Late actor Dilip Kumar had written his autobiography, Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow. In the book, he mentioned an incident with Raj Kapoor. Dilip Kumar visited actor Raj Kapoor when he was admitted to the hospital. Raj’s son, Rishi Kapoor, described the entire incident as a note in the autobiography.
Rishi wrote, “Papa was in coma and we knew the end was near. Yusuf Uncle was in Pakistan to attend a felicitation by the president when papa was shifted to Apollo hospital in Delhi where he had suffered a cardiac stroke.”
“The day Yusuf Uncle returned to Mumbai he took a flight to Delhi and rushed to the hospital. I remember very clearly how he walked into the room where papa was lying unconscious and drew a chair close to the bed on which he sat holding papa’s hand. He began telling papa, ‘Raj, aaj bhi main der se aaya. Maaf kar de mujhe (I am sorry I came late even today; forgive me)’,” he said.
“I know you like to be in the limelight and have all the attention on you. Enough is enough. Get up and sit and listen to me. I have just come back from Peshawar and I have brought back the aroma of chapli kebabs to tempt you. You and I will go together and we will walk through the bazaar-like we used to and enjoy the kebabs and rotis. Raj, wake up and stop acting. I know you are a great actor. Raj, mainu le jana hai tusi Peshawar de ghar de aangan wich.’ (You have to take me with you to the courtyard of the house in Peshawar). His voice was now choking and tears were brimming over from his eyes as he spoke,” he also wrote
“Randhir (Rishi Kapoor’s elder brother) and I stood still and mute. I can never erase the memory of Yusuf Uncle’s plaintive appeal and the way he left the room reluctantly, turning back at the door to take one last look at his dearest friend lying unconscious on the bed,” Rishi added.
Dilip Kumar took his last breath on Wednesday morning, in Hinduja hospital, Mumbai.
