Dilip Kumar's Classy Reply To Claims That Shah Rukh Khan And Amitabh Bachchan Imitate Him [Flashback]

If there's one thing common between superstar Shah Rukh Khan and megastar Amitabh Bachchan, it's the fact that both of them idolise Dilip Kumar. In several interviews, both Amitabh and Shah Rukh had admitted that actor Dilip Kumar is their idol and they look up to him. Yesterday (July 7), when the yesteryear actor breathed his last, both SRK and Big B made their presence felt at the last journey of the Naya Daur actor. On one side, Shah Rukh was seen consoling Saira Banu while on the other side, Amitabh Bachchan, along with his son Abhishek Bachchan attended the funeral of Dilip Kumar.

As the nation continues to mourn the loss of the thespian, we bring to you a throwback interview of Dilip Kumar wherein he had reacted to the claims of Shah Rukh and Amitabh imitating him in their work.

When Dilip Kumar was asked if he believes that Bachchan and Khan are the extensions of the 'Dilip Kumar phenomenon', he had said, "I believe Amitabh is an accomplished and complete actor. Shah Rukh is extremely popular I understand. I'm not aware whether they have copied me. Generally speaking, it becomes easy for a serious actor to take a reference from a work he has liked and build on it. It should not be termed as copying or imitating. That's what mimics do for a living."

Dilip Kumar's reply was not only classy, but every bit legendary. Despite being senior to both Amitabh and Shah Rukh, the actor showed respect towards them and praised them in his own intelligent way.