Dharmendra recalls taking Dilip Kumar's sweater in the 60s: 'I will not return it, can I take it?'

Veteran actor Dharmendra on Wednesday remembered taking a sweater from late actor Dilip Kumar, in the 60s, and not returning it as 'it used to get nippy those days in 60s'. He also recalled asking Dilip for the things he liked and Dilip giving it to him 'like a big brother'.

Dilip Kumar died, aged 98, in a Mumbai hospital early on Wednesday following a prolonged illness. He was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Hinduja Hospital, a non-Covid-19 facility, last week. He is survived by his wife Saira Banu.

Dharmendra told NDTV, "Imagine our talks and with so much love he gave me a sweater to wear. It used to get nippy those days in 60s so I told him 'I will not return it, can I take it?' He happily gave it to me with a lot of love. Then we were shooting one day; he would tell me wear my suit and I told Saira 'I have got my own, will wear my own cause his are a little loose' and I couldn't say no to him then I reminded him, 'Dilip sahib I took your sweater' since nobody forgets if they have bought something nice so he said, 'Yea I got 2 from Paris, one Nasir took and the other you took."

He also added, "I have 1000 of memories. I got so many things. I used to ask him for things I liked. He would give like a big brother. Many such things. He would tell me to stay strong and would say how God has given so much. He would ask me to take a break from the city. 'You should go out as you're from the village. It will be suffocating for you here in Mumbai. Go once a month to Lonavala.' He was such a nice man you can write a book on him."

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Dilip Kumar was born Mohammed Yusuf Khan in 1922 in Peshawar, now part of Pakistan. He was often known as the Nehruvian hero. Dilip became a major star in Hindi cinema's golden age between the 1940s and 1960s, starring in nearly 60 films in a career spanning 50 years. He did his first film Jwar Bhata in 1944 and his last Qila in 1998, 54 years later.

The five-and-a-half decade career included Mughal-e-Azam, Devdas, Naya Daur, and Ram Aur Shyam. He later graduated to character roles, like Shakti and Karma.