Dilip Kumar: The 'Kohinoor' that stayed in India

Whenever the conversation veered towards Indian cinema, my husband would ask my son, “hey, put on the video of Dilip Kumar and Noor Jehan."

The tête-à-tête between the two legends, Yusuf Saab and "Mallika-e- Tarannum", is one the most endearing exchanges that I have come across. It became a ritual in our household, played ad nauseam. And it was watched again on July 7, 2021, when the news of the thespian’s demise came in. This time with moist eyes and choked murmurs.

Kumar was a find of Devika Rani, who rechristened the young Muhammad Yusuf Khan Dilip Kumar, echoing the mood of the times. Herself a RADA product, she took him under her wings and the method actor who had no formal training set the near-impossible gold standard for histrionics in Indian cinematic firmament in the years to come.

The dashing 'Pathan', looking dapper in formal shirts and baggy trousers with the sweater casually tied around his neck set many a heart aflutter in Madhumati. The Bimal Roy classic with him as the hero, Pran as the villain and Jayanth in a character role set the scales unattainably high for cinematic excellence. His Howard Roark-ish (of Ayn Rand fame) on-screen persona made him the darling of the masses, especially with his female audience.

In K Asif’s magnum opus, Mughal-e Azam, his on-screen clash with another Peshawari, Prithviraj Kapoor was titanic and sparks flew, for everyone to see. Kapoor’s thunderous oration was perfectly foiled by Kumar’s nuanced brooding glances, quizzical looks, silences, a twitch here, a blink there. Though barely talking to the timeless Madhubala, his lady love in the movie due to the Naya Daur court case, their romantic chemistry was riveting, to say the least. “Tum mujhe yaad karte ho ya nahin? (Do you think of me?)” she asked him once when in hospital. “Agar yaad nahin karta, toh kaise aata tumhare bulane par (If I didn't remember you, how else did I come to see you when you called),” the affable star comforted the ailing diva and stayed with her for an hour, recounts Madhur Bhasin, Madhubala’s sister.

Kumar through his characters told the story of India as it unfolded after independence… The young nation’s tryst with destiny. He mirrored the aspirations and anxieties of every Indian, making him relatable.

“I can never forget his generosity in giving his time to help raise funds for SKMTH (the trust Pakistan PM Imran Khan set up in his mother’s memory) when the project was launched… his appearance in Pak and London helped raise huge amounts,” tweeted the Pakistan PM, remembering the veritable legend. The Padma Vibhushan awardee was probably the last of the cultural icons of pre-partitioned India, his heart beating for people on both sides of the border. He effortlessly transcended those man-made boundaries. The Kohinoor that, however, stayed in India.