For decades, Dilip Kumar was regarded as the undisputed king of tragedy, an actor whose craft, restraint and sheer screen presence remained difficult to match. Speaking to DD Urdu, Mehra recalled that Dilip Kumar had been away from films for nearly two decades. “When I worked with him, he hadn’t done a film for, I think, 15, 17, or 18 years. He hadn’t forgotten how to act, but people had forgotten him. Those of us in the industry remembered who Dilip Kumar was, but the public had forgotten.”