Dilip Kumar, who passed away this Wednesday early morning in Mumbai at the age of 98, was the standard for acting who was a trademark in the world of acting as well as a Jury for examining acting in sub-continent— no wonder, then, that a great many of them in Urdu/Hindi cinema were influenced by the melodramatic legend.
Born Mohammad Yusuf Khan in Peshawar on Dec 11, 1922, to Hindko-speaking parents, Dilip was fourth in a family of 12 children. He had quite a few clones, some of whom later evolved their own individual styles.
On legendary icon Dilip Kumar’s death on July 7, 2021, at 7.30 am, the entire nation expressed deep sorrows and felt heartbroken. Besides many celebrities, fans, and colleagues thronging social media to grieved upon his loss, superstar Shah Rukh Khan rushed to his residence.
SRK arrived at Dilip Kumar’s residence to pay his last respects and offer condolences to Saira Banu. The legendary influential couple shared a great bond of affection and love with Shah Rukh and treated him like family.
From Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor to Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, and others – all mourned Dilip Kumar’s departure. Dilip Kumar’s close family friend Faisal Farooqui, tweeted on behalf of the family, briefing everyone about the last burial ceremony at Juhu Qabrastan at Santacruz
After some time, in the late 1970s, he switched over to playing characters in their twilight years. But those were never supporting roles. He played the central characters, Shakti and Karanti being cases in point. In short, he re-discovered himself dazzlingly.
Dilip Kumar was romantically linked with three of his heroines, the most notable being Madhubala.
A few years ago, Amitabh Bachchan admiring His services for Bollywood tweeted:
“The history of Indian actors will be written [in two chapters], before Dilip sahib and after Dilip sahib.”
The man who turned 98 in last December may not be there anymore but his influence will most likely continue to inspire emerging actors, just as it has those who are in the top bracket today.
