Legendary actor Dilip Kumar’s Pune connection

The actor saw “Mughal-E-Azam” for the first time in his life at FTII, almost 18 years after the film was released

Few knew that it was in Film and Television Institute of India’s (FTII) main theatre at city’s Law College road that legendary actor Dilip Kumar saw “Mughal-E-Azam” for the first time in his life, almost 18 years after the film was released.

A film still from “Mughal-E-Azam.” (HT PHOTO)

According to FTII officials, it was during the summer of 1978, and the actor wanted to see 15 classics. PK Nair, the famed archivist from the National Film Archive of India (NFAI), arranged the screening of the films at FTII main theatre. The 15 films selected were of Dilip Kumar’s wife, Saira Bano’s choice.

Then, over the next 15 days, he saw a film a day at the main theatre. Saira Bano was by his side when he saw “Mughal-E-Azam”. Later, he was the chief guest at the FTII convocation held on December 14, 1997. Dr Mohan Agashe, director of FTII, and Mahesh Bhatt, chairman, FTII, were present at the event.

Dilip Kumar died early Wednesday morning at the age of 98. He leaves behind a legacy of films that spanned six decades and gave Hindi cinema some of its most enduring classics.