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

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She continued, “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.” She recalled how the legendary actor 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.

“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. By contrast, she didn’t have too many positive things to say about Rajesh Khanna. “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 recalled.