Goodbye, Yusuf saab

It was sometime in the mid 70s when I first set my eyes on Dilip Kumar I was doing an internship with a film journal and sent for a press conference By the time I walked inside the hall all the seats were taken So I stopped halfway and focused on the happenings on stageKumar was seated in the centre and as our eyes met he succinctly guided me to walk ahead I did so hesitantly finding many empty seats in the front row but was reluctant to park myself So I looked up again at him and he nodded I nervously sat on the corner chair and tried hard to focus on the boring speeches but nothing made sense And then Kumar rose spoke softly and passionately and for the first time I understood the motive behind the conference The film fraternity disagreed with the newly implemented government policy and declared to go on a strike He was present on the occasion to support the causeAlso Read Dilip Kumar playlist A trip down memory lane with the thespians songsA still from SaudagarI did not speak to any of the association heads post the conference and did not file a report on the event either Next evening around 7 pm I was near Churchgate station when a shiny black Mercedes stopped before me The face at the window looked familiar and as I walked closer Kumar smiled and opened the door for me Unthinkingly I stepped inside the vehicle but my mind was racingWhy had he stopped the car for me Was he mistaking me for someone else Where were we heading I am certain he was aware of my discomfort but continued to converse casually He spoke so softly that he was barely audible and to not appear rude I alternately shook my head and smiledSaira Banu and Dilip Kumar at the Press ClubWhen the car reached Pedder Road he turned to me and said ldquoMy destination has arrived Thank you for your companyrdquo Still perplexed about the turn of events I hopped into a cab unsure if what had just happened was my hallucination or realToday when I am older and more experienced I look back on the memory with enchantment Actors are also human beings and respond to people and situations intuitively Maybe Kumar sensed my anxiety at the press conference and wanted to put me at ease As for the car ride I can only describe it as serendipity mdash the superstar was spontaneous again and I submitted to the magicIn 1990 director Subhash Ghai invited me to the shoot of Saudagar 1991 to witness the thespian and Raaj Kumar working together Call it coincidence again but as I walked towards the set I noticed him in costume walking a few steps ahead of meHe was about to enter the set when he noticed the trolley moving and stopped I stopped a few steps behind him observing him as he watched Raaj Kumar give his shot Suddenly he noticed me watching him and stiffened He continued to stand in the same spot staring at the floor I realized that I had unconsciously interrupted an actor in preparation and trespassed his creative space The good thing about the awkward moment however was that I was privileged to witness the magicA few years later we met again this time at Rinki Bhattacharyas newly launched Bimal Roy Memorial amp Film Society debut screening of Devdas 1955 at a private theatre in Pali Hill Kumar and wife Saira Banu were the guests of honour After the screening Bhattacharya chatted with Kumar who shared many beautiful moments from the film He said that projecting silence on screen is the most difficult and Bimalda was a master of it ldquoThe climax when I travel by train to meet Paro is an immortal sequence I have never seen something like that on screen againrdquoAlso Read Tribute Dilip Kumars incomparable acting and inspiring lifeIt was a sparkling but strangely reserved evening where nobody in the audience gushed over the film or his performance Feeling he looked demoralised I got up and said that I loved the film his performance and will love him forever Suddenly the twinkle returned to his eyes and everyone started clappingCut to 2004 when MughaleAzam 1960 was the first blackandwhite Hindi film to be digitally coloured and theatrically rereleased I was the editor of Screen at this point and we decided to celebrate the milestone at our annual awards night We invited Vilasrao Deshmukh then chief minister of Maharashtra to do the honoursAfter Deshmukh delivered a terrific speech it was time for Kumar to speak He appeared a little lost This was probably the beginning of his Alzheimers but not many were aware at the time including us It was an awkward moment for everyone in the audience so I hesitantly walked on to the stage and stood behind him Sensing my presence he turned around and asked in his inimitable style ldquoKaun hain bhairdquo On discovering me he heaved a deep sigh of relief and instantly thrust the microphone into my hand saying ldquoAb le lo bhai Hum kab se khade hain yahanrdquo With this an emotional evening came to a dignified endAs I write this obit my mind rewinds to the nubile reporter aided by a charismatic superstar on her first assignment 40 years ago Can something like this ever happen in present times Im not sure because only once in a 100 years comes an actor like Dilip KumarAlso Read Tried to ensure best possible treatment says Dilip Kumars doctorThe writer is a Padma Shri awardee film journalist