JEDDAH – The “Tragedy King” of the 50s whose soulful voice moved to tears an entire nation has today turned taciturn. At 90, Muhammad Yousuf Khan, popularly known as Dilip Kumar, is more of a listener than a talker. “As days pass by, I enjoy reading, more than writing; and listening, more than talking,” he wrote in one of his tweets. Sitting in his hotel suite in Makkah in his trademark high-neck, long-sleeve shirt and trousers, he was the epitome of grace and poise which were the hallmarks of his acting. He said that his journey to the two holy cities had been very good. His wife Saira Banu, who has openly stated that she entered the Indian film industry with the dream of marrying Dilip Kumar, today does most of the talking on her husband's behalf. For most of the 45 minutes that Saudi Gazette spent with the couple in Makkah Thursday, it was Saira Banu who did the talking while Dilip Kumar sat quiet listening to the conversation, occasionally munching on French fries at the dining table. She said this was Dilip Kumar's fourth visit to the Kingdom to perform Umrah. She too had performed Umrah on two earlier visits. Dilip Kumar expressed the wish of visiting the Kingdom again to perform Haj. “Yes, we want to come for Haj, and spend one full month here,” Banu said. The star couple is here with an entourage of aides, close family members and friends. Accompanying them are Saira Banu's brother Sultan, her nephew Rehan and his family, a close family friend Asif Farooqui and his son Faisal. “We had a good time in Madinah,” Dilip Kumar said. Saira Banu said that she always keeps a file of Dilip Kumar's photos with his autograph to oblige his fans, who still keep track of all his activities and movements even though the actor, who holds the Guinness World Record for winning the maximum number of awards by an Indian actor, quit films in 1998. The legendary Hindi film actor – who has the distinction of receiving the third highest civilian honor of India, the Padma Bhushan, and the highest civilian award of Pakistan, Nishan-e-Imtiaz – today keeps himself busy dictating posts for his blog and tweets for his Twitter account. Being a perfectionist, as he always has been, Dilip Kumar minutely edits all his blog posts before they are uploaded, said a close family friend who manages his blog and Twitter accounts. Dilip Kumar, who turned down lead roles in films like Lawrence of Arabia, Pyaasa, The Rains Came and Sangam, is also known for his grandiloquent oratory which held listeners spellbound. So Saira Banu has decided to include a DVD containing all the memorable speeches of Dilip Kumar with his autobiography which is expected to be released in May, coinciding with the 100 years of cinema.
