Tej Sapru recalls the late actor Dilip Kumar’s eagerness to learn: “He asked to be told if I was doing an action scene incorrectly.”

Dilip Kumar was a seasoned actor who became one of the most famous performers in Indian cinema history. Actors in Hindi films have often said how much they have appreciated Dilip’s performances in movies like “Devdas,” “Ganga Jamuna,” and “Mughal-e-Azam” and how seeing one of his films has impacted them. The actor Tej Sapru, who played antagonists in many films in the 1980s and 1990s, recently related an incident in which Dilip sought his opinion.

In an interview with Lallantop Cinema, Tej said that Dilip knew him because of his father, seasoned actor DK Sapru. Since Tej competed at the state level in badminton, Dilip also liked him.
Tej was well recognized for his action when he first began acting, often pulling out stunts without the use of stunt doubles. Tej said that he had to do an action sequence with Dilip during filming for the movie “Kanoon Apna Apna.” Tej was initially nervous since he was doing a physical routine next to a seasoned star. He recalled, “Being a senior, one tends to… you know, when I had to perform an action sequence with him. You take care, therefore, to avoid really hitting him.
Just before shooting started, Dilip Kumar came up to him and said, “Sapru, I hear you do a lot of action.” So kindly inform me if I’m making a mistake when I strike you. We got along very well.

He related another story regarding his time spent working on a Bhojpuri film set with Saira Banu’s brother. Tej said that Dilip had been to the set to watch the shooting and had seen Tej flinching when he had to hold the dancer during a performance. “You see, you end up grabbing the girl when she sits on your lap,” he informed me. He remembered that he had said it so sweetly. The actor said, “He had a certain style and would say things with such eloquence.”
Dilip Kumar died dead in 2021. He was 98 years old.