The First Khan of Bollywood. Dilip Kumar was the pole star on the horizon of Hindi films... who changed the definition of acting.
Dilip Kumar introduced method acting to Indian films and went to become the biggest star for generations...
Born Yusuf Khan, in 1922 in Peshawar, Dilip Kumar grew up in the same neighbourhood as Raj Kapoor, who was also his childhood friend.
In 1940, after a dispute with his father, the young Khan left home for Poona and sold sandwiches at an army club...
He returned to Bombay after a while and joined Bombay Talkies.
There he met actor Ashok Kumar, who played a significant role in influencing his acting style and introducing him to method acting.
That is when Devika Rani requested him to change his name from Yusuf to Dilip Kumar and cast him in a lead role in the film 'Jwar Bhata' in the year 1944.
Thus kickstarting an acting career that will become the stuff of legends, eclipsing all around him...
Fondly known as the 'Tragedy King', Dilip Saab influenced generations of young artists over the years. He was described as "the ultimate method actor" by legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray.
His rise started in the 1950s with films like 'Sairat', 'Babul', 'Tarana', 'Hulchul', 'Deedar', 'Daag', 'Chandirani', 'Uran Khatola', 'Devdas', 'Yahudi' and 'Kumati'. And reached its pinnacle with Mughal-e-Azam in 1960.
Topped with power-packed performances in movies like Shakti and Karma in the 80s.
He was the first actor to win the Filmfare Best Actor Award and went on to win it a whopping eight times in his lustrous career.
He formed popular on-screen pairings with a number of top actresses of his time like Madhubala, Vyjayanthimala, Nargis, Meena Kumari, Bhanumathi Ramakrishna and Kamini Kaushal.
Dilip Kumar married actress Saira Banu in 1966, and the duo stayed strong forever. Their love for each other remained absolutely endearing...
Interestingly, Dilip Kumar initially avoided working with Saira Banu, who was 22 years younger, as he felt awkward.. but then fell for her ethereal beauty...
Apart from a Guinness World Record to his name, Dilip Kumar for the most filmfare awards...
He got a number of laurels during his long and glorious career.
Kumar was appointed as Sheriff of Mumbai and was also awarded the Padma Bhushan, Dadasaheb Phalke Award and the Padma Vibhushan awards by the govt.
Also Read: Bollywood on-screen jodis to look out for in 2021
The Government of Pakistan also conferred Kumar with Nishan-e-Imtiaz, the highest civilian award in Pakistan.