“Groom her and she will go places. She has the potential to become a biographer someday,” said Dilip Kumar to SS Pillai, the editor of Screen many decades ago. He was of course referring to Udaytara Nayar, the woman to whom destiny would entrust the task of putting together his autobiography in 2004. Over the phone, the author’s voice is softly nostalgic as she recalls lesser known facts about Yusuf Khan, the man and Dilip Kumar, the actor. There is just a hint of longing for the days when ‘Sahab’ was at the peak of his heath and stunning the world with his masterful performances and building for himself a beautiful, private world filled with everything that mattered to him, away from the gaze of the media.
In an exclusive chat , the author of Dilip Kumar-The Substance and the Shadow (An autobiography) spoke about the man whose incredible journey she has documented. She also recalls how Dilip Sahab and Saira would go to MTR for dosas and idlis every time they came to Bangalore. And how as a film journalist, she would often come down to Bangalore to interview Dr Rajkumar and then file her stories in The New Indian Express office.
Excerpts from the interview..
I have known them for almost 50 years.
In 1967, when I was writing for Screen, I got to know him a bit better. It was obvious to anyone who met him that he had remained simple, friendly and warm despite his superstardom. As a student of cinema and a film writer, I also observed him on sets and saw how meticulous he was. As his wife Saira’s close friend, I always had access to the man and the actor.
That he chose me to write his story has been the greatest opportunity because he does not expose his life to anyone easily. His friends mostly have been professionals and intellectuals outside the film world and to hear him reveal how he became Dilip Kumar was an experience of a lifetime.
He had no teachers in cinema. No ambition to become an actor (till Devika Rani took one look at him in her Bombay Talkies office during a chance meeting and offered him a ‘job’ as an actor for `1250 a month in 1942).
He used his life experiences stored in his subconscious to evolve as an actor.
He learnt very quickly that cinema was not an easy business, that the industry was a competitive place where success was hard to sustain. It was ‘relentless hard work’, as he puts it, that saw him through.
He would tell me, “Even if you cook or buy vegetables, put every ounce of energy in it. Don’t just do things for the sake of doing them.”
He learnt every aspect of cinema
He involved himself in every aspect of film-making, be it production, set design or cinematography because he was concerned about the film in its entirety. He worked with people who understood that this was not interference but his way of ensuring that every aspect of the film was flawless. Amongst the actors today, only Aamir Khan is following this kind of work ethic.
He did not read the finished book
The book took 10 years because when we started, he was a very busy man. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha and had multiple engagements. And he was not always in a mood to talk because he hates talking about himself. So we worked when we could. But once I got all the content, it took me just over a year to finish the book. I would give him hand-written chapters to read as we progressed and he would say, “Yes, you have got it!” My only sorrow is that he is no longer well enough to read it. Saira ofcourse read every word, every line since she knows him best. They have been married for 48 years now. She knows his past, his family history and approved everything that went into the book, because I wanted the facts to be right. I did not want any controversies.
She is afraid of losing him
I always tell Saira that her love story with Dilip Sahab is not real. It is mythological where the woman can argue even with God for her husband. She is a real life Savitri and even punishes herself by not eating when he is unwell and prays constantly for him. She loves him very deeply and is terribly afraid of losing him.
When he had an heart attack recently, she slept on the floor next to his bed and would not take the help of any nurse. She is always watching over him. It was she who sensed that something was wrong when he had the attack. She kept saying, “He is looking pale…why is he so quiet today? Why isn’t he cheerful?” I was with her till 3 pm that day, but then I received a call that he had been shifted to the ICU as he had suffered a silent cardiac arrest. The doctors complimented her for preventing the worst from happening. He is 92 and her admiration is still intact. In her I see four Sairas. The fan. The wife. The jovial companion. The mother who takes care of him. She cannot imagine living without him. His illness would be hard for anyone to cope with but she is dealing with it like only she can.
Saira quit films at the peak of her career
She once met Dilip Sahab on her way to a shoot at the airport and said, “This is no way for a husband and wife to live.” She told her mother Naseem ji to return all the signing amounts. Dilip Sahab tried to change her mind and said, “One day we will have enough time for each other.” And she replied, “I don’t want to spend time with you only when I am a doddering old woman. I want to be with you now.” And that was it. She was a lively 22- year-old when she married Dilip Sahab and he was a scholarly, well-read, mature man. She too matured fast, groomed herself and learnt a lot to match up to his mind. There is a lot of give and take in their marriage. In him, she found the security that had been taken away at the age of five, when her parents separated.
His sisters wanted to get back at Saira
There are many versions about it but the truth is that the whole thing was orchestrated by Dilip Sahab’s two sisters. They had never liked Saira and the book reveals how they treated her when she came into Sahab’s life as a wife. They created circumstances where Sahab was trapped and this second marriage was their way of getting back at Saira. Their explanation was ofcourse that it was all because Saira did not have children. The situation was sorted with great dignity because the truth was obvious to both Sahab and Saira. In the book Sahab also shares the truth about his relationships with Kamini Kaushal and Madhubala like the thorough gentleman that he is. There was ofcourse no truth to the rumours about him and Vaijyanthi Mala or Waheeda Rahman. They were just colleagues he respected.
He turned down Satyajit Ray and David Lean
As the fourth son amongst 12 children, Sahab took care of the education and well-being of all his siblings. He arranged for them to study at Bombay Scottish and abroad even though he had studied at Anjuman-E-Islam and Khalsa College. He wanted them all to do well in life. How many people would take this on willingly? I got actors, technicians and other associates to speak about his achievements and philanthropy because he would not. He worked selflessly for the National Association of the Blind. It was he who got the Maharashtra government to allocate land for Film City. It was his spadework that gave Mumbai the Nehru Centre. He raised funds with other peers everytime there was a national crisis. He has mentored so many careers but he never speaks about his contributions. He never cheapened himself for money and would inaugurate events for friends but would not charge a rupee. Once he refused a Satyajit Ray film because the role required him to strip. He refused David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia because he did not want to be a second-class citizen in Hollywood. He was proud to be an Indian actor.
What will we remember today’s stars for?
I quit film journalism because the world of cinema had become totally saturated with commercialism. It was a different place when I started and even upto Amitabh Bachchan’s arrival. After him, the stars who have made it are driven by success and money but have very little time for human emotion. For the launch of Sahab’s autobiography, Salman and Shahrukh were both invited but they did not come. Stars make crores today but what will their legacy be? They are busy building their abdomens rather than their skills. How many films of Salman or Shahrukh will we remember with the same awe that we accord to Dilip Sahab’s films? Will we remember Salman for his body and Shahrukh for his dimples? Aamir is a principled actor and oversaw all the details of the launch because he wanted to make sure that his idol’s event went well.
with Reema Moudgil works for The New Indian Express, Bangalore, is the author of Perfect Eight, the editor of Chicken Soup for the Soul-Indian Women, an artist, a former RJ and a mother. She dreams of a cottage of her own that opens to a garden and where she can write more books, paint, listen to music and just be.