Dilip Kumar: Lesser known facts

Dilip Kumar visited Pakistan twice on Indian government’s request: Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri

Pakistan’s ex-foreign minister, Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri met Dilip Kumar and spilled the beans about his trips to Pakistan on secret missions. He also presented him with a copy of his book Neither A Hawk Nor A Dove. Talking to Dawn about his India visit, Kasuri said that Saira Banu had told him that Dilip saab had flown to Pakistan twice by a special aircraft on the request of the Indian government, once during Zia-ul-Haq’s rule and again not much long ago.

Kasuri has also revealed in his book that Dilip Kumar, who originally hails from Peshawar, had spoken to then Pakistan PM, Nawaz Sharif, on Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s request. The veteran actor had also shared his concern with Sharif on how the position of Indian Muslims becomes insecure in times of tension between the two nations and therefore, he should do something to control the situation.

Moreover, Dilip Kumar may be conferred with a Bharat Ratna. Know more...

According to a report, speculation is rife that the Modi government may select nonagenarian actor Dilip Kumar for the prestigious Bharat Ratna award for the current year, a move that will help BJP send out the right signals to the Muslim community.

The report also stated that if a high-ranking official is to be believed, routine information on 93-year-old Dilip Kumar is being gathered from different agencies. "It's a routine procedure. Information on leading personalities from different walks of life is gathered while conferring Padma awards and Bharat Ratna," he said. In the event the Centre decides to confer the award on Dilip Kumar, the question will be if it will be possible for him to travel to New Delhi to receive the award in view of his health. When the Centre declared Bharat Ratna for former PM Atal Behari Vajpayee, President Pranab Mukherjee, in a major departure from tradition, went to Vajpayee's residence to present him the award. Now, if the Centre takes a decision, the possibility of home minister Rajnath Singh presenting the award to Kumar is not ruled out. "The Dadasaheb Phalke award was presented to film-star Shashi Kapoor in Mumbai recently. Similarly, Bharat Ratna too could be presented in Mumbai," the official said.

Here's a look at some lesser known facts about the actor...

Dilip Kumar is popularly known as the king of tragedy. The veteran actor has had an impeccable career spanning six decades and almost everyone in the industry is a huge fan of his. Dilip Kumar seems to have inspired several generations of actors, Shah Rukh Khan being one of them. He is married to Saira Banu and she is always seen by his side, supporting him, loving him. Dilip Kumar has been described as the 'ultimate method actor' by Satyajit Ray. We bring to you some of the lesser known facts about the veteran star.

Jwar Bhata was Dilip Kumar's debut in Bollywood. Apparently, the actor was spotted by Mrs Devika Rani. Sharing the experience Dilip Kumar said in an interview with Filmfare, "I was introduced to Mrs Devika Rani at the Bombay Talkies Studio by a family friend who was helping me find a job. She had not seen me anywhere before that. She offered me the job of an actor on a salary of Rs 1250 per month. I thought the amount offered was for a year, it being a sumptuous amount. So I requested a friend, Dr Masani, who took me to her, to find out whether I had heard it right. She told Dr Masani it was the monthly remuneration because she saw potential in me and did not want to lose me. It was a surprise and it spurred me to take the offer seriously without hesitation."

Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu have a very romantic tale behind their relationship. He apparently fell in love with Saira at her birthday party. A PTI report quoted Dilip Kumar, "When I alighted from my car and entered the beautiful garden that leads to the house, I can still recall my eyes falling on Saira standing in the foyer of her new house looking breathtakingly beautiful in a brocade saree. I was taken aback, because she was no longer the young girl I consciously avoided working with because I thought she would look too young to be my heroine." The report further quoted Dilip Kumar's romantic proposal, "Saira, you are not the kind of girl I want to drive around with, or be seen around with... I would like to marry you... Will you be my wife?"

