Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, who was slated to sing at the event, couldn’t make it.
The stage glittered with the presence of Hindi cinema
icons like Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra and Aamir Khan, when the trio,
along with veteran actress Saira Banu and author Udaya Tara Nayar,
launched thespian Dilip Kumar’s long-awaited autobiography “The
Substance and The Shadow” in his presence in Mumbai on Monday evening.
Legendary
singer Lata Mangeshkar, who was slated to sing at the event, couldn’t
make it. Held at Grand Hyatt in Santa Cruz in Mumbai, the red carpet of
the event saw celebrities from the old and gold age as well as new
generation for the momentous night.
From Zeenat
Aman, Danny Denzongpa, Farida Jalal, and Vyjayanthimala to Subhash Ghai,
Ayan Mukerji, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Rajkumar Hirani, Madhuri Dixit and
Priyanka Chopra, many Bollywood stars attended the gala.
Dilip
Kumar’s wife Saira Banu, who looked resplendent in a green sari, was
overwhelmed to see the fraternity’s participation in the event, which
saw Karan Johar as a host. She hoped the book is appreciated.
Before
the event, she said: “Please pray that the readers will receive the
book with the same dedication with which we have written the book. Every
chapter in the book is important and you all will read something that
you have not read before about him.”
Born Muhammad
Yusuf Khan, the actor entered filmdom with the 1944 release “Jwar
Bhata”, and thereafter dedicated six decades of his life working in much
appreciated films like “Mela”, “Naya Daur”, “Devdas”, “Madhumati” and
“Mughal-E-Azam”.
His autobiography chronicles the
91-year-old’s life from his days as a child to present — the ups and
downs in his life, his family, career, wife and more, as told by him to
Nayar, who is a close family friend.
Aamir, who
recited a poem penned by Prasoon Joshi specifically for the occasion,
said: “We all were eagerly waiting for this big day. I am a huge fan of
Yusuf sahab and I was waiting to read his book and his experiences.”
Actress Priyanka Chopra, who walked the red carpet, said she was “honoured” to be invited for the event.
“I’m
so happy for them today. They have been close to my family for a long
time. I have seen all his films and I really admire him,” she said. For
Madhuri Dixit, who walked in with her husband Sriram Nene, it was a
proud moment to be part of the event.
“Dilip Kumar is a legend in himself and it’s a big day. He has been an inspiration for everybody,” she said.
Lata
Mangeshkar, who is close to Dilip Kumar’s family, had given her consent
to perform at the event, but if sources are to be believed, her ill
health didn’t allow her to be present.
