I am often asked inquisitively at interactive get-togethers whether it is true that Saira Banu dreamed of marrying Dilip Kumar — the first real superstar of Indian cinema. [After all], he was the most successful star and eligible bachelor in the entertainment industry [in the ’60s]. As a friend, who has had the privilege of knowing [Banu] closely, I know that it is not true. I make it a point to correct the notion,  Saira Banu began to dream of becoming Mrs Yusuf Khan when she was 12-years-old, still schooling in London. Her only link with Indian cinema then were the posters in the window of an Indian shop that invited her gaze while she walked to school. Her mother, Naseem Banu, the first ever beauty queen of Indian cinema, had consciously kept her away from the film world and its magnetic draw in the hope that her daughter would choose an occupation that guaranteed security and social esteem.

One afternoon, as usual, when Banu stopped to gaze at the shop window, she saw a poster of Aan [1952]. She looked into the intense, expressive eyes of the hero in the film’s credits and stood riveted and mesmerised. She knew he was the star of the highly successful Indian movie that was drawing full houses in the city but nothing more. He was handsome and had a touch of class that no other man she had seen had. Nor did she know that in real life he was Yusuf Khan and a colleague of her mother. The one thing she knew for sure was that she wanted to marry him when she was old enough. It was love at first sight. From then on, during every namaaz when she prayed for the well-being of her family members, she added a secret dua to fulfil her wish to marry Kumar. Her prayer was answered in 1966 when she achieved stardom with her debut film, Junglee. After a whirlwind courtship lasting maybe two weeks, Kumar surprised his colleagues and fans by announcing his decision to marry Banu, who was 23 years younger and the only top leading lady he had consistently refused to work with. The marriage was solemnised on October 11.

I was a new journalist then and had had the rare privilege of interviewing Kumar for Screen [film publication]. Not surprisingly, I was not an invitee to the grand event. [Post the wedding], the couple went off to Madras to combine holiday with work as Kumar was shooting for Ram Aur Shyam [1967] at Vijaya Vauhini studios. While Kumar continued filming in Madras, Banu returned to Mumbai to resume work on the film Jhuk Gaya Aasman. I was assigned to write a mini interview of Banu about her new status as Kumar’s wife. My seniors warned me that it would not be easy to meet her. She was haughty, aloof, and acted pricey when media persons tried to engage her in conversation. I met Banu in her make-up room at R K Studios without any difficulty and we became instant friends.

As a close friend, I began to witness the happy couple’s contented life and their joys that lit up Banu’s bungalow. Alongside, I could also sense the increasing maturity with which she began coping with the challenge of being the wife of an internationally admired actor idolised by millions.

After a couple of years, I noticed that Banu was no longer happy working shift after shift. Unlike Dilip saab, who worked in one film at a time, Banu, like all her contemporaries, was working in two or three movies simultaneously. It didn’t take much contemplation for her to tell her mother that it was time for her to bring the curtain down on her flourishing career. It was evident to all of those who understood Banu well that her decision had much to do with understanding of her husband’s needs. She had quickly realised with joy and pleasure that she was married to a man, who was larger than life as a screen personality, but in his real life, he was a child-like man who enjoyed the simple pleasures of life and above all, loved to spend time with the family. She happily chose to be just his wife — taking care of him, traveling with him to places he loved such as the wild life sanctuaries, keeping his tailor busy making the white full-sleeved shirts by the dozen, hunting for skilled cobblers to make the shoes he liked, organising lunch or tea  or dinner at short notice for guests.

For over five decades now, I have observed and learned from Banu what it takes for a wife to preserve the romance of the youthful years of a marriage and nourish the relationship in the later years with it. If it was a bracing game of badminton that they enjoyed in their youthful days, it was a quiet dinner at home with soft music playing in the background now. If it was a long drive in the night to Haji Ali’s juice centre to share a sitaphal ice-cream that Dilip saab loved then, now it was a slow and short drive around Bandra holding hands and watching the bustle and the grinning faces of passersby who stop to wave out to the all time icon of Indian cinema. The best thing about the couple’s enduring togetherness was the contentment of being with each other. Whenever Banu said, ‘We have no regrets about not having kids’, I knew she was telling the truth. She was not just a dutiful wife — she was a mother, friend, an ardent fan, and the only one who prayed for his wellness unfailingly.

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)

Dilip Kumar who turned 93 on December 11, was presented on Sunday with the second highest civilian award by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh who described him as a “precious gem.“

The minister pointed out that the thespian was to receive the honour announced on Republic Day, at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in April. “But due to ill health, he could not attend that ceremony. And hence, I have come to Mumbai today to deliver the Padma Vibhushan on behalf of the President of India,“ said Singh as he handed over the medal, citation and shawl, adding that the prime minister had per sonally urged him to make the trip.

