Yusuf Khan alias Dilip Kumar (1922 - 2021): The end of an era
Yash Models and Team pays tribute to the 'Tragedy King of Bollywood' and his illustrious career that spanned over five decades.
It's the loss of Bollywood and Indian Cinema.Yash Models and Team pays tribute to the 'Tragedy King of Bollywood' and his illustrious career that spanned over five decades.
Legendary Hindi actor Dilip Kumar died on Wednesday(7.7.2021) morning at 7:30 AM at the age of 98 due to prolonged illness, leaving behind an incredible legacy of films and movie fans. He is survived by his wife, veteran actor Saira Banu.
Kumar's official Twitter account also confirmed the news, posting, “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.”
Dilip Kumar was born on 11 December 1922, to a Hindko-speaking Awan family at his family home in the Qissa Khawani Bazaar area of Peshawar, British India, one of the twelve children of Lala Ghulam Sarwar Khan and his wife Ayesha Begum. He was named Mohammad Yusuf Khan, His father was a fruit merchant. Kumar was schooled at Barnes School, Deolali, Nashik. He grew up in the same neighborhood as Raj Kapoor, his childhood friend, and later his colleague in the film industry.
Kumar's first film was Jwar Bhata in 1944, which went unnoticed. After a few more unsuccessful films, it was Jugnu (1947), in which he starred alongside Noor Jehan, that became his first major hit at the box office. His next major hits were the 1948 films, Shaheed and Mela. Kumar with actors Raj Kapoor & Nargis in a scene of the film Andaz (1949). He got his breakthrough role in 1949 with Mehboob Khan's Andaz, in which he starred alongside Raj Kapoor and Nargis. Shabnam also released that year was another box office hit.
From Devdas and Andaz to Mughal-e-Azam and Ram Aur Shyam, the actor absolutely reveled in a variety of roles. The Hindu pays tribute to the 'Tragedy King of Bollywood' and his illustrious career that spanned over five decades.
Kumar had fallen in love with Madhubala during the shooting of Tarana. They remained in a relationship for seven years until the Naya Daur court case, during which Kumar testified against Madhubala and her father, ending their relationship. They never worked together again after Mughal-e-Azam (1960). In the late 1950s, Vyjayanthimala was linked by gossip magazines with Kumar, who has acted with her the most compared to any other actress, which resulted in great on-screen chemistry between them. While working for his home production Gunga Jumna (1961), Kumar reportedly handpicked the shade of sari that Vyjayanthimala would wear in every scene.
Kumar with his wife Saira Banu in 2007
In 1966, Kumar married actress Saira Banu, who was 22 years younger than him. He later married Hyderabad socialite Asma Sahiba, taking her as a second wife in 1981. That marriage ended in January 1983. Banu and he lived in Bandra. They did not have any children. In his autobiography, Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow, he revealed that Banu had conceived in 1972, but developed complications in the pregnancy, leading to the child's death. Following this, they did not try to have children again, believing that it to be God's will.
Kumar was fluent in Urdu, Hindi, Hindko (his first language), Punjabi, Marathi, English, Bengali, Gujarati, Pashto, Persian, and the Awadhi and Bhojpuri dialects. He was also a great music enthusiast and also learned how to play the sitar for a film. He loved cricket and played it often.
His younger brother Nasir Khan (1924–1974) was also a noted film actor. Two of his younger brothers died during the COVID-19 pandemic after testing positive for COVID-19: Aslam Khan died at the age of 88 in August 2020, and Ehsan Khan died at 90 in September 2020
Tributes for the cultural icon flew in from all quarters, with political figures as well as film celebrities expressing their condolences.
