Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah had written an op-ed article in Indian Express after the demise of Dilip Kumar. He wrote that Dilip Kumar didn’t contribute much to Indian cinema and wondered why he ‘chose to play safe’.
In an interview with SpotboyE, the actor said that he made those remarks after careful observations. He said, “Those who decided to take offense at what I said about Dilip Saab should have read the entire article and they would have realized that my praise, though conditional, for his acting chops was nothing less than glowing. I practically ran out of superlatives when describing his acting abilities. My ‘complaint’ had nothing to do with that at all. However, the reaction of people who choose to see meanings where there are none doesn’t bother me… I said what I had to say, and if I hadn’t meant it I wouldn’t have said it.” The only film in which the duo was seen together was ‘Karma’ by Subhash Ghai.
Naseer said that all the problems between him and Dilip were the media’s doing. “The supposed problems we had during the making of a film which I’d rather forget was all the invention of the media and some vested interests who made our working together sound like some sort of acting duel that was to take place when considering the nature of our respective roles. I actually didn’t stand a chance. All this fanned the non-existent flames when the fact was we hardly even met including in the scenes we had together. I don’t consider acting to be a contest or a game of one-upmanship and I was far from happy with all the talk of Dilip Kumar versus me. I have never denied that it was my childhood dream to act with and not opposite him,” he clarified.
In the Op-ed for Indian Express, Naseeruddin wrote, “He (Dilip Kumar) produced only one film, didn’t direct any (officially at least), never passed on the benefit of his experience, didn’t bother to groom anyone, and apart from his pre-1970s performances, left behind no significant lessons for future actors; even his autobiography is but a rehash of old interviews.”
Actor Dilip Kumar took his last breath on July 7 at Hinduja hospital, Mumbai.
