DILIP KUMAR – The Substance and the Shadow

102 Rating

Author: Dilip Kumar Category: Autobiography, Bestsellers ISBN: 9789381398869 Binding: Hardback Dimensions: 230 x 150 Number of Pages: 450

An authentic, heartfelt and compelling narrative – straight from the horse’s mouth – that reveals for the first time numerous unknown aspects of the life and times of one of the greatest legends who stands out as a symbol of secular India

Dilip Kumar (born as Yousuf Khan), who began as a diffident novice in Hindi cinema in the early 1940s, went on to attain the pinnacle of stardom within a short time. He came up with spellbinding performances in one hit film after another – in his almost six-decade-long career – on the basis of his innovative capability, determination, hard work and never-say-die attitude. His imitators are legion, but it is the original that has stood the test of time.

In this unique volume, Dilip Kumar traces his journey right from his birth to the present. In the process, he candidly recounts his interactions and relationships with a wide variety of people not only from his family and the film fraternity but also from other walks of life, including politicians. While seeking to set the record straight, as he feels that a lot of what has been written about him so far is ‘full of distortions and misinformation’, he narrates, in graphic detail, how he got married to Saira Banu, which reads like a fairy tale!

Dilip Kumar relates, matter-of-factly, the event that changed his life: his meeting with Devika Rani, the boss of Bombay Talkies, when she offered him an acting job. His first film was Jwar Bhata (1944). He details how he had to learn everything from scratch and how he had to develop his own distinct histrionics and style, which would set him apart from his contemporaries. After that, he soon soared to great heights with movies such as Jugnu, Shaheed, Mela, Andaz, Deedar, Daag and Devdas. In these movies he played the tragedian with such intensity that his psyche was adversely affected. He consulted a British psychiatrist, who advised him to switch over to comedy. The result was spectacular performances in laugh riots such as Azaad and Kohinoor, apart from a scintillating portrayal as a gritty tonga driver in Naya Daur. He then opted for a judicious mix of serious and light-hearted roles in films such as Gunga Jumna, Leader, Dil Diya Dard Liya, Ram Aur Shyam, Aadmi, Sunghursh, Gopi, Sagina and Bairaag.
He then took a five-year break from films and began his productive ‘second innings’ with Kranti (1981), after which he appeared in a series of hits such as Vidhaata, Shakti, Mashaal, Karma, Saudagar and Qila.

He has many prestigious awards to his credit. He bagged the Filmfare Best Actor Award eight times, a record. He is also the recipient of the Padma Bhushan, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and the Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Pakistan’s highest civilian award). He has also served innumerable philanthropic and social causes in his own unobtrusive manner.

This long-awaited autobiography brings out the real Dilip Kumar, who was not only a superlative actor but also a connoisseur of the arts, a voracious reader of literary works in Urdu, Persian and English, a highly gifted multilingual orator, an excellent mimic and a superb dancer!