On being Dilip Kumar | I used to be troubled by the audiences’ adoration, and I felt like I was deceiving them in some way. I felt like a phony, and it was becoming a severe problem, so I sought psychiatric therapy. The issue was how to reconcile Dilip Kumar’s cinematic personality with my own.
Regarding filmmakers | The film’s director lives on a meager 15% of the box office take. Even yet, this is only a share if the picture is a hit. And how many of them are box office hits? Only 6 or 7 films out of 100 are box office hits… Do you know what happened to brilliant filmmakers like Bimal Roy and Mehboob? Bimal Roy died within 15 days of his house being attached. Mehboob died owing money. So did Debaki Bose .
Why he didn’t make another film after Ganga Jamuna | Finding lenders, dealing with them, paying exorbitant interest rates, and finally exposing oneself to the humiliation of censorship are all terrible experiences. Members of the Censor Board are unaware that, as a quasi-judicial body, they have a responsibility to the better filmmaker…my own film was on fire for almost six months.
On living with Saira Banu | I believe I am a spoiled spouse – she refers to me as Jaan…
We’ve never had a day-long dispute, and she’s put up with a lot of crap from me. You know, she’s a huge Dilip Kumar admirer, and seeing me up close hasn’t dampened her passion for the actor.
On the things he regrets | I’m sorry I never learned to sing since I like music. I did learn how to play the sitar, but only for a short time. I learned a little bit about a bunch of different topics. Finally, I’ve arrived at the conclusion that one must be a master in at least one skill. I’m only a jack of all crafts.
Regarding his work | It’s good if people think I’m a fantastic performer. But I disagree… Ingrid Bergman, Paul Muni, James Stewart, Robert de Niro, Dustin Hoffman are among the best.
