Despite being a star and ‘immaculate’ at his craft, late actor Dilip Kumar ‘chose to play safe the way he did,’ veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah wrote in an opinion piece after the death ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ actor.

Acknowledging the ‘undoubted greatness’ of Dilip Kumar’s performances, Naseeruddin Shah, in a piece for The Indian Express, questioned the late actor’s contribution to cinema and pointed out that his filmography was limited, compared to his contemporaries.

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Dilip Kumar, who was also known as the ‘tragedy king’ of Bollywood, died on July 7 after batting from a prolonged illness at the Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai. He is survived by his wife Saira Banu. 

“Some of those works doubtless will survive the test of time but, given the position he was in, it is more than evident he didn’t do enough apart from acting and being involved in social causes close to his heart,” the ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro’ actor wrote. 

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While expressing gratitude to the late actor ‘for the magic’, Naseeruddin Shah added, “He (Dilip Kumar) produced only one film, didn’t direct any (officially at least), never passed on the benefit of his experience, didn’t bother to groom anyone, and apart from his pre-1970s performances, left behind no significant lessons for future actors; even his autobiography is but a rehash of old interviews.”

“It’s baffling why a man as conscious of his place in history as he was should be reluctant to record his interaction with some of the admittedly great filmmakers of his time or say anything really informative about the nature of his work and technique. I wish, at some point, he had at least been forthright about the travails involved in retaining legions of devoted fans,” he added.

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The actor also said that Dilip Kumar had once told him not to pursue acting, and said, “He told me that I should go back and study as people belonging to good families don’t act in films.”