Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and actor Dharmendra pay their last respects to Dilip Kumar at the latter’s Pali Hill residence on Wednesday

It’s hard to believe that Dilip Kumar ji - Yusuf  saab to all of us - is no more. He was to me like elder brother, a friend and guide.

My first meeting with Yusuf saab was on a suburban train. This was years ago—I think, in 1946 or ’47. I, Anil da (music director Anil Biswas) and one of his assistants were on our way to Malad. A tall, young man hopped into the compartment at Bandra. Anil da asked him to join us. ‘Yeh ladki kaun hai?” (Who is this girl?) he asked. Anil da introduced me, saying, “This is a young playback singer, she is very good. She is a Maharashtrian.” Yusuf saab remarked jokingly, “Maharashtrians are hardly well-versed in Urdu. Their Urdu ‘talaffuz’ (pronunciation) smells of ‘daalbhaat’.”

That very day I asked (music director) Mohammad Shafi saab if he could look for an Urdu tutor for me. Today, when someone praises my Urdu ‘talaffuz’ I quietly thank Yusuf saab. His light-hearted remark made me study a beautiful language. Yusuf saab’s Urdu was impeccable, music to the ears. We would often bump into each other, and he would greet me with affection. Whenever I touched his feet, he would say, ‘ Jeeti raho, khush raho (Live a long, happy life)’.

I’ve seen most of Yusuf saab’s films—‘Deedar’, ‘Madhumati’, ‘Aan’, ‘Daag’, ‘Yahudi’, ‘Aadmi’...almost all—in cinema halls. I would go along with my sisters to Liberty, Roxy, Opera House to see films. Watching Yusuf saab on the silver screen was a fascinating experience. His sheer presence on celluloid was magnetic: a heady mix - grace, style, dignity and acting abilities; his faraway, brooding glances said it all.

Yusuf saab sang with me in ‘Musafir’, a Hrishikesh Mukherjee film. It was Hrishi da’s brainwave to ask Yusuf saab to sing a duet with me. Salil da (music director) put him through the paces. Yusuf saab began in the true tradition of classical music — aalaap, taan and so forth. He sang to his heart’s content and then we recorded the song. And I must tell you that people liked ‘Laagi naahi chchute raam...’. Connoisseurs remember the song to this day.

I had my first concert in London in 1974. I requested Yusuf saab if he would be there at the iconic Royal Albert auditorium to introduce me to the audience. He readily agreed. In his brilliant speech, he described me as his “little sister”. I used to tie a raakhi on his hand on Raksha Bandhan Day every year.

Over the years Yusuf saab’s health began to deteriorate. I had a strong urge to meet him. My niece Rachana (Shah) accompanied me to his Pali Hill residence. This was in December 2014. Saira ji (Dilip Kumar’s wife) took me to Yusuf saab’s room. We all knew that his memory was fast fading. But, he hardly took any time to recognise me. He smiled and said, “Come in.” A big chair, saddled with a gadda, was meant for him; but he insisted on sitting on a sofa, next to me. When food was brought in, I fed him ‘maalpuwa’ and paneer tikka. He ate heartily—and smiled. When I reminded him of the ‘Musafir’ song, he grinned. A big, happy grin.

(As told to Ambarish Mishra)