‘Dilip Kumar is copying Shah Rukh Khan’: Director recalls painful moment during Dilip’s last film Qila

Umesh Mehra, the director of Dilip Kumar's last film Qila, was reminded of the actor's fading popularity among younger audiences during the film's screening. Mehra, who had not worked with Kumar in nearly two decades, was struck by how people had forgotten him while the industry still remembered his legendary status. During the interval of Qila, Mehra overheard a young boy tell his father, "Papa, he's copying Shah Rukh Khan," evoking a painful memory of the actor's lost relevance to the public.

Despite this, Shah Rukh Khan held deep admiration for Dilip Kumar, recalling a moment at the Zee Cine Awards in 2001 when the veteran actor gave him a light tap on the cheek and said, "Work hard!" Shah Rukh saw this as a pivotal moment that propelled his own career forward, and he jokingly proposed seeking another "tight slap" from Dilip Kumar to stay relevant. Dilip Kumar, the undisputed king of tragedy, passed away at the age of 98 on July 7, 2021.