In his own country, Act-II

Kumar’s presence also means he has re-connected with Mumbai afterentertaining thoughts of moving out when bete-noire, the Shiv Sena, harassed him first over the film Fire and more recently over the propriety of keeping Pakistan’s Nishan-e-Imtiaz award. Anger against the Sena is palpable but carefully concealed in his speeches. In fact, he does not even mention the party or its leader by name. But the areas he has visited are mostly those devastated by the communal riots in 92-93 in the wake of Babri Masjid demolition- Cheetah Camp, Govandi, Dongri, even Kherwadi, considered Sena-land.

“Aren’t my cheeks pink and glowing?” he asks the 5,000-strong crowd at Cheetah Camp. “Yahi raunak inke chehre per bhi hai. Inhe zaroor vote dijiye,” he says pointing towards Congress candidate Gurudas Kamat and assembly candidate Sohail Ashraf. Then, he turns melodramatic: “Pachaas saal meine aapki khidmat ki hai, ki hai ki nahin?”. Lusty cheers from the crowd. “Aaj mein mera haq mangta hoon.” says Kumar, “If you really love me, vote for the Congress.”

Then, the impeccablemanners that further woo the crowds. Minutes into his speech that’s a mix of Hindi and Urdu, the azaan call wafts from the mosque nearby. He pauses. Men and women in these Muslim dominated areas cover their heads. Silence falls on the thousands gathered on the roads and hanging from balconies. It’s a gesture but a well-thought-out one. The crowd is entirely his now.

The azaan over, he quotes verses from the Quran on the oneness of God, telling people that the Prophet too asked them to believe in leaders who treat everyone equally. “If there is any party that is capable of doing this, it is the Congress which is secular to its core and has served us for years. You have seen how governments led by other parties keep collapsing because of sheer incompetence. The BJP came to power on a Hindutva card.

Today, it has watered down its stand. What do we make out of this?,” he asks. Kargil gets a brief mention in some areas: “They (the BJP) are claiming it a victory but it’s baseless talk,” he adds recallingthe pain and costs of war that neither country can afford.

But age has caught up. He tires easily, refers to clue-cards and requests correction. At one point, he asked Kamat if his facts were correct. The audience is hardly bothered. His Quranic quotes inspire awe, shairis evoke the customary wah-wahs, cheers greet his pregnant pauses. At every location, there’s a stampede to get closer to him. When he wants, Johnny Walker takes over and the mood carries on, albeit with more humour.

Still, the actor in him emerges. His speech content is similar but the emphasis and delivery differs from place to place. In Dongri, he calls Vajpayee “secular Nizam” and “fatwas from Nagpur” for the RSS headquarters. In Govandi, where he faces a mixed gathering, he allows more time for Walker whose jokes has the audience in splits. In Chembur, it’s time for broken Marathi lines. “Bai, tikde basa,” he says to an old woman who is looking for a seat. “Mee Marathi theek bolto ka? (Do I speak Marathicorrectly?),”. The crowd goes wild. Here, he talks issues too: “I am aware of your sukh and taklif. This government gives tomatoes at Rs 50 a kilo, keeps onions out of poor man’s reach, instead concentrates on religion. If you keep on pulling God into all issues, even He gets tired.”

And, from Congress platforms, he refers to the party’s complicity in the Masjid demolition. “People have punished the Congress for it and they have learned from their mistakes too,” he says. If that is his own line, it speaks volumes for his integrity. If not, Dilip Kumar saying it has a particular non-definable value for the Congress. And, the party candidates know it only too well. They are only too happy to make place for him on the dais — for every vote counts.

— With Sandeep Unnithan