At last, the Dilip Kumar biography to be released on 9 June

The authorized Dilip Kumar biography finally has a title and it will be released by Thespian’s ‘Choti Bahen’ Lata Mangeshkar at a grand event at the Grand Hyatt in Santa Cruz on 9 June. The book entitled Substance & The Shadow would be released in the presence of all the biggest actors and directors of Bollywood who have and haven’t had the privilege of working with Dilip Saab. Says the author Uday Tara Nayar, “The title Substance & The Shadow was suggested by Dilip Saab. The ‘substance’ refers to the actual person behind the legend and the ‘shadow’ is the mythical image that has come to surround his persona.” The long-awaited biography which traces Dilip Saab’s life from birth, will be released at the elaborate function by Lataji who is likely to sing two lines of Dilip Saab’s favourite song Allah tero naam. Says Tara, “It’s the song that Yusuf Saab would ring up Lataji and ask her to sing whenever he was restless. She would always oblige her Yusuf Bhaiyya. Lataji came to visit Dilip Saab recently. He immediately recognized her and exclaimed, ‘Meri choti bahen mujhse milne ayee hai.’ She fed him his evening meal with her own hands. Sairaji just watched the historic moment. We both feel no person is as worthy of releasing the book as Lataji.” Joining Lataji on stage to release the historic book chronicling the life of India’s finest actor would be Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan. Shah Rukh Khan whom Dilip Saab and his wife regard as a son, won’t be able to attend. Aamir will recite a poem on Dilip Saab’s honour written by Prasoon Joshi. The Big B is expected to speak on his regard for the Thespian. Lataji and Madhuri Dixit will light the inaugural deeya while Shaan and Javed Ali will sing a medley of Dilip Kumar hits arranged by composer Lalit Pundit. Another highlight of the evening would be the audio-visual showing rare never-seen intimate moments of the Thespian’s life with his wife and family. Shedding light on the purported event the biography’s author Udaya Tara Nayar says, “It’s been a ten-year journey to put together the authorized biography of Yusuf Saaf. We’ve finally done it. It couldn’t have happened without the active support of Yusuf Saab and Sairaji. They helped me piece together the life of a man who is not just the greatest actor in the country but also a father-figure for me.”