Who wouldn't love to meet and talk personally to Dilip Kumar? Being an ardent fan, I seized the opportunity to grab an early copy of book the moment I saw it on the stand in book store.
Unfortunately, ditching the bustling schedule to read the book has been in itself a challenging task for me. But, I made it through in the weekends.
All that glitters is not gold. Surely, Dilip kumar is Kohinoor. Known for his versatility and his perfectionist behaviour, Dilip Kumar has been an idol for almost every actor that followed. Dilip Sahab, as he is reverentially called, has always tried to reach new heights but never lifted his feet above the ground.
A born prankster, assimilated actor, a philanthropist and proactive social worker or in short, a gift to the world, Dilip Kumar is a living legend.
Reading Dilip Kumar's autobiography is like talking to some senior colleague in small tea breaks. Unquestionably, the book deserves to be rich in vocabulary as it is the biography of a literature enthusiast. Dilip Kumar could speak more languages than the names of languages I can remember, namely, English, Hindi, Urdu, Marathi, Pushtu, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, etc.
Did you know that even after being from Peshawar, he had worked and received accolades for his Bhojpuri in Ganga Jumna and Bengali in Sagina Mahato?
In the reminiscence section, Amir Khan, the perfectionist, says that he finds it really overwhelming how Dilip Sahab managed two contrastingly characters of Prince Salim in Mughal-e-Azam and Out law Ganga in Ganga Jamuna simultaneously as he himself erred many times by speaking Bhojpuri of pk in rehearsals of Dhoom 3.
Many more such interesting facts are present in the reminiscence section in which artists like Amitab Bachchan, Ramesh Sippy, Mahesh Bhatt as also many closely related politicians, social workers like Mr Asif Farooqui and relatives dig into their memory lanes.
What made Dilip Kumar so reverential is his selfless, never-say-die, and hardworking attitude. His mischievous side is revealed in the book, something rarely known by his ardent fans.
Reading this book gives knowledge about the revolution that he brought in the acting. While the great artists of his time, Raj Kapoor imitated Charlie Chaplin and Dev Anand followed Gregory Peck, Dilip Kumar chose to develop his own style and reinvented the art of cinema. Not only cinema, but he also, later in his life, worked with same dedication in social causes and politics. It was a revelation to know that Nehru Science Centre was his vision.
Dilip Sahab's Biography includes talks about his Childhood, his initial struggling days(non-film related), his fortune of getting a job at Bombay Talkies and the following successful career path. Dilip Sahab talks in detail about the choices he made during his life.
Also, There is a seperate section where he mentions about his family life. The chapter on his marriage with Saira Bano is fascinating.
Heart overwhelms when one reads the love filled foreword by Saira Bano. Also, he mentions about conversations and bond he shared with Jawaharlal Nehru. He went to jail once and stayed with freedom fighters.
What I loved the most is the initial sections that mentions about the then life in undivided India and joint family customs. Also, it is interesting to know what kind of entertainment existed before Television.
Another intriguing part was his Pune interlude where Dilip Sahab used to make sandwiches for Britishers. At many places he has mentioned of Raj Kapoor and the deep bond shared between their families. Their reunion in Mumbai is a delightful read. One literally goes back into the time when trams used to run in Bombay.
He also talks about his interest in social work, politics and when he got appointed as Mumbai's sheriff. He briefly talks about his love affair with Madhubala and his second marriage.
At the end, there is a list of movies that he did in his life time and also those that got shelved. It is heart- wrenching to know that K. Asif was planning to makes two more movies with him after Mughal-e-Azam but died.
One gets to know more about the hardships involved and faced by actors and film makers.
The outlook completely changes and the joy of watching movies of Dilip Sahab compounds as one progresses with the book.
The best way to enjoy the book and to understand what makes him the emperor of Indian Cinema of acting is to watch the movies as they keep appearing in the narrative.
Dilip Sahab was a sportsman. He excelled in whatever task he took in hand, may it be social work, film making, acting, football, cricket, badminton or kite flying.
Words will fall short in describing the qualities of this legend called Dilip Kumar. This book is a must read for any artist, or a person who wish to be successful in any field for by knowing the life of this man, definition of success is to be found.
Let me know top 5 movies of Dilip Kumar that you love in comments.
