New Delhi: Every death is sad and more so with celebrities. Dilip Kumar, born as Mohammed Yusuf Khan, was a legendary actor and he certainly leaves behind a rich legacy and thousands of mourners across the subcontinent.
Perhaps more than two generations of Indians have grown up enjoying his film and brilliant acting.
In fact, many stars younger to him have tried to copy him. Amitabh Bachchan is perhaps one such megastar. Therefore, when they paired together as the father-son duo in Ramesh Sippy’s ‘Shakti’ the effect on screen was magical.
Dilip sahab played an idealistic cop while his son by sheer circumstances ends up becoming a don.
Critics later emphatically argued that Dilip Kumar proved his excellence in the movie and Amitabh for a change looked like a greenhorn. Dilip Kumar was also known for being ‘moody’ on sets and thus filmmaker Subhash Ghai had a tough time in managing Dilip Kumar and another legendary star of his time Raj Kumar in the film ‘Saudagar’ – made in 1991.
But Dilip Kumar’s life and career also had many brushes with the controversies.
His love-hate relationship with Bal Thackeray-led Shiv Sena used to steal headlines.
In 1998 and 1999 there were two major controversies with Shiv Sena pulling up sleeves against the acting maestro. Dilip Kumar had rendered support to the film, ‘Fire’ made by Deepa Mehta.
The film plot based on lesbian relationship between two sisters-in-law had left Shiv Sena and other pro-Hindutva organisations and protagonists anguished.
In 1998 there used to be occasions when Parliament would be adjourned following noisy protests by Shiv Sena lawmakers and counter sloganeering by Members of Parliament from other parties.
One day, in Rajya Sabha the entire opposition was up on their feet protesting Sanjay Nirupam (then a Sena MP) remarks that Dilip Kumar is a ‘Pakistani’.
Even the then Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi amid the bedlam once said, while he did not support the conduct of Shiv Sena members; “anything and everything could not be shown in the film in the name of freedom of expression”.
During the height of Kargil conflict in 1999, Sena again staged demonstrations in Mumbai raising the slogan: “Dekho kitna changa hae, Dilip Kumar .....”.
The issue was Sena’s demand that Dilip Kumar should return Pakistan’s highest civilian award Nishan-e-Pakistan.
An angry Dilip Kumar flew to Delhi and sought appointment with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to seek his ‘opinion’ on whether he (Dilip Kumar) should return the award.
During a one-on-one meeting Vajpayee told Dilip Kumar it was his award and he alone (Dilip Kumar himself) should take a decision.
An official statement was released by PMO wherein Vajpayee had said: “Nobody should pressurise the actor to return the award”.
“There is no doubt about film star Dilip Kumar’s patriotism and commitment to the nation,” Vajpayee had said.
Many years later in 2015, another anecdote came to light. Pakistan’s former foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri claimed that Dilip Kumar had actually also spoken to Pak PM Nawaz Sharif and advised him to ‘defuse’ the Kargil crisis at the earliest.
Dilip Kumar was born on December 11, 1922 at his family home in the Qissa Khawani Bazaar area of Peshawar.
Dilip Kumar also would don the hat of ‘secular activist’ from time to time. During the height of political row over L K Advani’s Rath Yatra, the then Prime Minister V P Singh had invited the actor to participate at the National Integration Council meeting.
Given a chance to speak, as expected he made a blistering attack on BJP’s programme and joined other ‘secular’ leaders in urging V P Singh to take steps for the arrest of Advani.
Interestingly, in Jan 2015, within months of the Modi government taking charge, L K Advani, Amitabh Bachchan, Thespian Dilip Kumar and Akali satrap Parkash Singh Badal were chosen for Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian honour.
In November 2012 after Bal Thackeray expired, Dilip Kumar wrote in a blog:
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"He (Thackeray) had the virtues of a lion. We will cherish in our memories the lively evenings at his home when we smoothened out our differences over cups of strong masala tea. I found him extremely sensitive on occasions, especially during the days Sunil Dutt was going from pillar to post to get justice for his son Sanjay."
ends
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