Vyjayanthimala Bali, who was cast opposite the thespian in four of his landmark films – Devdas, Madhumati, Naya Daur and Ganga Jumna – says working with him was an education and an experience that forged a lifelong association.

“When Bimal da asked me to play Chandramukhi (for Devdas), I was in awe because I would be acting with the Tragedy King. But he made it very comfortable,” says Vyjayanthimala, who at 86 continues to pursue her passion for Bharatanatyam.

The first scene she enacted with him was simple enough. “The line was ‘Aur mat piyo Devdas’ (Don’t drink anymore, Devdas). I had to say it when Devdas walked in drunk. The camera was to capture Devdas and then follow him and turn its focus on me when I spoke that line with an expression of anguish and helplessness.”

She thought it would be easy. “As the technicians announced readiness to shoot and Bimal da looked at me to know if I was ready, I realised Dilip sahab was not on the sets. An assistant told me he was taking brisk rounds of the studio to get that tired, weary look and he had instructed them to start the camera when he would stagger in with beads of real sweat on his brow and a look of exhaustion.” 

Vyjayanthimala says that was the precise moment when she began to panic. “Here was an actor who took so much trouble to endow realism and here was me who had not done any preparation and was all set to face the camera. When it started and I saw the incredible perfection of Dilip sahab’s performance, all I could do was helplessly speak the line: ‘Aur mat piyo, Devdas’. The helpless look on my face was what Bimal da wanted.”

In ‘Madhumati’, he hears a voice and goes in search. A girl’s face emerges from the fog and he asks: “Who are you?” She replies, “Madhumati.” The scene was brilliant in the way it was conceived and performed, recalls Vyjayanthimala. “Dilip sahab always used his voice effectively, modulating it to the situation and the best moments in ‘Madhumati’ showed how well he used the texture of his soft voice to enhance the suspense and mystery.”

For him, she says, it was all about timing. “He said interaction is more important than action, ie, the way you react to the other character. And that the timing of any gesture – even a nod of the head – matters. I was able to do it because my Bharatanatyam foundation helped me emote and have quick reflexes,” she says.

Vyjayanthimala left the industry, but continued to share a bond with Saira Banu. She remembers the time when she met them in 2017. “I went to Mumbai with my son Suchindra to receive an award. Saira sent a car, and I visited Dilip sahab. He had attendants around him and Saira tried to coax him awake, saying, “See who has come, Dhanno (Vyjayanthimala’s character in ‘Ganga Jamuna’) has come. He opened his eyes, it was just a flicker. Saira asked me how he looked, and I said he looks as good as he did in ‘Madhumati’. I met them again in 2019 but he was very quiet.”

(Includes excerpts from Dilip Kumar: The Substance and The Shadow by Udaya Tara Nayar)