Saira Banu has always been by the side of Dilip Kumar, at all events and parties. The doting wife had written a very interesting foreword for Dilip Kumar's biography. She has mentioned how Dilip Kumar used to imitate Helen. Apparently, Dilip Kumar's humorous side was revealed by Saira as she stated that he used to do Helen's cabaret number - Monica, O My Darling. According to a report in Hindustan Times, there is also a mention of Dilip Kumar fixing a broken rack in a fridge with a cloth-hanger.

Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu have been an inseparable couple. However the duo could not bear a baby. A PTI report quoted Dilip Kumar on the same, "It was also wrongly represented that Saira could not bear a child. The truth is that Saira had borne a child, a boy (as we came to know later), in 1972. We lost the baby in the eighth month of pregnancy... We took the loss in our stride as the will of God." While on a happier note Dilip spoke in an interview with Bombay Times, "I love children, but where's the time to think about it? We have about 30 children from Saira's family and my own, and they are enough to keep me occupied with their mischief. They are so full of energy that I get tired trying to cope with them."

In his autobiography Dilip Kumar: The Substance And The Shadow, the actor has apparently discussed about the alleged relationship he had with Asma Rehman. A PTI report quoted the veteran actor , "Well, the one episode in my life that I would like to forget and which we, Saira and I, have pushed into eternal oblivion is a grave mistake I made under pressure of getting involved with a lady named Asma Rehman whom I had met at a cricket match in Hyderabad."

Dilip Kumar was one of the finest actors of his time. And it seems like he was very choosy about his onscreen appearances. According to report on indiatoday.in, Dilip Kumar had refused to work with Nargis in Mother India. While the film became one of the most memorable ones in the history of Indian cinema, the actor had his own reasons to not be a part of the film. The report further quoted Dilip Kumar, "When Mehboob sahab discussed Mother India with me in the early 1950s, I thought it was a brilliant and timely concept and it had to be made at any cost. The role he could offer me was one of the sons of heroine Nargis and I pointed out that it would be an incongruous casting after all the romancing she and I had done in earlier films, such as Mela (1948) and Babul (1950)."

Dilip Kumar was born as Yusuf Khan in Pakistan. However the actor is very fluent in Marathi, because he had done his schooling in Maharashtra. And Dilip Kumar is well versed with Pune. In an interview with Times of India, Dilip Kumar had said, "In more ways than one, it is Maharashtra that holds the roots of my life and career. I had my schooling at Barnes School in Deolali, Nashik, as a day scholar. Years later, after I became known as actor Dilip Kumar, I revisited Deolali in the course of my search all over Nashik District for an ideal location to film Ganga Jamuna's outdoor scenes."

Dilip Kumar was at the top of his game when he was a part of the industry. And there were, apparently, rumours of a bitter feeling between Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor. However speaking to Filmfare, the actor revealed that he was good friends with Raj Kapoor. "Raj and I were like brothers. We were keen football players and I was always welcome at his house in Matunga, like a son of the house. He used to tell me that I should consider acting as a profession. You are so handsome, you can become a star, he’d tell me. I thought it was all right for him to say that because he was the eldest son of the most admired and popular actor of the time, Prithviraj Kapoor. Talent was in his genes. As for me, I didn’t know anything about acting and I was painfully shy chap. As destiny would have it, some years later, it gave us both much happiness to be in the same profession. It did not bother us at all that the media was writing about our so-called rivalry because we knew what we felt for each other and how deeply we cared for each other’s well-being and success."

Dilip Kumar was very popular for the tragic roles in films like Devdas. While he has been lauded for it, the actor actually seemed to have felt very stressed. In an interview with Filmfare, Dilip Kumar said, "I was doing tragedy at a young age. Renowned tragedians like Sir John Gielgud and Sir Laurence Olivier played tragic roles at a later age. They were in their 30s when they achieved glory for their tragic roles. I was in my 20s. It had a telling impact on my personality. Not just Devdas, but roles in other films as well. I tried my best to shed the morbid outlook that was seizing me. I was advised to take help of a drama coach in England who was also a counselor. He advised me to try comedy, which would give me relief and also bring the much needed variety to my acting."