Veteran
actor
Sharmila
Tagore
says
her
fondest
memories
of
Dilip
Kumar
are
from
the
icon's
off-screen
personality:
an
actor
who
wasn't
limited
by
his
stardom
to
stand
with
those
in
need.
Born
as
Yousuf
Khan
in
Peshawar,
now
in
Pakistani,
the
98-year-old
actor
passed
away
on
Wednesday
due
to
prolonged
illness.
Tagore,
who
worked
with
Kumar
in
the
1972
BR
Chopra
thriller
Dastaan
said
the
actor
was
forthright
in
setting
up
charity
events
and
leading
from
the
front
every
time
the
industry
needed
to
band
together
during
a
crisis.
"At
that
time,
the
industry
was
so
close
knit,
that
every
time
there
was
any
earthquake,
drought,
a
calamity
or
any
crisis,
the
industry
got
together
and
raised
money.
I
remember
Yousuf
sahab
taking
a
lead
role
in
all
these
activities.
He
was
like
a
leader.
So
many
times
we
would
meet
at
his
house,
all
the
big
stars
including
Rajendra
Kumar,
Dharmendra,
Shashi
Kapoor,
Sadhna...
He
would
preside
over
the
meetings.
We
would
automatically
listen
to
him.
He
had
that
command," Tagore
told
PTI.
The
actress
said
the
industry
didn't
respect
Kumar
simply
out
of
an
obligation
owing
to
his
stardom.
There
was
a
genuine
admiration
for
his
"volume
of
work."
He
could
create
magic
on
screen
with
the
same
ease
he
could
organise
an
all-star
cricket
match
for
charity.
Kumar,
as
Tagore
said,
was
a
man
who
"could
do
it
all."
Tagore
recalled
how
she
still
has
pictures
from
one
of
the
charity
cricket
matches
organised
by
Kumar,
in
which
her
late
husband
Mansoor
Ali
Khan
Pataudi
did
the
umpiring.
"I
remember
when
we
were
doing
Dastaan,
there
was
an
indoor
badminton
court
behind
BR
Chopra's
house.
He
would
play
there.
Once
I
tried
to
play
with
him
but
he
was
so
much
better!
He
could
play
chess,
badminton,
was
interested
in
cricket.
He
had
a
lot
to
talk
about
beyond
acting," Sharmila
told
the
news
agency.
The
76-year-old
actor's
first
meeting
with
Kumar
was
in
the
early
60s,
after
she
moved
to
Mumbai
to
film
her
Hindi
debut,
"Kashmir
Ki
Kali".
Kumar
was
the
"first
star"
Tagore
adored.
"He
was
such
a
legend.
I
was
so
keen
to
go
and
see
him.
Luckily,
I
met
his
sister
Saeeda
and
became
friends.
One
day
she
took
me
to
meet
him.
We
met
at
his
house
and
he
told
me
he
had
seen
my
Satyajit
Ray
films
and
found
me
very
good
in
the
films.
I
was
tongue
tied!
In
the
car,
I
had
rehearsed
so
much
of
what
all
I
would
tell
him
but
at
that
time,
I
could
not
say
anything.
He
spoke
in
English
and
Urdu
and
I
just
sat
like
a
fan.
He
wished
me
luck,
told
me
that
Bollywood
is
a
wonderful
industry,
acting
a
wonderful
profession.
'I
am
so
happy
you're
a
part
of
it,'
he
had
told
me," the
actor
recalled.
A
decade
later,
when
Tagore
got
the
opportunity
to
work
with
him
as
a
co-star
in
Dastaan,
even
the
limited
screen
time
in
the
film
could
not
stop
her
to
take
up
the
project.
"I
had
a
small
role
in
the
film
but
I
did
it
only
because
I
would
get
a
chance
to
work
with
him.
When
Chopra
sahab
asked
me
for
the
film,
I
told
him
'I
am
not
even
looking
at
the
script.'
"Yusuf
sahab
was
extremely
kind,
generous.
When
I
S
Johar
(actor)
would
talk
to
me
about
my
pronunciation,
Yusuf
sahab
would
say,
'No,
there's
nothing
wrong.
She's
speaking
her
lines
quite
well.'
He
was
the
best
we
had
seen
on-screen.
An
actor
par
excellence,"
she
was
quoted
as
saying.
Tagore
said
Kumar
had
an
earnest
approach
towards
his
craft,
never
treating
acting
as
a
money-minting
profession.
"He
did
one
film
at
a
time,
when
most
of
us
were
working
on
four-five
films.
Money
was
not
that
important
to
him
as
his
roles.
He
was
very
particular
about
his
characters
and
went
into
every
detail.
His
performances
still
remain
relevant.
Nobody
can
imitate
that.
"The
subcontinent
loved
him.
He
was
beyond
any
geographical
border.
He
got
Pakistan's
highest
award,
was
very
well
known
in
Bangladesh.
He
was
loved
across,"
Sharmila
told
the
news
agency.
Kumar's
passing
away
was
also
a
reminder
for
Tagore
of
the
time
when
he
wrote
her
a
handwritten
letter
after
the
death
of
Khan
Pataudi.
Tagore
said
she
will
cherish
the
letter,
just
like
Kumar's
memories.
She
said,
"I
know
he
was
ailing
for
a
long
time.
It
was
time
for
him
to
go.
I've
been
in
touch
with
Saira,
we
were
contemporaries.
She
often
writes
to
me,
she
has
been
there
for
me.
After
Tiger
passed
away,
Yousuf
sahab
wrote
a
lovely
hand
written
letter
which
I
will
always
cherish.
He
will
be
remembered
forever
and
would
hold
an
iconic
position
in
the
history
of
Indian
cinema."