Present on the occasion were other political big-wigs, including the Governor of Maharashtra, Ch Vidyasagar Rao, state Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, BJP-SAI spokesperson Shaina NC and President of the BJP's Mumbai unit, Ashish Shelar. The actor was also surrounded by his wife Saira Banu, her brother Sultan Ahmed, who came with his son Rehaan and grandsons, and Saira's niece Shaheen, who was accompanied by her daughter Sayessha. Filmmaker Subhash Ghai was the first to tweet, “Thank you BJP government for honouring legend of legends Dilip Kumar with Padma Vibhushan finally. He deserved it long back.“ The award was presented to him at 2 pm. “For Saira, it was an emotional moment. She treasures all the awards he has received and she had been waiting for this one. She kissed him tenderly on the forehead,“ informs close associate and former editor Udaya Tara Nayar, who has worked with Saira on the legendary actor's biography Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow, a copy of which was presented to the dignitaries. They were at the veteran's Bandra residence for over two hours and enjoyed the high tea which included sandwiches, paneer rolls and different sweets.

The man of the moment was dapper in a dark suit and had e Shaina NC exclaiming later in the evening, “He was looking superb, in my opinion he is one of the best dressed men in the country. I've seen him since I was a child as he was friendly with my parents. It was a moment of pride for not just his family but every Mumbaikar. Rajnath Singhji wanted to acknowledge his contribution to cinema, spanning over six decades, so he came down from Delhi to felicitate him.“

Dilip Kumar was quiet, smiled occasionally and at times, overcome with emotion, shut his eyes. “It's a great honour and I am the proudest wife, but for him material things do not matter. He is a simple man, down-to-earth,“ admitted the beaming 71-year-old Saira, revealing how he had scared her when he wanted to retire after Ram Aur Shyam and how she might never have got a chance to marry him if he'd done David Lean's Taj Mahal with Elizabeth Taylor.

Nayar recalled how the actor had often told her that for him the biggest award was a common man walking up, reaching for his hand or hugging him emotionally, and going on to say how much he had enjoyed a Gunga Jumna, Naya Daur or Mughal-e-Azam. “The warmth of that hand or the hug was his most precious award,“ she pointed out, adding that many of the dignitaries present had watched Dilip Kumar films in their youth and were raving about how much they had loved his performances. “That made him happy.“ Dilip Kumar has previously been felicitated with the Padma Bhushan (1991) and the Dadasaheb Phalke (1994) awards.

Looks like his fans and family's blessings made it happen. At the time of going to press, we were told that Dilip Kumar was discharged from the hospital on Thursday (December 11), which happened to be his 92nd birthday. A friend said that the thespian had returned home in the afternoon.

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Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 12, 2014)

Dilip Kumar, who was hospitalised last Saturday following a persistent bout of cough, cold and fever which was diagnosed as bronchopneunomia, brought in his 92nd birthday at home.

Udaya Tara Nayar, his close family friend and the compiler of his biography Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow, informed Mirror that the veteran actor, who had been making good progress, was informed by the doctor the previous evening that he would be discharged at 1 pm on Thursday.

"When I arrived at the hospital at 12 noon, he was all dressed up and ready to leave. He was wearing a pink shirt and the pink was back in his cheeks. He looked healthy and happy," Nayar smiles.

People had started wishing him from early morning. "A huge bouquet with a beautiful note arrived from Amitabh Bachchan. Dharmendra called from Jalandhar. He kept referring to himself as Dilip saab's chhota bhai and this made him smile," says Nayar.

A bunch of media persons were waiting for him outside the hospital and as soon as they saw him they started singing Happy Birthday. And this made him smile even more. "The treatment wil continue, but now he doesn't have to be on an IV drip anymore. He can be administered antibiotics orally," informs Nayar.

His wife, Saira Banu, speaking to Mirror on Sunday had said fervently, "Inshaallah, he should be fine soon." Her prayers were answered.

Dilip Kumar is back home with her. And she celebrated his birthday with a quiet dinner at home with family and a few select friends.

Dilip Kumar who was hospitalised on Saturday night and diagnosed with bronchopneumonia, is responding well to treatment. Senior physician Dr. Jalil Parkar, who is treating the thespian, told Mirror, “On day one, he had cough, cold and breathing problems. But he is much better now. He is not in the ICU, he never was. We have put him in a VIP suite and we are giving him antibiotics intravenously.“ A much relieved Saira Banu informed that though he had been administered antibiotics orally while he was at home, the IV drip seems to have done him a lot of good. “Inshallah, he should be fine soon,“ she said.

