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Am I really 85, asks Dilip Kumar

They don’t make them like him any more. You know that already. But you may not know that he loves his evening constitutional around Joggers’ Park, is absolutely fanatical about the right blend of tea with khaara biscuits and has an enviable collection of books and memorabilia at his Pali Hill bungalow. Without much more ado, then, here’s bringing in his birthday with heart and cheer. Dilip Kumar confabulates with Roshmila Bhattacharya.

Q-Given the child still lurking in you, do you still look forward to birthday gifts? What do you expect on your 85th birthday?

My wife likes to surprise me with gifts. In fact, it's always Saira (Banu) who counts the days till my birthday every year. She makes the day special.. When Appaji (Saira's mother Naseem) was with us, she would invariably supervise a sumptuous feast for the guests.

The house would be dressed up with lovely flower arrangements. Now Saira has taken over with the management skills inherited from her mother. As for my 85th birthday, am I really 85?


Q-Which birthday brings back the fondest memories?
The night I made my grand entry into this world, in Peshawar. I believe there was a fire on the street where we had our sprawling house. There was a lot of commotion, it took a while for the midwife to arrive and attend to my frail, delicate mother.

I would be told this story by my mother, grandmother, uncles and aunts every year on my birthday. Naturally I was led to imagine that I had the most eventful and unforgettable birth among my brothers and sisters.. since there were no dramatic stories about their arrival in this world.

Q-Several books have been written on you but we've been waiting for an autobiography or authorised biography for years. When can we expect it?

The autobiography will be in your hands early next year, inshallah. It is my story told by me, so you can expect several facts which are not common knowledge.

Q-In your time the reigning trio were Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand. Today, it is the Khans - Aamir, Salman and Shah Rukh. Do you see any similarities in the trinity?

Every actor has his own skills. Excellent scripts and sensitive directors bring out the best in actors. Aamir, Salman and Shah Rukh have had deserving opportunities to prove their merit. In our times, we worked on a difficult terrain. The medium was evolving


Fact File


Yusuf Khan was born in 1922.

He was the fifth child of Mohammed Sarwar Khan and Ayesha Begum, in a family of 13 brothers and sisters

He ran an army canteen for British soldiers in Pune. To supplement the measly pay of Rs 36 a month, he sold fruit

He came to Bombay Talkies looking for a job as a writer. He was spotted by Devika Rani and landed the lead role in Jwar Bhata in 1944. He drew a salary of Rs 1000 a month with Rs 200 extra as 'war allowance'

He was advised to change his name. There was a choice of three Dilip Kumar, Jahangir and Vasudev. It was reportedly Devika Rani who finalised the name Dilip Kumar.

His first big hit was the Nitin Bose-directed Milan ('46)

He sang a song with Lata Mangeshkar in Musafir, Laagi nahin chuute Rama chaahe

He learnt to play the sitar for Kohinoor

He was fascinated with Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights and played Heathcliff in three films - Mela , Arzoo and Dil Diya Dard Liya

For Mughal-e-Azam, he had a special wig made in London. He was initially reluctant to play Salim because he reasoned that he did not look like a prince

He was honoured with the title of Padma Bhushan in '91 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in '95

He married Saira Banu in '66 at the age of 44

He was offered Omar Sharif's role in Lawrence of Arabia but he refused. He also turned down Mehboob Khan's Mother India


:source:

Thanks Reeth for this compact information. Dilip is indeed an Icon.
Here is the song sung by Dilip from Film Musafir...

Laagi naheen..
Dilip, Lata
Musafir
mp3, 128 kbps
can someone help me out ..with the music director and lyrics?


Click to view attachment

welcome SF...thanx for the song u/l

Music directed by Salil Choudhury....

There is some confusion about this song....found the following on a discussion topic on the net..

The male voice in a lovely song, "laagi naahin chhoote, raama, chaahe jiya jaaye"--sounded like a cross between talat, rafi and hemant but wasn't sure which. picking up the tape, i see it is from the film "musafir" and the male voice is listed as Dilip kumar. did he actually sing? or is this an error on the cassette cover?

checking online i see that lata does a duet with Talat mehmood on a similar song with a similar name from the film "laagi nahin chhoote ram"--but the music of that film is by Chitragupta.....

I am not sure about the correct facts....hope some member can clarify this....

I've uploaded both parts of this song here:



http://www.hamaraforums.com/index.php?s=&a...st&p=445318