“You know, neither I nor Raj Kapoor or Dev Anand ever won a National Award for acting,” smiles Dilip Kumar. The thespian has just entered the Guinness World Records for being the only living Indian actor to have won the maximum number of awards. Preity Zinta will be interviewing the icon for a special television show on India produced by Guinness very soon.
Dilip Kumar explains, “Awards do mean a lot for any performer, writer or technician as it is the true reward for his cinematic creation. But I abhor the tendency to manipulate awards and play ‘yes man' to jury members.”
The suave performer has seen the ups and downs of Indian cinema in his glorious career spanning seven decades. Known for his dedication, intensity and versatility, Dilip Kumar has never promoted himself through unnecessary publicity. He says, “A gifted performer, director or a creative person need not stoop to boost his image. I strongly believe that merit and hard work will help me scale great heights.”
What does he feel about some of his performances in classics which are not as popular as some of his super hits? Smiling, Dilip Kumar says, “I am loved for my performances in Daag, Kohinoor, Mughal-E-Azam and Ganga Jumna . But I feel I did deliver my best in films such as Jogan, Footpath and Devdas . They were not such big successes. Yet, the viewers of niche films remember them and that's what I have achieved as an actor.” His perfect Bengali diction coupled with his brilliant acting in the Bengali classic, Paari, won acclaim from top Bengali actors such as Uttam Kumar and Soumitra Chatterjee.
About his performance opposite Amitabh Bachhan in Shakti where he outdid the mega star with his low-key dialogue delivery and subtle expressions, Dilip Kumar says, “ Shakti is remembered not only because of me; Amitabh Bachhan, Rakhee, Smita Patil and Amrish Puri equally contributed to making it a milestone.”
He did not accept the character of Ali in Lawrence Of Arabia though David Lean offered it first to him. He smiles, “It is history and well known that I was too occupied with Ganga Jumna and Paari when the offer came. I don't regret losing it as I feel Omar Sharif was excellent and far more convincing than I could have been as Ali.”
