SRK Was Dilip Kumar’s Neighbour, His Aunt Sent Medicines For Saira Banu From London: ‘Dad Knew Him’

Dilip Kumar, a name that echoes through the history of Bollywood, is revered as one of the greatest stars of Indian cinema. Renowned for his subtle, naturalistic acting style, he earned the title of India’s greatest actor. Today, on December 11, his 102nd birth anniversary, here’s looking back at an old interview of Shah Rukh Khan where he spoke of his fondness for Dilip Kumar.

In a 2013 interview with Filmfare, Shah Rukh also spoke about his family’s love for movies. Growing up, they only had a black-and-white TV and a VCR, and watching films became a nightly ritual. Shah Rukh Khan had recalled, “There was this guy called Vinit, he later acted in two movies, he used to sell VCRs in Chandni Chowk, I became friends with him for the love of movies. My mother suffered from pain in her legs. So every night, my sister (Lala Rukh) and I used to press her legs and watch movies. That was a ritual. We used to watch all kinds of films. Biswajeet was my mother’s favorite hero. She thought he looked handsome. She loved Dilip Kumar and thought I looked like him. Every time a new movie released, mom, sister and me would watch it at Uphar theatre.”

Shah Rukh Khan shared that he had a connection with Dilip Kumar since childhood, as his father and Dilip Kumar lived in the same neighborhood in Delhi. He often visited Dilip Kumar’s house during his younger years. He said, “Dad knew him. They used to live in the same gully in Delhi. I’ve met Dilip saab many times in my childhood. We have been to his place often. Actually, Sairaji doesn’t remember this but her medicines used to be sent by my aunt from London. Years later, when I was working with Ketan Mehta, I saw a picture of Dilip Kumar in his office and I was like oh! that’s me. He looked so much like me in that picture. Or rather I looked so much like him. But my relationship with Dilip saab goes beyond films. Dilip saab and Sairaji have always thought of me as their son.”

Born as Muhammad Yusuf Khan in Peshawar, British India (now in Pakistan), Kumar had changed his name before stepping into the world of glam and glitz. He debuted in Jwar Bhata in 1944 under the stage name Dilip Kumar.