Cited as inspiration by many of the previous and current Bollywood actors, thespian Dilip Kumar, widely regarded as one of the greatest actors produced by India, passed away at the age of 98 on July 7 due to prolonged illness.
Dilip Kumar was part of the original troika of the first generation of Indian superstars along with Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand. He started his career in 1944 with Jwar Bhata and his last movie was Qila in 1998.
Born Mohammad Yusuf Khan on December 11, 1922, in Qissa Khawani Bazaar area of Peshawar, British India (now Pakistan), he changed his name to Dilip Kumar to gain a mainstream appreciation and to find work in Kolkata and Mumbai film industries.
His first big hit was Jugnu in 1947 and his breakthrough role came in Andaz in 1949 alongside childhood friend Raj Kapoor and Nargis. He gained popularity as ‘tragedy king’ thanks to his serious yet heartbreaking roles as a romantic hero.
Some of his biggest hits include Daag (1952), Devdas (1955), Naya Daur (1957), Yahudi (1958), Madhumati (1958), and Paigham (1959). His immortal movie role came as Salim in 1960 magnum opus ‘Mughal-e-Azam’. He also took on light-hearted roles in Ram aur Shyam and his last movie as a lead actor came in 1976, Bairaag.
Dilip Kumar returned to acting after a 5-year hiatus with 1981’s Kranti, now moving to character, but meaty roles and his career saw another upswing with movies like Vidhaata (1982), Shakti (1982), and 1984’s Mashaal. He also had a meaty role in 1986’s Karma. His last box-office blockbuster was 1991’s Saudagar with Raaj Kumar.
Dilip Kumar won the Filmfare Best Actor award eight times including the first-ever award in 1954 for Daag.
He was struggling with his health in the last few years of his life and even lost his two younger brothers to COVID-19 last year. His wife Saira Banu whom he married in 1966, stayed with him till his last breath.
Tributes poured in for Dilip Kumar as he passed away in Hinduja hospital in Mumbai. The Indian cricket fraternity also took to Twitter to pay respects to one of the greatest Indian actors, who many called an institution.
Here are the tweets:
