Ever since I saw Dara Singh and Girish Karnad lunching together at the IIC in Delhi, I’ve been curious about what the two—one the epitome of brawn, the other of brain—had to say to each other. So I jump at the opportunity to dine-and-tell with the actor who had in his super pahalwan avatar knocked out world champ King Kong before he went on to become the muscled He-Man of countless B- and C-grade action movies, playing Tarzan, Sikandar, Samson, Hercules, Daku Mangal Singh, and, of course, the on-screen King Kong with all the swashbuckling élan of a Punjab da puttar. But where should we eat? Was he going to ask for a six-egg omelette or something dripping in desi ghee? Niggling doubts persist while the temperamental lift hiccups its way to his penthouse: was my Punjabi too elementary to converse with him? Presumptuous me. Dara Singh Randhawa, elegant in his checked shirt and dark trousers, his skin aglow with good health, reflects for a second on the where-to-dine dilemma: "Let’s just walk down to Sun ‘n’ Sand."
Rapidly other presumptions vaporise as we talk over Titanic Prawn Quebec and crab soup, followed by Sole Pomfret Meuniere. Conversation turns to the politics of the day and actors doubling up as politicians. Dara Singh has had his share of wooers, including Chautala and the Congress party. "I have seen politics from close. It is not for me," he says, as we are almost done with the soup. The main course is accompanied with reminisces of his numerous bouts in Bollywood. How did he find romancing his heroines? He pauses for a moment, a slightly wounded look flickers across his face: "Pahalwan ka bhi dil hota hai (even wrestlers have a heart)," he says, adding, "But after shooting I used to run for my wrestling or exercises. How could I romance?" Just before we get up to leave, Abhijit, the photographer, clasps Dara Singh’s palm for an arm-wrestling session, only to discover that even at 74, he could easily have crushed his fingers. Ah, yes, what did Karnad and Dara Singh discuss over lunch: well, films, the weather and politics.
