Like many actors in the Hindi film industry, Anupam Kher was a devoted fan of the legendary actor Dilip Kumar. In a recent interview, he fondly recalled his experience of working with the Mughal-E-Azam star for the first time in the 1986 film Karma. Anupam, who portrayed the antagonist in the film, remembered being so awestruck upon seeing Dilip Kumar on set that he couldn’t help but stare. His admiration was so evident that director Subhash Ghai had to remind him to act like a villain, not like someone infatuated with Dilip Kumar.

Speaking with Radio Nasha, Anupam shared the depth of his admiration by recounting a story from his younger days, when he once broke his nose trying to get a ticket to see Dilip Kumar’s film Gopi in theaters. He explained, “When the ticket window opened, people would go berserk trying to get in. While trying to get a ticket for Gopi, someone pushed me, and someone else’s foot hit my nose. So, I watched the movie with a bloody nose, but I still loved every moment of seeing it on the big screen.”

Years later, when he had the chance to work with his idol in Karma, he was completely starstruck. During the interview, he also recalled Dilip Kumar’s unique work style and how he often postponed scenes. “I was shooting for Arjun, which wrapped up at 5 in the morning. I went straight to the set of Karma by 7, fully ready with makeup and a fake beard. Dilip Sahab arrived around 11 am He was a king, he worked in his own style.”

Anupam reminisced about his first scene with Dilip, where he had to deliver two pages of dialogue while Dilip’s character simply listened. Anupam was anxious about his performance and rehearsed repeatedly. However, Dilip kept postponing the scene.

“When he arrived on set, he had breakfast with tea served in silverware, and then he said, ‘Let’s work after lunch.’ He finally came back after 3 or 4 pm and then decided to postpone it until the next day. During all of this I was looking at him completely mesmerised. Subhash ji took me in the corner and said, ‘You’re going to get me in trouble. The way you’re looking at him, it looks like you’re in love with him. Remember, you’re the villain!’ I assured him it wouldn’t happen during the actual shoot.”

Anupam also recounted asking Dilip Kumar to slap him hard for one scene, but the megastar warned him against it. “Dilip Sahab told me, ‘Ye Pathaan ka hath hai, moh tedda hojaega (This a Pathaan’s hand, your whole face will turn).’” Anupam shared that Dilip was always encouraging, even predicting that Anupam would go far in his career.

 

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