Naseeruddin Shah: ‘Dilip Kumar never passed on his experience or groom anyone; didn’t do enough other than acting’

Although Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah is well-aware of late Dilip Kumar’s obvious greatness and thanked him for all the ‘magic’ as an actor, he wondered why the deceased actor chose to play safe despite being a star and never go beyond acting.

Calling him ‘immaculate’ at his craft, Shah, in an opinion-editorial piece for an Indian newspaper, said that the much-celebrated actor did not pass on his vast knowledge based on experience to anyone or groom the next generation of actors. “Some of those works doubtless will survive the test of time but, given the position he was in, it is more than evident he didn’t do enough apart from acting and being involved in social causes close to his heart. He produced only one film, didn’t direct any (officially at least), never passed on the benefit of his experience, didn’t bother to groom anyone, and apart from his pre-1970s performances, left behind no significant lessons for future actors; even his autobiography is but a rehash of old interviews,” Shah wrote.

“…It’s baffling why a man as conscious of his place in history as he was should be reluctant to record his interaction with some of the admittedly great filmmakers of his time or say anything really informative about the nature of his work and technique. I wish, at some point, he had at least been forthright about the travails involved in retaining legions of devoted fans,” added the actor and theatre personality.
In the same piece, Shah praised Dilip Saab—as the latter is fondly remembered—for his ‘consummate characterisations, the dignified deportment, the mellifluous diction, the controlled but roiling emotionality’ in films.

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“The holy grail of acting that he is in commercial Hindi cinema, his achievements supposedly unsurpassable, I trust that, now that all the tributes have been paid, I will not be putting my foot in my mouth if I talk not only of the undoubted greatness of some of his performances but raise a question – perhaps, provoke a debate — on whether his example as a star was worthy of emulation and whether he helped push the envelope toward progress or whether he facilitated the downward spiral of popular Hindi cinema into the total star-centricity in which it wallows today,” said about Dilip Kumar supposedly starting the ‘star-centric- culture in Indian cinema.

In 2016, after Bollywood actor Rajesh Khanna’s death—another superstar— Naseeruddin Shah had landed in trouble for calling Khanna a ‘limited, a poor actor’. He later apologized for his ‘uncalled for’ comments to his fans and family.