Mumbai: Veteran actor Dilip Kumar passed away here Wednesday due to age-related illness, his family has confirmed. He was 98.
He died at the private Hinduja Hospital where had been admitted for certain breathing issues.
Confirming the demise of the veteran actor, his family friend tweeted, “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.”
Born Mohammed Yusuf Khan, the actor had changed his name to Dilip Kumar on Devika Rani’s insistence, when entering the film industry back in 1944. In an earlier interview, he had admitted that it was ‘pitayi ka darr’ that led to the change in name since his father, unimpressed by the four-figure salary of the film industry, referred to his profession as nautanki.
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Dilip saab made his Bollywood debut with ‘Jwar Bhata’, coached by Ashok Kumar to be ‘natural’ while acting. However, it was only in 1947, with the Noor Jehan-starrer ‘Jugnu’ that the actor got his first box office hit. This was followed by more blockbusters such as ‘Shaheed’ and ‘Mela’. In a career spanning over five decades, the First Khan, as he was referred to, worked in as many as 65 films.
Such was his dedication to the craft that after a spate of tragic roles in films such as ‘Nadiya Ke Paar’, ‘Mela’, ‘Andaz’, ‘Jogan’, ‘Babul’, ‘Arzoo’, ‘Deedar’, ‘Tarana’, ‘Daag’, ‘Shikast’, ‘Amar’ ‘Devdas’, ‘Dil Diya Dard Liya’, ‘Aadmi’, ‘Madhumati’, he admitted to suffering from depression. On a psychiatrist’s recommendation, he then started taking on lighthearted roles but not before he was dubbed as The Tragedy King.
Dilip saab continues to hold the Guinness World Record for winning the maximum number of awards by an Indian actor. He is the only actor to have received eight Filmfare Awards for Best Actor and One Lifetime Achievement for Filmfare. ‘Ganga Jamuna’, which he wrote, produced, and starred in, received the National Film Award for Second Best Feature Film in Hindi, the Paul Revere Silver Bowl at the Boston International Film Festival, the Special Honour Diploma from the Czechoslovak Academy of Arts in Prague, and the Special Prize at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Besides being recognised for his body of work, Dilip saab was also awarded several civilian awards on both sides of the border. He was appointed Sheriff of Mumbai in 1980. The Government of India had honoured the actor-philanthropist with the Padma Bhushan in 1991, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1994, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2015. Dilip saab was also nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of the Parliament of India, by the Indian National Congress for the period 2000–2006 from Maharashtra. The Government of Andhra Pradesh honoured him with NTR National Award in 1997. The Government of Pakistan conferred Kumar with Nishan-e-Imtiaz, the highest civilian award in Pakistan, in 1998.
An era has come to an end with the passing away of one of the last veteran actors from the Golden period of Indian cinema. Dilip saab may be no more but his legacy will continue to live on.
