INDORE: While the entire nation is mourning the demise of legendary actor Dilip Kumar (Muhammed Yusuf Khan), a few families of Indore were left 'bereaved' with whom he had close connection for several decades.
Kumar had shot a few movies in Indore and surrounding areas like Choral, Mandu and Budhni. Known to be a hardcore foodie, Kumar used to get home-made food from a few families of Indore whenever he visited the city for film shoot.
Film maker, Noor M Ghori of Nayaypura, Indore who was a die-hard fan of the 'Tragedy King' had become a film producer only to meet the 'star'.
This meet changed into friendship which turned into a strong bond over the years and Kumar started calling Ghori as 'Bhai'.
From gifting Kumar the famous 'shahi gate' which still happens to be the entrance of his house to Maruti 1000, Ghori was a frequent visitor at Kumar's home and vice versa. Ghori used to carry home-cooked non-vegetarian food via flight to Mumbai a couple of times every month.
"Saab loved our home cooked Titar, and Bater and my father used to carry the dishes for him," son of NM Ghori, Atif Ghori told TOI.
Another family Kumar used to visit was of Khan's. Kumar used to call Matin Khan's father 'Batwa miyaan' and loved having Mughalai dishes at their home. Remembering Kumar, Khan said, "We had family terms. Although in Indore he never stayed over at our house, he used to ensure having meals here. He loved an Afghani dish, painda (penda), Biriyani and Korma."
Visiting Khan’s maternal uncle, Mirza Abdul Hamid Khan (Khandera) in Bhopal and staying over at his house always used to be a part of Kumar’s itinerary whenever he visited MP.
“He was extremely down to earth and cherished friendship a lot. When I met him 15 years back at Joggers Park, Bandra he remembered me as ‘Batwa miyaan’s son who as a kid had spoiled his carpet,” he said.
