Mumbai9 hours agoAuthor: Ashish Tiwari
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On the death anniversary of Dilip Sahab, Dainik Bhaskar spoke to his wife and veteran actress Saira Banu.
Dilip Kumar sahab needs no introduction. Whenever the best actors in the Indian film industry are counted, Dilip Kumar's name will be in the front row. It has been 3 years since Dilip sahab left the world. He left the world on this day in 2021.
On Dilip sahab's death anniversary, Dainik Bhaskar spoke to his wife and veteran actress Saira Banu. Saira Banu ji shared some unheard stories related to Dilip sahab with us.
Saira ji said that Dilip sahab was so down to earth that he used to eat food from the plates of light men or crew members around him. Whenever he went for shooting somewhere, he used to stay in a guest house instead of a hotel.
Raj Kapoor used to appear on one call from Dilip Kumar
The stars of Dilip sahab's time, be it Sunil Dutt, Raj Kapoor or Dev Anand, all of them respected each other a lot. Somewhere that thing is missing in this generation. On this, Saira ji says, 'The stars of that time used to give time to each other. They used to share their joys and sorrows with each other. Today's young actors are not able to find time for others. This is the biggest shortcoming.
Yusuf sahab used to organize get togethers all the time. Even if Raj Kapoor was in London, he would return to India on a call from Yusuf sahab. Apart from this, Dharam ji also loved him a lot. He would sometimes come home at 12-1 in the night to meet Yusuf sahab.
In the 50s, 60s and 70s, Dev Anand (right), Raj Kapoor (middle) and Dilip Kumar (left) ruled the industry. The films of all three were the most watched.
Had a brother-sister like relationship with Lata Mangeshkar, often came home to have meals
Dilip sahab and Lata Mangeshkar had a brother-sister relationship. Lata didi used to call Dilip sahab often. Taking the conversation forward, Saira ji said, 'Lata ji and Yusuf sahab used to talk to each other on the phone for hours. She used to come home often. I have a 55-year-old cook, she used to cook her favourite Maharashtrian food. Lata ji used to talk a lot with us while sitting at the dining table.'
Lata Mangeshkar always considered Dilip Kumar as her elder brother.
Dilip sahab was very fond of feeding people at his home. Even if someone came to meet him, he would not send him without feeding him. He would just tell Saira ji that so many people would come for lunch today. Saira ji would start cooking food for all of them along with the other women of the house. Saira ji said that there was so much ration at their house that no matter how many people came at a time, food was ready for everyone.
There was a suitcase full of clothes in the car
Dilip sahab never stayed at one place. He was such a big star, obviously he had to be busy in some event all the time. He had to attend four events in a day. Saira ji said that even if both of them went out in Mumbai, they always had a suitcase full of clothes with them. Since they had to attend more than one event, they used to change their clothes in the hotel itself.
Saira ji said, 'Yusuf sahab's life was always hectic. He never stayed in one place. Sometimes it seemed as if he had a chakra in his feet.'
Preferred staying in guest house rather than 5 star hotel
Dilip Kumar may have been a superstar, but his lifestyle was very simple. When he went to shoot in other parts of the country, he rarely stayed in hotels. The actors or crew members shooting with him used to stay in hotels, Dilip sahab used to go and stay in a government guest house instead. He believed that staying in a five star or big hotel would give the feel of Mumbai. In such a situation, he used to go to the guest house to understand the atmosphere. Even though there was a lack of basic facilities there, he liked staying there more.
He used to take away food from the plate of the light man or crew member, Saira ji used to object
Dilip sahab was a down to earth person. During shooting, he used to eat food from the plate of the light man or any crew member. Sometimes Saira ji did not like this habit of his. However, Dilip sahab did not see anything wrong in this act.
Apart from acting, Dilip Kumar has also tried his hand at singing
Dilip Kumar was not only a great actor, he was also a very good singer. He also sang a song with Lata Mangeshkar in the film Musafir. He was also very fond of poetry. He always used to write poetry in his free time. He knew many languages including Marathi, Gujarati, Hindi and English. Saira ji said, 'When I used to hear his Marathi accent, I used to be stunned, it used to seem like a Marathi person is speaking.'
Dilip sahab used to organize gatherings of artists in his house. Lyricists, musicians, actors, poets and many other poets used to participate in that gathering.
In the last days of his life, Shahrukh used to pray for Dilip Sahab
The three Khans of Bollywood, Shahrukh, Salman and Aamir also respected Dilip sahab a lot. All three of them would often come to Dilip sahab's house to inquire about his well-being. They treated Shahrukh like a son.
Saira ji said, 'Shahrukh, Salman and Aamir always used to come to inquire about Yusuf sahab's health. Shahrukh used to stand in front of his head and pray for his well-being. Shahrukh and Yusuf sahab had the same kind of hair. Even today, when Shahrukh comes to meet me, I definitely touch his hair. The day I forget by mistake, he himself says that you did not touch my hair today.'
Saira Banu and Dilip Kumar used to call Shahrukh as their adopted son.
Saira fell in love with Dilip Kumar at the age of 12-13
We asked Saira ji what she thought when she saw Dilip sahab for the first time? In response, she said, 'I was 12-13 years old when I saw him for the first time. As soon as I saw him for the first time, I told my mother that when I grow up, I will marry this man.
When he used to come out wearing white kurta pyjama with folded hands, it seemed as if an angel was coming and not a human being. I am very lucky that I could marry him, otherwise there were many beautiful girls in the country at that time who were ready to die for him.
Dilip sahab was serious from outside but playful from inside, he used to scare Saira ji in the name of ghost
Dilip Kumar looked serious from outside, but was very naughty from inside. Saira ji said, 'Sahib used to prank me a lot. Once we went to a rural area for shooting. The power went out there and did not come back for one and a half hours. It became dark everywhere. Nothing was visible around. Saheb quietly went out.
After this, he started making scary noises while banging on the glass door. I felt as if a ghost had come. I started shouting 'Sahib, Sahib'. When I told this to my mother, she said, 'Yusuf Mian, my daughter is very timid, don't tease her like this. Sahib started laughing after hearing all this, but he did not give up his mischievousness.'