Naseeruddin Shah was at same hospital as Dilip Kumar, says Saira Banu visited him: 'Sahab was asking about you'
Naseeruddin Shah and Dilip Kumar were admitted in the same hospital recently. The actor revealed Dilip's wife, actor Saira Banu had visited him.
Naseeruddin Shah revealed Dilip Kumar's wife Saira Banu visited him at the Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai recently. Naseeruddin was admitted to the hospital after he was diagnosed with pneumonia. Coincidentally, Dilip was also admitted to the same hospital before his death last week.
Dilip Kumar died on July 7 after a prolonged illness. The Bollywood icon was admitted to the hospital on June 30 after he complained of experiencing breathlessness. Naseeruddin Shah was also hospitalised around the same time and was discharged on July 7 as well.
In a conversation with author and critic Saif Mahmood for Link Legal’s Beyond Law, as reported by The Quint, Naseeruddin said, "(Saira) put her hand on my head and blessed me and said — Sahab was asking about you. I was deeply moved. I wanted to meet him before I left. But unfortunately, the day I left, he also left.”
During the chat, he also revealed that Dilip Kumar had once discouraged him from pursuing a career in acting. Naseeruddin recalled his early days of acting in Mumbai and shared that he wasn't in touch with his parents during that period. However, his family caught hold of him through Dilip Kumar. His family knew the actor through his father's eldest sister, Sakina Aapa, 'who used to come to Ajmer, where my father was the administrator of Dargah Garib Nawaz.'
Naseeruddin was packed to be sent home but not before he spent about a week at Dilip's house. He recalled nervously approaching Dilip to tell him about his dreams of acting. However, the Mughal-E-Azam actor told him, “I think you should go back and study. People from good families should not try to become actors."
Dilip and Naseeruddin eventually ended up working together in Karma. Talking about his experience, Naseeruddin said, “That's the only time I think I have been nervous while acting in my life. Most of the time, I was too terrified to even approach him, apart from greeting him in the mornings."
Also read: Anupam Kher recalls meeting Dilip Kumar at a party he gatecrashed, ‘walking behind him like a clown’
Dilip Kumar was laid to rest on Wednesday evening at the Juhu Qabrastan in Mumbai with full state honours. He is survived by his wife Saira Banu. Many Bollywood stars including Shah Rukh Khan, Shabana Azmi, Vidya Balan and Ranbir Kapoor were seen making their way to Dilip's home to pay their last respects to the actor.
Amitabh Bachchan and his son, actor Abhishek Bachchan were also seen at the Juhu Qabrastan.
Get more updates from Bollywood, Hollywood, Music and Web Series along with Latest Entertainment News at Hindustan Times.