Dharmendra's Memories Of Dilip Kumar Include A Sweater Given By Him In The Sixties

Bollywood veteran Dharmendra, who co-starred with late actor Dilip Kumar in Bengali film Paari and its Hindi remake Anokha Milan, in an interview with NDTV, remembered Dilip Kumar, who died at the age of 98 in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday, after being admitted for a week there. "I'm extremely shocked. I think the whole world knows he was my brother. I just got up and came to know. I've been meaning to see Saira (Saira Banu, Dilip Kumar's wife) I'll go see her. I used to go to their house before becoming an actor just seeing the house one felt one has been on a pilgrimage." The actor added that he wishes to pay his last respects to his Anokha Milan co-star and added, "I wish somebody can make me meet him today. He was a great human being, not just a great actor. He used to love me very dearly. More than anybody else. I'm very upset, I will note able to talk much," said Dharmendra.

Dharmendra shared a post on social media and he wrote: "Extremely sad to lose my most affectionate brother in the industry. Jannat naseeb ho, humare Dilip Sahab ko."

Recalling his first ever meeting with the legendary actor, Dharmendra told NDTV, "When I went first met him, it was when I heard his sister Farida was working at Times of India. I quickly asked 'I want to meet Dilip sahib' so she said okay, she got me a meeting for 8:30 the next day and I could not wait for 8:30, felt like a 8 and 1/2 lifetime when I went and sat at his Pali hill home from 8:30 in the evening till 1:30."

He added that Dilip Kumar, sometime in the Sixties, gave him a sweater that, till date, remains one of his most prized possession. "Imagine our talks and with so much love he gave me a sweater to wear. It used to get nippy those days in 60s so I told him 'I will not return it, can I take it?' He happily gave it to me with a lot of love. Then we were shooting one day; he would tell me wear my suit and I told Saira 'I have got my own, will wear my own cause his are a little loose and I couldn't say no to him then I reminded him, 'Dilip sahib I took your sweater since nobody forgets if they have bought something nice' so he said, 'Yea I got 2 from Paris, one Nasir took and the other you took," he said.

The actor added that he wishes to write about Dilip Kumar someday. "I wonder how come we were not born from the same mother he would make me understand so many things. So many such fond memories. He is really my brother, as an actor he was par excellence. At this time I can't say more but when I meet you someday or I'll write about him because his memories will stay alive as long as I'm alive. His memories will surround me as a brother like a shadow," the Sholay actor added.

An emotional Dharmendra added that he and Dilip Kumar shared countless memories. Speaking of the actor's contribution to the Hindi cinema and his life, Dharmendra said, "I have 1000 of memories. I got so many things. I used to ask him for things I liked. He would give like a big brother. Many such things. He would tell me to stay strong and would say how God has given so much. He would ask me to take a break from the city. 'You should go out as you're from the village. It will be suffocating for you here in Mumbai. Go once a month to Lonavala.' He was such a nice man you can write a book on him."

The actor added, "Why do we meet someone? Why do we crave for someone because a human only craves a human. Not just an amazing actor but he was like very homely. Like a brother. It's very seldom our souls met one would wait to meet, to chat, we would eat food together at his house."