I first saw Dilip saab on screen when I was six or seven years old. My family was pleased that I had made it to the prestigious St Mary’s School in Lucknow, and wanted to treat me. They asked whether I would like to go to the zoo or watch a film, and I chose the latter. That led me to Aan [1952], the first movie I remember watching. Since then, Dilip saab was my favourite as I went on to devour Devdas [1955], Madhumati [1958], Gunga Jumna [1961], and many more films.

Decades later, when I was asked to speak at the release of his autobiography [The Substance And The Shadow], I said that each of us have our mental dictionary, where we conjure our own meanings. To me, the meaning of dignity has always been Dilip saab. He epitomised sophistication and refinement.