Dilip Kumar: 'The One Man Who Could Unite India & Pakistan'

Bal Thackeray had asked Dilip Kumar to return the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan's highest civil honour.

The late Dilip Kumar, born Yusuf Khan, was more than a legend, and way more than an actor. In the late 50s, his films like Naya Daur reflected India at the time. Dilip Kumar's demise is a loss to India, both to its films and to the fragment of the secular India that he espoused. Kumar was no stranger to politics, especially considering the controversy that followed when he was given Pakistan's highest civilian honour: the Nishan-e-Imtiaz.

Saira Banu wrote in the foreword for his autobiography 'The Substance and the Shadow', "His secular beliefs spring straight from his heart and from his respect for all religions, castes, communities and creeds."

"His knowledge of the contents of the Holy Quran and his recitation of the verses retained indelibly in memory from childhood are no less brilliant than his knowledge and recitation of the Sanskrit verses in the Bhagvad Gita."

Saira Banu, 'The Substance and the Shadow'

In 1998, he was honored with the Nishan-e-Imtiaz but the next year Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray demanded that he return the reward, in light of the Kargil War between the two nations.

Kumar refused to return the award and also met then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to discuss the same. Vajpayee reportedly supported Kumar's decision to keep the reward, adding that there is "no doubt" about his patriotism and commitment to the nation.

The Mughal-e-Azam actor opened up about the incident during an interview with NDTV, aired in 2000. He revealed that the Shiv Sena leader's demand was 'hurtful' and called the statement an 'abominable pronouncement'.

"Shiv Sena and their leader said that I should return the award and if I don't return the award then I should leave this country, get back to Pakistan and live there. And I think it’s an abominable pronouncement by a responsible person; it has no legal validity. It's hurtful. It offends one's sense of personal dignity. One feels wronged and makes you feel angry."

Dilip Kumar, NDTV

And rightfully so. Before the award controversy, Dilip Kumar and Bal Thackeray were close friends. Many Bollywood celebrities, at the time, had close ties with Thackeray, likely owing to the influence he had in the state, but Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand were perhaps the closest.

In Bal Thackeray and the Rise of the Shiv Sena, Vaibhav Purandhare quoted Thackeray saying, “Abhi chana bhi hain, beer bhi hain, lekin Dilip Kumar ke raaste badal gaye (There are snacks, there is beer, but Dilip Kumar’s path has changed now)."

The 1990s were troubling times for the nation, and Mumbai, with communal tensions at a rise. Even though Bollywood was still considered to be largely apolitical even then, some stars took to the streets to work for peace.

Dilip Kumar and Shabana Azmi were among them. Kumar's home was turned into a centre for relief work during the 1993 Mumbai riots.

In an interview with Anupama Chandra (published in 1993), he said, "In the name of religion, religion itself is abused and defiled. All religions promote thoughts of fellowship, kindness, and consideration. But what is taking place is irreligious and ungodly bestiality let loose on the innocent people."

"The poor people. They are spread in thousands all over the city with no adequate shelter, no provision for food for themselves or their children. Bas, period. No more talk about this. It makes me sick."

During the riots, several celebrities including Aamir Khan, Sunil Dutt, and Yash Chopra sat in protest under the Mahatma Gandhi statue. At the same time, Dilip Kumar was part of the delegation that went to visit then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao and urged him to help Mumbai.

In conversation with Tim McGirk from Independent, Dilip Kumar recounted the horrors of the riots. If he were to make a film about the violence, he'd call it 'The Rage in Heaven', he'd revealed.

"It's bad out there, still. A mob had encircled one slum and they were trying to starve to death the Muslims inside. They hadn't eaten for three days. Twice we tried to break through with a police escort and we were forced back. Finally, we were able to get in with a large police posse."

Dilip Kumar, to Tim McGirk for Independent

Back in 1998, Dilip was in the middle of furor yet again. Deepa Mehta's Fire was set to release and the Shiv Sena was vehemently against it, citing that it went against India's values.

Many stood by Deepa and the film, including Dilip Kumar, Javed Akhtar, and Mahesh Bhatt. The incident was highly publicised and Kumar made his views known-- he stood in favour of artistic freedom. In retaliation, several near-nude Shiv Sainiks showed up outside his home.

Dilip Kumar, an Indian Muslim, took the ideal of secularism enshrined in the Indian Constitution to heart, so much so, that political leaders across the nations placed great trust in him.

In his book 'Neither a Hawk Nor a Dove: An Insider's Account of Pakistan's Foreign Policy', Pakistan's former foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri recalled that Dilip Kumar had been a part of a crucial conversation between PM Nawaz Sharif and PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, during the Kargil War.

Pakistan's Principal Secretary to the PM Saeed Mehdi recounted, to him, that Dilip Kumar said to PM Sharif, "Let me tell you as an Indian Muslim that in case of tension between Pakistan and India, the position of Indian Muslims becomes very insecure and they find it difficult to even leave their homes. Please do something to control this situation."

Bollywood's 'Tragedy King' became a household name for generations to come. In the late 40s and 50s, he was the voice of the Indian youth, through his work. Till the end, Dilip Kumar's secularism spread across both nations, with Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri labeling Kumar as "the one guy who can bring India and Pakistan together."

(This story is from The Quint’s archives and was first published on 8, July 2021. It is being republished to mark Dilip Kumar’s birth anniversary.)