When The Special  Interaction With Legend Dilip Kumar Gave A Sharp Turn To My Life

By the time I entered Bollywood as a cub reporter, unfortunately many  actors of the golden era were not alive or were living a retired life but I

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By Team Bollyy
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When The Special  Interaction With Legend Dilip Kumar Gave A Sharp Turn To My Life

Sulena Majumdar Arora

By the time I entered Bollywood as a cub reporter, unfortunately many  actors of the golden era were not alive or were living a retired life but I was still lucky to have interacted with the few living legends of the bygone era who carved a niche in my life. One of them is Dilip kumar. I had grown up feeding on Amitabh bachhan, Rajesh khanna,Vinod Khanna, Mithun Chakraverty's films and was not much aware of Dilip kumar's movies so  when I got an invitation to cover the shooting of film 'Saudagar' at Andheri Seth studio (which was quiet near my house) I was full of curiosity and reached the studio with lots of anticipations.The makeup rooms where situated in a row inside the air conditioned studio. On reaching there, I came to know from the receptionist at the lobby that Dilip Saheb was busy with his makeup in one of the makeup rooms. I waited in the lobby outside for Dilip Sahab to come out. When the shot was ready director Subhash Ghai himself came to fetch him and Dilip Sahab walked towards the set without paying a glance towards the people waiting outside his makeup room. I almost ran towards him and blocking his way I requested for an interview. I guess he got a bit annoyed and scolded, "this is not the way to ask for an interview, let me return, I'll talk to you later."  After finishing his shot when he saw me still waiting at the lobby he called me inside his makeup room and asked, "so , what is the matter?"  I repeated my request of interviewing him. He looked at me and asked, "what's your name?" Hearing my surname he again asked, "bengali?" When I nodded yes he said, "miss Majumdar, how much do you know about me?" I was caught unaware, I didn't expect this question and fumbled, " Sir, I know you are a living Legend." to this Dilip Sahab started taking my class. "'Do you know who had given me the name Dilip Kumar?"  I happily answered, "yes I know, Devika Rani."  "No," he interrupted, "go and first of all thoroughly do your homework before taking my interview. As of now, you may just sit down and observe everything." I sat down on the sofa. There were many people , directors, producers, senior reporters coming to meet him. Suddenly there was a Chaos at the door, on hearing that a struggler (actor) was arguing with the receptionist to let him meet Dilip Sahab, he let the man in. The young actor entered and tried to touch Dilip Sahab's feet, which he did not allow him to do and asked his name.  "Pradeep" he replied and began telling the sad story of his struggle in Bollywood. He requested him to recommend his name to some directors so that he can get work . Dilip sahab thought for a while and said, "how long can you survive in this industry on my recommendation.  What ever is written in your Naseeb (fate), you will surely achieve, wait for the right time. Remember nothing can happen before time and you can't achieve more than your Naseeb, you have to only work hard which is in your hand. I too achieved whatever was written in my Kismat and did not get what was not written in my Naseeb,  I was inclind towards Sports. Football was my favourite game, I used to take part in sports a lot, in my school and college but something else was written in my fate. That fine day, I was heading towards my home, waiting at the Churchgate station to board a local train and there I met with one of our old family friend Dr Masani, we got talking and I told him that I was looking for a decent job. He said he was working at Bombay Talkies studio and I can surely get a job from the owner of the studio Devika Rani. The gentleman asked me to accompany him to Malad at the studio. I thought I will manage to get an office job there but I never dreamt that I will be signed as a hero and great a a monthly salary of rupees 1,250, which was a princely  sum then, so that was in my fate."  Pradeep was listening to him mesmerized, I too was surprised that how Dilip Sahab, who was not ready for an interview was telling his life story to  a struggler. Dilip Sahab was quite for a moment, then he asked the man, "Are you Maharashtrian?" When Pradeep said yes, Dilip kumar started speaking in Marathi, I couldn't help but ask him, "oh, you can speak Marathi?"  "why not ?" he counter questioned, "I did my education in Nashik. I am living in Maharashtra from my childhood. By the way I also know Bengali but ektu ektu, (little little)." I surprisingly asked again, "but how sir?" Dilip Sahab laughed, "that is the reason I asked you to do your homework well before taking my interview, you don't even know that I acted in a Bengali film 'Sagina Mahato', of course way back before your birth." Just then lunch break was announced. The Legend invited us to join him but I politely said  that my house is near by  and I have to go home for my lunch,  dilip sahab did not listen. I observed that his lunch menu was elaborate, there was biryani, korma, kawab, and many more delicacies. Where as his  contemporary actors like Dev Anand and Ashok Kumar's lunch menu used to be simple like some dal, chawal, roti and boiled carrots, cauliflowers, beetroots, beans and curd. I again requested Dilip Sahab that my mom was waiting for me to have lunch with her. This time he agreed and said, "ok then just have a Sandwich." He called for some sandwich ingredients and with a child like innocent grin he said, "I have made an English sandwich, just taste and see, there was a time when I used to make lots of English sandwiches, actually I am a great foodie and also like to cook special dishes."  The sandwich was really superb. After the lunch was over, Pradeep thanked him profusely and said, "Sahab you have given me a new life and courage, I will work hard but please guide me how to remain in the good books of film directors and producers, what should I do to make them happy so that I can get regular work?" To this Dilip Sahab laughed and said, "just now I told you that whatever is in your fate is bound to happen, irrespective of your making anybody happy or not, I think you did not get my point, OK I will tell you a story to make you understand . One day the death (Yamraj) visited a man and said, "today is your last day." the man pleaded, "how can you do this to me, I am not yet ready."  death replied, "I am compelled to take you with me because your name is written at the top of my work list to be done."  The man thought for a while and said, "ok I am ready but before you take me with you, my last wish is to offer you a cup of coffee." Death agreed. The clever man mixed some sleeping pills in the coffee. After having the coffee, death felt fast asleep. The man silently took out the list from his pocket and rubbed off his name from the top of the death list and wrote it at the bottom. When the death woke up he told the man, "I am very happy with  your hospitality, so Now instead of starting my work from the top of the list I will start giving death to the name written at the bottom of the list." The story ends here but I hope you understood what I mean, that is why I tell everybody to only work hard and leave the rest to the destiny, my debut film 'jwar Bhata' was made beautifully and lavishly but it failed. From 1944 to 1947 nothing worked for me but in the year 1948, my film 'Jugnu' released and was such a big hit that I never looked back since then." The  soulful story narrated by the original Shahenshah of Bollywood engulfed me for quite some time, I was just 18 years old then but suddenly felt I had grown up. Life had taken a sharp turn. I was speechless and the struggler actor Pradeep, fell at his feet.

Today,  when the same story is being circulated through WhatsApp, I simply feel as if the time has come to a standstill and yes, later while doing my homework on Dilip Kumar, I got to know that the name Dilip Kumar was given to him by none other than the great literary writer Bhagwati Charan Verma.

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Tags: Bollywood, Bollywood News, Bollywood Updates, Television, Telly News, Dilip Kumar, The Legend

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