is simplified and controlled, projects are planned and
marketed, subjects are selected after research and there are teams working on
each aspect of an actor’s preparation for a role. So, in a sense, the actor has
become a full-fledged professional supported by a number of professionals, who
create a congenial environment for him or her to deliver the performances.
Quite recently, Aamir (Khan)
was here for a casual visit and he told me he was following my example of
involvement in all the aspects of the execution of a fine script during the
production. He admitted that he understood that the involvement may be
misconstrued as interference, but it was necessary if an actor cared genuinely
for the perfection of the product in its entirety and not just for the
appreciation of his work in the product.
Is there anybody from this
generation who you think comes close to Dilip Kumar, the actor?
They are all immensely talented
actors. But I have noticed exceptional talent in some of the actors today and a
wise desire to be noticed internationally. Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir
Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan are a few whose work I have watched and liked
in films specially screened for me and Saira. I have also liked Rani Mukerji
and Aishwarya Rai in some films I have seen.
Do you recognise any actress
from today’s time?
I was introduced to Priyanka
Chopra and Katrina Kaif by Saira last year at my birthday party. They were very
charming and Saira appeared to be fond of them.
Who were the most wonderful
heroines of your time?
Nalini Jaywant was a born
actress. She was so spontaneous and alive before the camera that her co-stars
had to be very alert. Meena Kumari was excellent and so were Vyjayantimala and
Madhubala. They combined very well with me as artistes.
Tell us about the books that
are being written on you by Sairaji and Uday Tara Nair.
It is an autobiography. To put
it simply, it is Yusuf Khan’s pen portrait of the Dilip Kumar few people have
met and understood.
Do you welcome the visits of
your colleagues?
Of course. A few months ago
when Dharmendra dropped in, we asked him to join us and pay a visit to Pran’s
house. It was a lovely evening enlivened by happy and lively memories that we
shared unreservedly. Vyjayanti dropped in last year. Saira is all admiration
for her and they are good friends. Very recently, Kamal Hassan visited us too
and made us so happy. Amitabh was with us last week.
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