Farida Jalal says she ‘couldn’t believe’ Dilip Kumar’s decency; tells the superstar would walk up to ‘boodha light man’ on set and sip tea from his saucer : Bollywood News

Last updated: 2024/06/13 at 3:10 PM

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Veteran actress Farida Jalal, who gained notoriety for her roles in Dilip Kumar and Rajesh Khanna’s films Aradhana and Gopi, described her divergent memories of the two movie stars. She shared how she thought Dilip Kumar was her brother, and although she thought Khanna was an “arrogant” man who mistreated her on set, she had nothing but good things to say about Kumar. The actress wept as she talked about his decency and remembered how he would give her harsh love during an interview.

Farida Jalal says she ‘couldn’t believe’ Dilip Kumar’s decency; tells the superstar would walk up to ‘boodha light man’ on set and sip tea from his saucer

in a conversation with Bollywood Bubble about her experiences on Gopi, she said, “I was a hardcore Dilip Kumar fan; him and Meena Kumari both. I still am. He’ll always remain in our hearts. When the offer for Gopi came, I knew that I had to do it. I learned so much from him during Gopi, both as an actor and as a human being. He was the kind of person who would spot an elderly light man drinking tea by himself, and say, ‘Why are you sitting alone?’ He’d go over and share the tea with him, and drink from his saucer. I couldn’t believe this.”

While continuing, Farida recalled how the legendary actor Dilip Kumar would scold her for not taking care of her appearance and putting on weight. He would also control her diet but would realise that he was being cruel and make allowances. “And he didn’t do it to make a fake impression, he didn’t do it for appearances. Some people did that as well. Nobody was looking. Only I was there. That’s who he was. There was nobody else like him. I considered him as my brother.”

“I still call him ‘bhaijaan’. He taught me that no matter how successful you become in life, it’s important to keep your feet firmly on the ground. Money will come and go, but the audience’s love and respect is forever,” she said.

However, she didn’t talk about Rajesh Khanna much. She said, “I would think this man is very proud, very arrogant. When I would ask for rehearsal, he would say ‘How many rehearsals?’ I was a newcomer. I felt very bad. I even said ‘How can you talk to me like that? I can ask for 10 rehearsals if I want’. We fought there; Sharmila ji intervened. She protected me, she would speak in my defence,” she concluded.

Also Read: SHOCKING! Farida Jalal questions Karan Johar’s loyalty after Yash Johar era films: “I don’t know what he’s like nowadays”