We all know Dilip Kumar, whose real name was Yusuf Khan, as the tragedy king of Hindi cinema. He was the top actor of his time and remains unmatched for his acting skills. Even today, some top actors from Bollywood try to emulate his performances. However, there is one incident narrated in his biography, “Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow,” which was described by Rishi Kapoor.
The incident occurred during the shooting of “Prem Rog” in 1982 when Raj Kapoor was directing. He became frustrated with Rishi Kapoor for not delivering the specific look he desired. Rishi Kapoor recalled this incident in his biography, stating, “I have three distinct memories from my adult years that I can share without reservations… The other memory is from a day in our studio [RK or Raj Kapoor Studio] when we were filming Prem Rog. I had to bring the intense expression of a despondent lover, and as hard as I was trying, Raj Kapoor, the director, was not getting the look he wanted, which was irritating him.”
Raj Kapoor then shouted at Rishi Kapoor in the presence of the entire unit, saying, “Mujhe Yusuf chahiye. I want you to give me the look Yusuf would have given in the situation. I want the look in his eyes when he expresses love, his intensity, his realism.” The unit fell silent, as nobody could believe that Raj Kapoor was referring to his professional rival, Dilip Kumar. Rishi Kapoor described it as the ultimate acknowledgment of Raj Kapoor’s respect and admiration for Dilip Kumar’s unmatched ability to portray love with all its agony and ecstasy. He questioned whether one would hear such statements of admiration between contemporary actors like Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan today.
Dilip Kumar’s prowess was not only acknowledged by the audience but also by his rival actors. When talking about his movies, he has cult classics to his name, including “Nadiya Ke Par” (1948), “Arzoo” (1950), “Daag” (1952), “Devdas” (1954), “Naya Daur” (1957), “Mughal-E-Azam” (1960), “Ram Aur Shyam” (1967), and “Karma” (1986).
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