Dilip Kumar - The Substance and the Shadow : An Autobiography Hardcover – June 20, 2014

This book reads like a novel ! I have not read anything so fast-- not even a finished copy of my first novel: The Ashram. My wife Marjorie observed she has never seen me reading anything with such rapt attention.I came to the US in 1973 and by now I've seen most of Dilip Kumar's masterpieces, so I knew the ethos of the perfectionist actor: honest, realistic and creating piercing portrayal of many characters , through his diligent and industrious strides of slipping under the skin of the characters he played, so I knew the greatest actor Dilip Kumar. However, I did not know the man named Muhammad Yousuf Khan. I found him through this book: The Shadow & the Substance.He surfaces in this book as a complete HUMAN BEING: with all admirable virtues.. Warts & all: replete with -- admittedly Romantic (Uma, Madhubala, Sairaji & Asma Rehman), longsightedness ( turning down the cash- packed briefcase from a producer asking him to ride a buffalo) Begrudging ( refusing to visit his widowed hospitalized sister Akhtar until coaxed to do so by Sairaji), standing upto a bully ( Bal Thaktey), Izzatdaar to elders ( obeying Panditji's call to campaign for Krisna Menon).It was refreshing to see the actor Dilip Kumar surfacing as completely normal & noble human being in this book. Clearly, his soft- spoken, kindness and insightful quite demeanor of considerable abyss inherited from his mother. The read provided me with vicariously revisiting my own past: hailing from a conservatIve Muslim / Memon family of 5 brothers + 3 sisters and having our own strong- willed Matriarch Dadi, Aghaji, romantic rebel Noorsahab, headstrong elder sister and brainy, intellectual & avid reader Ayubsahab. .Oh, what a great treat it has been to immerse into this easy flowing yet revealing book! I highly recommend this autobiography where it clearly bespeaks Dilip Kumar's voice but deftly recorded by Udayatara Nayar.I equally enjoyed the Reminiscences provided by Rishi Kapoor ( your fatherly image), Subhash Ghai ( He should not behave like a Baniya), Nimmiji, Waheedaji ( extolling your eclectic virtues), Aamir Khan (inspiration), Amitabh Bacchan, another great actor who himself is so full of humility to say .. "there will be eras recorded by history as... before and after Dilip Kumar.." Jayaji ( rightfully declaring it is high time for the Government to recognize Dilip Kunar with The Bharat Ratna( are you listening Modiji?) Salimsahab ( .. Dilip Kumar is the greatest actor ever!) and Hunky Jat Dharmendra (had the gall to invade -- chori chori chupkese your house & catch you napping then retrieving like a thief - was so hilarious ) and finally the ode by your seven timer heroine Vayjayantimala stating so aptly and apropos ( there is and will be only one Dilip Kumar) ..loved all heart-felt and well-earned attributesPS: Aise Adakaar Bar Bar Janam Nahin Lete; Yousuf Sahab, Aapto Hamare Liye Allah Ka Ek Tohfa Hain. Aur Huzoor, you are a one hell of a story teller. Allah Se Hum Aapki Aur Sairajiki Aur Aapke Sare Kunbeki Sehat Aur Shohrat Ki Dua Mangte Hain.. Salaam Qubuul Farmaiyega.. Sattar Memon MD, Brown University, USA

Being a great fan of Dilip Kumar...I loved the book...I thought i knew everything about him, but I did not.....I was not aware of all his talents ..languages, his love of reading, his talent in perception of emotions, his humility and his great love for his family...I am a greater fan now that I have read the book. People say that it was greatly influenced by his wife...so be it...it is great...and people wanted to know more about his love life...but personally i am so glad that he is decent human being who did not kiss and tell. He came out as a thorough gentleman that he is and never really said anything negative about anybody except for his disappointment (and rightly so) by the Film Industry that did not support him when he was awarded by the government of Pakistan...he was not awarded because he is a Muslim but because he is the most talented actor in the whole world and the most secular who never did chose his friend because of their religion, but because of their talents and personalities...I specially like the credit given to him by Lata Mangeshkar for her success by suggesting that she get an Ustad to teach her the proper pronunciation of Urdu....Dilip Kumar is the great perfectionist and we will never see another person like this in our lives...a book worth reading and I am reading it for the second time....the strange thing is that he is older than my Mom...obviously much older than me but a hero for all ages....love the book...Do read

Reading this autobiography of my all-time favorite hero, I was amazed to know that Dilip Kumar is an exceptional person, a superman in real sense. His strength lies not in his biceps but in his whole personality. I wonder if such a human being can exist in this world full of unrest, conflicts and selfishness. I was lucky enough to meet and shake hands with this extremely charming person with a halo of light around him in 1961 at the famous Cricket Club of India in Bombay where me and my friend had gone to see a Test Match between Pakistan and India. Long live Dilip Kumar, and wishing him a very happy birthday(December 11, 2014). The book is a stimulating reading for all.

It is a very candid account of the life of a Legend whom one was bound to love for his natural portrayal of all the roles he had played in his films. It also sets at rest whatever "misgivings" one may have been led to entertain from unseemly press reports and news. It is so nice to see that all the people have wholeheartedly contributed their views on the man and Sairaji. That their views have come to be expressed in almost identical, even if exazerating looking, manner goes to show the genuineness of the 'naturalness' of the way Dilip Saheb has lived his life. What a life he has lived! Enviable, to say the least. If I had the choice, I would relive his life rather than attain Moksh. Significantly, this book is a wonderful window through which one can see how a truly cultured human life (a wonderful gift from God) can be lived. And to know that Sairaji is an Equally noble soul, not only from Dilip Saheb but also from all the contributors and in one voice, was equally inspiring and satisfying. Both the noble souls obviously deserved each other. The Almighty was bound to bless them.

Dilip Kumar is a legendary actor.Most of what is written in this book has been published already; which is fine.However I wish he had gone beyond the facts and given us more information of his colleagues, his times , his passion for literature and specially the Urdu language and culture which is fading away.I had too many expectations from this book; sadly many of the things he could have shared will now be lost.