Artistes from Amritsar remember the legend Dilip Kumar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 7

Dilip Kumar, who passed away after a prolonged illness on Wednesday morning, was paid tributes by the artistes from Amritsar at a special commemoration hosted at Virsa Vihar.

Eminent theatre artistes including Kewal Dhaliwal, Arvinder Chamak and others remembered the legendary actor of Indian cinema, who was called the ultimate method actor by another legend of Indian cinema — Satyajit Ray.

“The fact that he had roots in both India and Pakistan, as he was born in Peshawar, made him immensely loved and respected by people from both countries. Once in 1982, he conducted an interview with Noorjahan, when she was in Bombay. A rare conversation took place between the two great artistes in Punjabi. Even at social gatherings with Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar preferred to speak in Punjabi,” said Kewal Dhaliwal, who is also a theatre historian. Dilip Kumar had also attended plays by noted playwright Gursharan Singh, whenever he performed in Bombay.

Arvinder Chamak, who had once visited Dilip Kumar’s residence in Bombay, while helping a friend from Pakistan in his research on the late actor’s roots in Peshawar, said he was bowled over by the humility and hospitality of Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu.

“Their hospitality was well-known. Anybody who visited them was treated with warmth and love. I met him a few years ago and we spoke briefly about cinema and his memories of Pakistan. I feel grateful that I got to meet him in my lifetime,” said Chamak.

Another actor couple from Amritsar, BP Singh and Ekta BP Singh, too, were good acquaintances of Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu. “My late husband, who was a theatre artiste, was working as the manager at a bank where Dilip ji had an account. In early 2000, Dilip ji met my husband and they clicked over their love for cinema and theatre. I was young and trying my luck in films at that time and once we visited Dilip ji at his home, he shared tips on how I needed to transform myself to fit into the filmi world,” said Ekta, who is an actor settled in Mumbai now.

“The first thing he asked me to do was to cut my hair short, as being a Punjabi girl, I had very long hair,” she said.