Dilip Sahab’s Bombay: Retracing the legendary actor’s footprints in the city

Born in Peshawar a young Yusuf Khan would go on to make Bombay and the movies his home It was here that he became lsquoDilip Kumarrsquo popular Hindi cinemarsquos first subtle actor mdash known for his modulated voice thoughtful pauses and intelligent understatement He got his first break at the renowned Bombay Talkies and amassed a public following strong enough for him to eventually be invited to serve as city sheriff for a term Gleaned from the starrsquos personal accounts and biographies here is a walk through some places in the city that fuelled his life and dreams and which were in turn touched and forever changed by the thespianAn undated photograph of Apollo Bunder Pic courtesy Ajay GoyalApollo Bunder ldquoI would like to believe quite justly that I was responsible in a large measure for the familyrsquos moving to Bombayrdquo mdash lsquoDilip Kumar The Substance and the Shadowrsquo The story goes that Dilip Kumarrsquos father Mohammad Sarwar Khan a Pathan fruit merchant with orchards in Peshawar had arrived in Bombay to assess if he could set up a business here Away from his young family the evenings were lonely He would spend time walking around the seafront at Apollo Bunder On one such occasion he saw a couple with a child who reminded him so much of his little Yusuf that he instinctively picked him up The incident convinced him he missed the children too much and he went back to bring the family along to the bustling metropolisCrawford MarketIt was in this famous South Mumbai market that Kumarrsquos father set up a successful wholesale fruit business Having trained workers to receive consignments and deal with sales he only visited the shop once in a while which allowed him to be home with his children After the patriarch passed away in 1950 the actorrsquos brothers took over and ran the businessAbdullah Building Nagdevi StreetldquoSoon after our arrival in the locality we were being discussed as the nice Pathan family that had occupied the fourth floor of the Abdullah Buildingrdquo according to a first person account by the actor to journalist Udaya Tara Nayar Sarwar Khan had rented an apartment in Nagdevi Street mdash not far from the Crawford market mdash where the family quickly made friends Although the new home was smaller than their ancestral bungalow in Peshawar it was comfortable by Bombay standards Some years later when Kumarrsquos elder brother Ayubrsquos respiratory troubles worsened the family moved to the hill station DeolaliAnjumaniIslam in South Mumbai File picAnjumaniIslam High SchoolAt walking distance from their Nagdevi Street home AnjumaniIslam High School became Kumarrsquos school from the fifth standard onwards Reportedly he excelled at sports here and passed high school in the first division Later whilst preparing for his landmark turn as the prince Salim in K Asifrsquos MughaleAzam he is said to have referred to books from this schoolrsquos libraryKhalsa College in Matunga in recent years File picKhalsa College MatungaHis mates at Khalsa College included Raj Kapoor who would often invite Yusuf to the Kapoor home in Matunga after class Kumar indulged his talent and interest in football hockey and cricket here He would save up money to buy expensive sports shoes and carve out time to watch soccer games at local grounds in those years To get from his South Mumbai neighbourhood to the college in central Mumbai Kumar had to take an electric tram to Dadar daily The tram had been so instrumental to him that the servicersquos eventual closure in 1964 felt personal to the starBombay Talkies MaladYusuf landed at the globally reputed film studio based in the suburb of Malad rather by chance while hunting for a job Founded by filmmaker Himanshu Rai Bombay Talkies was being run successfully by actorproducer Devika Rani A barelyintohis20s Yusuf was introduced to Rani by a mutual acquaintance It did not take long for the producer to ask if he would become an actor mdash the studio needed one who was goodlooking and wellversed in Urdu mdash for a salary of Rs 1250 per month That was a huge sum for a young man eager to supplement his familyrsquos income against the troubled backdrop of World War II Yusuf debuted as lsquoDilip Kumarrsquo in 1944rsquos lsquoJwar Battarsquo While in this studiorsquos employ the emerging starrsquos colleagues included Ashok Kumar Raj Kapoor David Abraham and Lata MangeshkarPali Hill BandraAs a busy actor Dilip Kumar needed to be closer to film studios many of which were in Goregaon As such the family rented a home in Pali Mala Road living among the localityrsquos Goan Christian residents Later the thespian would buy a home 48 Pali Hill Actor Saira Banu before she married Kumar lived in her family home at Nepean Sea Road According to Kumarrsquos memoirs she developed such a crush on Kumar that when it came time to build her own house she picked Pali Hill as its location so they could be neighbours The two wedded in 1966 More recently the couple was immortalised on a wall mural in BandraBiryani around BombayAlthough Kumar had moved to Bandra he would routinely visit South Mumbai where the family continued to have its business In that part of the city George Restaurant was reportedly one of his goto hangouts for its chicken or mutton biryani that came with a side of shorba soup and green salad Actor Dharmendra in his recollections also mentions Badshahrsquos on Mohammad Ali Road as a haunt Kumar would pile friends and family into cars so they could have icecream at the establishment after breaking their fast in the month of Ramzan The restaurants at Taj were obvious favourites though he is also noted by Urmila Lanba an unofficial biographer to have enjoyed a simple meal of fried eggs and paoINC Office JuhuGiven the actorrsquos command over various languages Jawaharlal Nehru requested Kumar to campaign for V K Krishna Menon INCrsquos candidate for a 1962 Lok Sabha seat from North Mumbai During that period the actor addressed large gatherings at spots including the Cooperage grounds and Marine Drive He also met lawyer and Congressman Rajni Patel at the time who became a close friendNehru Science Centre in Worli File picNehru Centre WorliPolitician and friend Rajni Patel created a proposal for a centre of art culture and science in Mumbai based on a comment by Kumar The actor had observed that any cosmopolitan city of merit needed such a venue A space was swiftly allotted in Worli and came to be called the Nehru Centre after the former prime minister who was an idol to Kumar The actor was present at the centrersquos inaugurationStint as Sheriff The apolitical position was awarded to Kumar for 12 months in 1980 when he was close to the state establishment He also went on to be Rajya Sabha member from Maharashtra from 2000 to 2006 Apart from supporting hospitals and schools he is said to have put the government funds available to him into building gardens and washrooms mainly in Bandra The Bandstand and Joggerrsquos Park areas benefitted from this stintThe Bombay Gymkhana File picClubs and recreation The actor and lifelong sports enthusiast often spent time at the Cricket Club of India and Bombay Gymkhana Journalist Nayar mentions in her writings that on the lawns of the seafacing Otters sports club ldquohe loved to watch the sun go down leaving behind a trail of gold and vermillion in the skyrdquo