Udaya Tara Nayar, a family friend of the 91-year-old actor and the compiler of his autobiography, Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow, told Mirror that he had been unwell for the past couple of days, which Saira attributed to the change in weather. But when the cough and cold persisted, she shifted him to Lilavati hospital on the physician's advice and the 91-year-old was diagnosed with pneumonia.

“His temperature was normal today and he seems much better. He smiled at me and said hello,“ Nayar said. “He is making good progress and we hope that he will be discharged in a couple of days.“

Do we really spare a thought for our child artistes? Not really, not even the government gives them a thought. Filmmaker Amole Gupte, chief of the Children Film Society of India (CFSI), wrote a letter to the government and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights requesting that a law be implemented on working conditions of child artistes in television and cinema. It’s been months since the letter was sent, but there’s been no reply from the government.

Implement rules
Says Gupte, “There is a law for child labour, but one needs to have a law for child artistes like there is in European and other Western countries. I would like the rules to be like the Animal Welfare Board today — you don’t get a certificate if the rules are not followed. I am grateful to Maneka Gandhi for getting this rule implemented. Until there is a law, nobody is going to listen.”

Gupte adds, “There have been instances when a child actor was made to ride a camel in the desert and water and biscuits would be passed to him. You claim to make a film on children, but in reality you don’t really care. In small screen reality shows, children are made to work for 12 hours.’’

He adds, “Child artistes should not be allowed to shoot for more than four hours a day and must shoot only on holidays. I have had self-imposed rules. I have made two films and worked with more than 2,000 children, but they have not missed even a single hour of school.’’

Counter-view
Director-choreographer Ahmed Khan however does not share Gupte’s views. “We should not make films with children at all then. I remember when I was cast in Mr India, my school principal threw a fit. He just didn’t allow me to shoot. Besides, I could not cut my hair because of continuity issue, but it was my father Yusuf Khan who came to my rescue, as he was a jockey. My principal used to go to the races and that helped me,” he recalls.

When told that the show he judges, Dance India Dance — L’il Masters, has children shoot from 9 am to 9 pm, Khan says, “The child only performs for about two-and-a-half minutes, the rest of the time he is relaxing. They get proper breaks from time to time.’’

Khan, who has been a child star, does see a change. He said, “The change that I now see is in the parents; they have become professional. They instruct their children not to not talk to some people on the sets, which was not the case when we were child artistes.”



Nothing childlike
Another area of concern is of children mouthing dialogues that don’t really suit their age. That is not new to the film industry. Writer Udaya Tara Nayar says, “The dialogues of yesteryear child actors such as Daisy Irani, Master Mayur and Master Alankar were simply not what a child of their age would speak. They were nowhere close to reality and certainly not ideal for children. Junior Mehmood, probably, was considered to be one child actor who got the most mature dialogues in the 1960s.’’



Junior Mehmood (left), who makes Marathi films today, adds, “I was gifted, so maybe the way I presented it appeared mature. Otherwise I don’t think I ever had dialogues that were more mature. There is hardly anything for kids in films barring a Taare Zameen Par. I don’t really remember any other films, but yes, I do see oversmart kids on TV. I don’t think they can last long. Today the child is no longer a child, he is like an adult so is treated like one, which I think is sad. I did miss out on my childhood as I used to be surrounded by adults all the time. But there was always a cricket kit in my car. That innocence is not there anymore. I do agree that we didn’t have the facilities that the children of today have but there was a lot of love and care.’’

Saloni Daini, who became popular with the role of Gangubai in the reality show Comedy Circus, mouths dialogues which don’t suit her age. But her mother Samyukta gets upset when such allegations are made against her daughter. She says, “It is not fair to the child. She is so talented. Why don’t people talk about that instead of finding faults?’’ However she did agree that there are few occasions when mature dialogues were given to her, and she made the director change them.’’

Breadwinners
When told that the CFSI chief Amole Gupte wants the government to cut down on the working hours of children and not allow school to give children long leaves for film or television shoots, Junior Mehmood said, “It is a good thing, but I really don’t know if those children are interested in studying or they spend so many hous working because he or she may be the breadwinner.”

Mehmood adds, “I got into films because of curiosity. My brother used to be a photographer and I started work as an extra and earned Rs 2 per day. That was in 1966.’’

Even Saloni’s mother agrees. She says, “My daughter worked in a reality show and shot two episodes in a week, but we did end up spending nearly 12 hours on the sets as there are other factors involved that add to the delay of the shoot.’’

