Veteran actor shows Old is gold

His dialogues set the screen on fire. But Bollywood thespian Dilip Kumar showed some TV reporters last week that he has not lost his touch.

Outside South Block, where he had come to meet Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma, an over-enthusiastic TV reporter sought his reaction on the alleged divide over Pakistani artists in the Hindi film industry. Kumar, visibly perturbed, first asked the reporters to name a few Bollywood stars who wanted Pakistani artists to pack off from Mumbai. The reporter could recall only two relatively young singers. But that was not enough for the Bollywood legend, who was born in Peshawar, which is now in Pakistan, and has received Pakistan’s highest civilian honour, Nishan-e-Imtiaz. “Who are these people to decide who will work here?” he asked in grave tones.

Sensing more trouble, wife Saira Banu started pleading with Kumar to leave, but the hero stood firm: “No,” Kumar boldly said, “When questions have been asked, answers will be given.” Instead of apologising and withdrawing his question, the reporter insisted he was right, that there were “many” people in Bollywood who wanted Pakistani artists to be sent back.

The best dialogue was reserved as a parting gift. “Pichhle jumme mein kuchh logon ka janam hua tha. Aaj unki umar aath din ki hogi. Kya aap unme se to nehin hai?” (A few people were born last Friday. They are eight-day-old today. Are you one of them?)