Just a few weeks ago, I was watching Devdas again with my mother and TBH, she didn’t seem too interested in it. When asked, she simply said that it lacked the beauty of the original movie. Don’t get her wrong, she adores Shah Rukh Khan as an actor. But, for her, nothing can ever come close to the performance of Dilip Kumar in the OG Devdas (1995). He was, and will always be one of the finest actors of the Indian film industry. And, it breaks our heart to know that the legendary star is not among us now.
Veteran actor Dilip Kumar passed away this morning and July 7 will go down in history as one of the saddest days in Bollywood. His family friend, Faisal Farooqui, shared an emotional message on the actor’s Twitter handle. It read, “With a heavy heart and profound grief, I announce the passing away of our beloved Dilip Saab a few minutes ago. We are from God and to him we return.”
With a heavy heart and profound grief, I announce the passing away of our beloved Dilip Saab, few minutes ago.
We are from God and to Him we return. – Faisal Farooqui
— Dilip Kumar (@TheDilipKumar) July 7, 2021
Dilip saab was hospitalised at Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai on June 29 due to breathlessness. While we are still reeling from the shock, we do realise that he’s resting in peace now. He was truly an actor like no other and to commemorate the beautiful soul, here’s a glimpse at his phenomenal legacy. Read on.
From Mohammed Yusuf Khan To The ‘Tragedy King Of Bollywood’
Mohammad Yusuf Khan was born in 1922 in Peshawar (now Pakistan). He moved to Mumbai (then Bombay) in 1930s and to Pune a decade after that. There, he was spotted by actress Devika Rani who helped him get his first movie in Bollywood. The same Yusuf Khan later came to be known by his screen name, Dilip Kumar.
He married actress Saira Banu in 1966. While the couple didn’t have any kids, the Mugal-e-Azam actor once said that his legacy would be taken forward by other great talents in Bollywood. During an interview with a leading daily, he said, “I already see so many actors eager to carry forward what I established in my time. When a bright young actor comes up to me and says, ‘Sir, I wish to follow your work and walk the path you paved for us with your foresight,’ I am filled with a sense of awe and gratitude to the Almighty for having taken me through the paces of finding my way in a profession I had no preparation to be in.”
Dilip saab entertained his fans for more than five decades and soon came to be known as the ‘Tragedy King of Bollywood’. Here’s a glimpse of the extraordinary gems he has given to us over the years as an artist:
Dilip Kumar’s Movies That Will Always Have A Place In Our Hearts
Dilip Ji made his debut with the movie Jwar Bhata in 1944 and his last movie was Qila in 1998. He delivered one fine performance after the other for 54 years and that’s truly something. Here are his career milestones and the movies that we have always loved and always will.
Daag (1952)
He won his first Filmfare Award in the Best Actor category for Daag. He played the role of a poor man, Shankar, who was in love with his friend, Parvati. After a lot of struggle as a mud toy seller, Shankar finally settled down in life and married the love of his life.
Naya Daur (1957)
As the name suggests, Naya Daur was about the new changes in India that people were experiencing after ten years of its independence. Interestingly enough, this movie was also the inspiration behind Aamir Khan’s Lagaan. The actor won his third Filmfare Award in a row, and fourth overall.
Madhumati (1958)
Madhumati was quite ahead of its time as it was one of the earliest movies that introduced the concept of reincarnation in Bollywood. Dilip Kumar played the role of Anand, who died and was reborn to unite with his star-crossed lover.
Mughal-e-Azam (1960)
This movie needs no introduction because we believe that every Indian, who loves movies, has watched Mughal-e-Azam at least once. It has become a cult classic over the years and is considered one of the greatest love stories in the Indian cinema.
The actor played the role of Salim, who fell in love with Anarkali. However, his father, Akbar was against their relationship, which ultimately led to a war between him and his son. The movie broke several box office records back then and won a National Award as well as four Filmfare Awards.
Ram Aur Shyaam (1967)
While movies like Ganga Jamuna had popularised the actor as the ‘Tragedy King of Bollywood’, he surprised all his fans with his role in the comedy movie Ram Aur Shyaam. Again, it was one of the earliest movies that introduced the concept of double-role in Bollywood. A plot twist that is used even today in Hollywood movies and the television industry.
Devdas (1955)
This one doesn’t need any introduction either. Dev, Paro, and Chandramukhi’s love story has been remade several times over the years in Bollywood with its own twists and turns, but the original will always stay special.
Shakti (1982)
Shakti is considered as one of the best movies of the Indian film industry. This was also the first time Dilip saab shared screen space with Amitabh Bachchan. The movie explored the estranged relationship between a father and son in a dramatic yet convincing way.
Apart from these, the actor gave some tremedous performances in movies like Milan, Nadiya Ke Par, Deedar, Kohinoor, Aadmi, Mashaal, Saudagar.
Awards & Honours
He won the Dada Saheb Phalke Award In 1994 and Star Guild Award for Best Contribution To Indian Cinema in 2004. He has also been honoured with the highest civilian award in Pakistan, Nishan-e-Imtiaz. He recieved a Padma Bhushan in 1991 and Padma Vibhushan in 2015.
Dilip saab has been an integral part of the Indian cinema as well as our lives. Amitabh Bachchan recently tweeted and wrote, “An institution has gone .. whenever the history of Indian Cinema will be written , it shall always be ‘before Dilip Kumar, and after Dilip Kumar’ ..” And, we couldn’t have described our emotions better.
Our prayers are with his family, and we hope that his beautiful legacy lives on forever!
Feature Image: Instagram
