How Dilip Kumar silenced Indira Gandhi for her disrespectful comments on Indian films? Check out viral video

Mumbai, Jan 30: A video of Bollywood legend Dilip Kumar's old interview has now gone viral on internet. In the clip, he is seen recalling a conversation that he had with India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter Indira Gandhi, who later became the third Prime Minister of the country.

Kumar, whose original name is Mohammed Yusuf Khan, opens up about how Indira Gandhi spoke low about the Indian films made in that era. He listened to her views for 10-15 minutes before giving her a befitting reply.

"Once I was having breakfast with Jawaharlal Nehru. At that time, Indira Gandhi intervened in our discussion and said, I was in Paris, I went to Moscow, I have watched the plays and films, I have listened to a symphonic orchestra too. How beautiful are all of them! Why are your Indian films not like that? Why is the Indian cinema lagging so behind?" OpIndia quoted him as saying in the viral clip.

Dilip Kumar said, "In those days we used to do shows to raise funds for various social causes because common people would think of us differently. We had to establish our connection with the people, so we used to do those shows. We developed our socio-civic identity, consciousness, and credibility. We were keen to establish how we are rooted in our culture. So, I felt that the daughter of our then Prime Minister was overstepping her limits by raising such questions on Indian cinema. Total condemnation of a medium in this way is not justified."

Indira Gandhi then complained that Indian movies lacks Indianness. "She (Indira Gandhi) said, what kind of industry is this? And she said that Indian films lack 'Indianness'. She went on talking like this for 12-15 minutes. At last, I felt that if I reply now, it won't be an insult," he continued.

He responded to her remarks by reminding her that she was complaining about Indian films in English and highlighted the problems that the country was facing back then like roads, drinking water, and poverty. He said, "I told her that you are complaining for the last 15 minutes and it is true to a large extent, but whatever you have said for the last 12-15 minutes, not a single word of that was from an Indian language. You were continuously talking in English. Today, we are developing our roads, irrigation, education, hospitals, and all. We don't have water to drink in spite of a dedicated man at the helm of affairs, we have poor education. Yes, our films are poor. But we don't just have a film industry that is poor. We have an educational system that is poor. Our roads are poor. We have an agriculture that is poor. And if I put this to you, ma'am, we have governance that has a lot many things that are poor."

In the same clip the late actor claims that he thought Nehru might be upset with his remarks, but the Prime Minister told him that he would not have given a polite response if he was in his place. Kumar is heard talking about the importance of Indianness in literature. "We can import engineering technology and other know-how. But we cannot import culture. We cannot import literature. We should develop it from our own soil," the actor stated.

The video clearly explains how the movies made in that era showcased only poverty and problems.