Time control
Ruhanika Dhawan (left) who plays Ruhi in Ekta Kapoor’s serial, Yeh Hai Mohabatein, shoots after school. Her mother Dolly says, “My daughter only shoots from 5 pm to 9 pm in the evening and it is the contract we have signed with Balaji Telefilms. She studies in an IGSC school and they don’t allow any holiday. But I have seen other children shooting for longer hours and parents not complaining. I am glad that Amole Gupte is trying to bring in some regulation with working conditions of child actors.’’

Khan says that parents pressurise their child to perform and succeed, which is a bit too much and it angers him sometimes. Some parents have also visited Gupte and complained to him. According to them, more than feeling hungry, the children want enough rest and sleep. Gupte cites an example of a failure which troubles him even today. He said, “I remember the parents of a blind child from Indore taking part in Sa Re Ga Ma. The shooting was in an non A/C studio and he was supposed to sing in front of Suresh Wadkar who he considered his guru. The child’s turn to sing came only at 2 am and the 11-year-old couldn’t perform.’’ There are several cases of children sinking to depression after failure.

Setting guidelines
Swati Popat Vats of Early Childhood Association has drawn out a draft for children working in films and television serials. The association intends to meet various film associations and wants them to implement it. Some of the points ECU has highlighted are child artistes should not miss school for more than 10 days in an academic year for work. A copy of the contract signed with the entertainment company should be submitted to the school and the ECA.

Thus, the school is aware about the terms and conditions, and can check whether the child is being taken advantage of. Child artistes should not be made to work for more than six hours in a day. They should work strictly between 10 am to 5 pm. An expert in child development issues should be part of the unit. Child–friendly make-up and lights should be used during the shoots, so that it does not harm the child’s eyes or skin. There should be no violation of child rights such as doing away with the lunch break. A policy against child abuse should be in place. The child should not be involved in lewd songs.

Gupte adds, “There should be a clause where a child should be not be allowed to get close to people. Affection can be expressed through eyes. One does not necessarily need to hold or cuddle a child. A safe distance needs to be maintained. A child needs to be escorted and not left alone in a vanity van. There is a sick world out there and we all know it.’’

Exploitation
There are others such as documentary filmmaker Dilip Ghosh who made the award-winning film, Children Of The Silver Screen, who feels there is no proper internal governing body that looks into the working of children in cinema and television.

Ghosh says, “There is no particular law or association looking into this. The concern towards children seems to be missing as even parents are not bothered. Children also tend to get starry eyed. I have seen parents push the children over a limit. I agree that one cannot avoid having children in a film but they are being overburdened by shoots as well as studies. I was shooting a commercial for a toothpaste which was to be dubbed in many languages and it had to done by a child. The eight-year-old kid couldn’t get it right and after about the 25th take, he screamed saying, “I cannot do it.” The mother came rushing to me saying, ‘Sorry sir, my child is wasting your time. I will make sure she gets it right.’”

Ghosh recalls how she screamed at the child. Upset over such behaviour, Ghosh threatened to drop the child from the role if she behaved badly with the kid. “It was sad to see how parent slave drive their kids to the point of insanity,” he adds.

One has been an eyewitness to how a three-year-old child was made to cry for a scene in a film starring actor Sanjay Dutt. With Dutt holding the baby in his arms, a chocolate was given to the child. Just when the camera got rolling, one of the assistant directors of the film snatched the chocolate from the baby, which resulted in the baby crying and the director got his shot.



Parth Bhalerao, 15, who featured in Nitesh Tiwari’s film Bhootnath Returns feels that children under 14 should not be made to work for long hours. He recalls an incident with him and other child actors in his Marathi film Khalti Doke Varti Paay. He says, “We were made to drink tea and some energiser to keep us awake. We used to shoot till 4 am. In Bhootnath Returns, I would shoot for 12 hours. My school was more than happy to give me leave.’’

Tiwari says, “While the intentions are noble, we need to look at it from two different point of views. It’s possible and practical to stick to such regulations if you are making a film with kids minus big names. We did that in Chillar Party. We shot it mostly in summer vacations and as we had 10 kids, we scheduled it in such a way that no kid had to work really hard. But we could do it because the script allowed us to do so. Not all scripts will allow you such flexibility.”

He adds, “What happens when you have a star in your film along with a kid? If the kid shoots only after school hours or during vacations or only for five hours a day, how would the dates and more importantly, the economics work out? It might lead to a less efficient scheduling and more number of shooting days which has a direct implication on the cost of the film. As such, there is a dearth of films for children and if the economics too don’t make sense, then I am not sure how many producers would be willing to make such films. We might end up in a situation where children’s films will be restricted to only a particular type of genre or without any stars playing a prominent role in them.”

Gupte has already addressed about 1,000 school principals with the plea that children should not be given holidays for shootings; he is now planning to write to them, too.