The Substance And The Shadow… An Autobiography of The Legend Dilip Kumar

“History of Indian cinema will be known before and after Dilip Kumar”, these are the words of one of the greatest actors Amitab Bachhan.

Recently an autobiography of  Dilip Kumar named ‘The Subsatance And The Shadow’was released in Mumbai. The much talked about book is a memoir of the journey of the most admired actor of Indian Cinema, Dilip Kumar.

Born in the city of Peshawar, Dilip Kumar left his home and came to Maharashtra to start a canteen.  The thespian actor was noticed by Devika Raani and he got his first break in Jwar bhata(1944).

A complete charmer, Dilip Kumar is one of those personalities whose charisma fails to fade away .Described as the ‘ultimate method actor’ by Satyajit Ray, Dilip Sahab has been honored with several prestigious awards including Padma bhushan, Dada Saheb Phalke award and Pakistan’s highest civilian award Nishan-E-Imtiaz.

In a career spanning nearly six decades he offered the Indian cinema with some of the most memorable movies including Aan, Madhumati ,Devdaas, Mughal-E –Azam, Kranti, Karma, Shakti and countless others.

The most alluring fact about this actor was the way he added life and distinctiveness to each character. Be it the character of Devdas of Devdas or Saleem of Mughal-E-Aazam his  dialogue delivery and facial expressions made every character so unique and every scene so captivating. The man of immense talent, Dilip Kumar hit the chords of every heart. He managed to depict arrogance and anger without being loud. He expressed emotional scenes perfectly without quiver in his voice.

His powerful dialogues even today continue to inspire the actors of all generations. “Kaun Kambaqht bardaasht karne ko peeta hai, mai to peeta hoon taaki saans le sakoon”, a dialogue from Devdas, so well expressed the desperation and angst of an unrequited lover.

No loudness, no overacting, his every word and expression made every scene so natural. An awe-inspiring personality Dilip Kumar has been quoted as the “Most humble and down to earth person” by his beautiful wife Saaira Bano.

The wide range of roles that he played and the uniqueness that he gave to every character is commendable. His genre of movies unveils the beauty of his vivid acting. The passionateAndaz, the valiant Aan, the highly dramatic Devdaas, the comical Aazaad and not to forget the historical romance of Mughale Aazam, every movie became remarkable with his mesmerising performance.

It would be unjust if I fail to mention one of the most noteable movies of Indian Cinema-Shakti that featured the two titans of Hindi Cinema. The Salim Javed written script brought Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachhan together for the first time. The film went on to win several awards and etched its mark as the greatest movies ever in the history of Indian cinema.

The memoir has been rightly titled as The Substance and The Shadow (with Yusuf Khan the substance and Dilip Kumar his shadow). It signifies the fact that just as one walks the shadow grows larger than the substance similarly Dilip kumar became lager than Yusuf Khan.

It is difficult to compile his promising and illustrious work in words. His contribution to Indian Cinema is exemplary. The thespian Dilip Kumar’s autobiography, The Substance and The Shadow penned down by one of his family friends, a writer and former journalist Udaya Tara Nayar is a complete treat for all the Dilip Kumar’s fans.