It’s been a long time coming. Film historians and critics courted Dilip Kumar for years in an attempt to get his approval to write his authorized biography but in vain. The reclusive actor, who will soon turn 92, may have chosen to narrate the narrative of his life in his own words because he was tired of the numerous articles and books that speculated about his career and life. And although perhaps being a little too polite, he does so with practiced elegance.
In this intriguingly named autobiography, the voice that comes through is calculated, obviously calibrated, and improbably serene.
Even when recalling the turbulent episodes, like as his romance with Madhubala while filming Mughal-e-Azam or the household unrest that occurred after his much younger wife Saira Banu moved into his Pali Hill home where he also resided with his mother and other siblings.
Sakina Aapa, as he refers to his domineering older unmarried sister, was the least hospitable, which is certainly why Dilip Kumar moved to his wife’s home next door, where her mother Naseem Banu, brother Sultan Khan, and his wife Rahat resided.
Even his vehement words directed towards some of his brothers are constantly couched in barely audible qualifiers.
Even if he must mouth extremely emotional or heated words, it is the same low-key voice you hear in his masterful movie performances. An accomplished raconteur is Dilip Kumar. However, I couldn’t get rid of the impression that Saira Banu was watching him when he spoke his memoirs to cinema writer Udayatara Nayar, who also happens to be a close and devoted friend of Saira Banu, over the course of many lengthy sessions and years.
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