Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow – An Autobiography is the long awaited life story of the legendary veteran Indian actor. This autobiography is a genuine, earnest and fascinating narrative - straight from the actor’s heart and mind - that discloses for the first time several unknown aspects of the life and times of Dilip Kumar - one of the greatest Bollywood actors of all time, and also stands out as an icon of a secular India. Summary of the Book Dilip Kumar was born as Yousuf Khan. He started as a shy rookie in Hindi cinema in the early 1940s and there was no looking back. He went on to reach the zenith of stardom within a short period of time. He delivered mesmerizing performances in one hit movie after another, in a row! His almost six-decade-long career as an actor was based only on his original ability, unwavering willpower, sheer hard work and die-hard optimistic attitude. In this book, Dilip Kumar tells us his journey right from his birth, his days as an aspiring actor, his ascent to the pinnacle of success and the rest, to the present day. He frankly narrates his relationships with different variety of people. His interactions were not only restricted to his family, friends and the film world but also with businessmen and politicians. Dilip Kumar sets the record straight about how he got married to Saira Banu, one of the then Bollywood beauties. He feels that a lot of what was written about him so far is mostly misinterpreted, and so he narrates, in graphic detail, about his romantic relationship and marriage, which pretty much reads like a fairy tale! He fondly remembers the event that changed his life forever - his meeting with Devika Rani, the boss of the famous Bombay Talkies, and being offered an acting job. His first film was Jwar Bhata (1944). He explains how he had to learn the whole kit and caboodle from scratch and how he had to cultivate his own individual dramatics and panache that would set him apart from his contemporaries. He soon scaled great heights with movies like Jugnu, Shaheed, Mela andaz, Deedar, Daag and Devdas. In most of his movies he played the tragedian with such a matchless intensity that his mind was undesirably affected. He had to consult a British psychiatrist, who counselled him to shift to play comedy. The consequence was his remarkable performances in the hilarious, laugh riots like Azaad and Kohinoor, apart from an amusing depiction as a resolute Tong-driver in Naya Daur. He then took a five-year break and later began his second innings with Kranti in 1981, post which he acted in successions of hits such as Vidhaata, Karma, Saudagar, Mashaal, Shakti, and Qila. About Dilip Kumar Dilip Kumar is one of the best Hindi cinema actors of all times, a legend of his lifetime. He is not a superlative actor alone, but is an avid reader of Urdu, Persian and English literature, a connoisseur of the arts, an extremely skilled multilingual speaker, an outstanding mimic and a superb dancer! He has bagged the Filmfare Best Actor Award eight times, which is an unbroken record. He is also honoured with the most prestigious awards like the Padma Bhushan, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and Pakistan’s highest civilian award, Nishan-e-Imtiaz. He is also constantly into philanthropic contributions and social causes in his own modest way.