Dilip Kumar sets the record straight on his personal and professional life

few people have enjoyed such iconic reverence in the world of Indian cinema as Dilip Kumar, born Yousuf Khan. While many people have written their version of Dilip Kumar’s life, based on hearsay and brief contact with the legendary thespian, there was never an authenticated account of the star’s life. That was until the man himself decided to tell the story of his life to journalist Udaya Tara Nayar, who, interestingly, is a close friend and confidante of his wife, Saira. No book on Hindi cinema has ever been as keenly anticipated as this one. The idea for The Substance and the Shadow germinated in 2004, a year that saw a rash of books on the actor, including a “definitive biography” by Bunny Reuben. Dilip Kumar was appalled at the “distortions and misinformation” that the account contained. This book, in Dilip Kumar’s own words, is “an attempt at setting the record straight”.

The title of this book is apt – one because there is some substance as well as some shadow in the book. Second, we cannot ignore the fact that Yousuf Khan the substance became bigger with Dilip Kumar as his shadow. A thinking actor with mass appeal, a rare breed in this celebrity-obsessed country, the iconic star had hitherto kept his personal life under wraps. That life has been anything but ordinary. The night Yousuf Khan, the Pathan boy who would be India’s Tragedy King, was born in Kissa Khwani Bazaar, Peshawar, in 1922, a major fire broke out in the locality even as a severe blizzard raged. Dilip Kumar and drama have gone hand-in-hand ever since, and the book captures most of it in his own words.

The narrative is supplemented with a segment devoted to the impressions of his family and friends. But what will, perhaps, bother the reader is the mere “passing reference” to his liaisons with actresses such as Kamini Kaushal and Madhubala. While he does not harp about these incidents by saying, “it would be ungentlemanly to say more”, one cannot deny that the record has not been set straight on his personal life.

Similarly, the Asma episode, probably the greyest phase of the thespian’s life has also been given passing mention. But he gives an explanation for the same, too. Dilip Kumar’s reminiscences, as narrated to veteran journalist Udayatara Nayar, are low-key, matter-of-fact and measured. The actor writes: “…as Yousuf Khan, I am entitled to my privacy and the right to keep certain events in my life away from prying intruders… I do not revel in talking about my private life.” Considering that his natural impulse is to hold himself back a little, this autobiography would definitely leave Dilip Kumar’s fans asking for more. The Dilip Kumar- Saira Banu love story, which culminated in marriage in 1966, and is now poised on the cusp of a glorious golden jubilee, understandably receives detailed play in the book.

However, the way the book begins with eulogizing Saira Banu, the reader might feel that this could be a story of her life. This might irk some fans because the readers will find more weightage given to Saira and her side of the family, rather than Dilip Kumar’s estranged relatives. There could also be some narrated incidents that could cause a conflict in an informed Indian cinema aficionado. Dilip Kumar’s mentions that his wife Saira refused Dev Anand’s Guide, but those who have read Dev Anand’s autobiography and his own admission at various forums, would recall his own admission that Waheeda Rehman was always the first choice for Rosie.

Dilip Kumar is at his best when he discusses the craft of acting and how he devised his own signature approach to it and sorting out “the duality between the real and the unreal”. He acknowledges a debt to Ashok Kumar. “Ashok bhaia had hit upon the secret of ‘non-acting’ but he had a definite calculation in his mind when he performed and the arithmetic of that calculation was entirely his. I began to understand I would have to arrive at my own approach.” While he mentions his camaraderie with Raj Kapoor in lucid detail, he does not talk about his relationship with the third member of the triumvirate that ruled Hindi cinema in the 1950s – Dev Anand.

While the 445-page book reveals many unknown aspects of the multifaceted legend’s life – including dramatic utterances of Dilip’s intimate self, the meaning of his romanticism, the enlargement of his truth and the triumph of his vision of life – it could have carried more photographs from his life. His candour and the incidents he relates present various pictures of a connoisseur and man of parts. The “Reminiscences” section contains tributes, anecdotes or personal experiences written by 43 people who know Dilip Kumar intimately.

Pick up the book simply because it is the thespian talking – a heartfelt and compelling narrative – straight from the horse’s mouth – which reveals, for the first time, numerous unknown aspects of the life and times of one of the greatest legends. The book is unputdownable.