Dilip Kumar: The Grand Old Man Of Indian Cinema's Legendary Life
NDTV
Described by Satyajit Ray as "the ultimate method actor," Dilip Kumar's resume contains many of Indian cinema's landmark, genre-defining roles
Legendary actor Dilip Kumar died in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday, where he was admitted for about a week. He was taken to the hospital after complaining of breathlessness - it was the second time he had been hospitalised in the same month. "He passed away due to prolonged illness at 7.30 am," Dr Jalil Parkar, who had been treating Dilip Kumar, told news agency PTI. A tweet posted from the actor's official handle by family friend Faisal Farooqui 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." He was 98. Dilip Kumar had been in and out hospital several times over the last few years and had spent his 94th birthday in hospital. Dilip Kumar, star of iconic films such as Devdas and Madhumati, was often cited by colleagues such as Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan as the actor they most admire. He is survived by Saira Banu, his wife of over 50 years. Described by Satyajit Ray as "the ultimate method actor," Dilip Kumar's resume contains many of Indian cinema's landmark, genre-defining roles. His performances as the drunken, doomed lover in Devdas and the rebellious royal son in Mughal-e-Azam have been endlessly referenced by his successors on-screen. In Madhumati, he set the trend for reincarnation films. In Ram Aur Shyam, he established the twins-separated-at-birth formula. He became the first ever winner of the Filmfare Best Actor award for Daag in 1954 and went on to win the award another seven times. Just one other actor has equalled Dilip Kumar's eight Filmfare wins - Shah Rukh Khan, who has often cited the older actor as his inspiration. Born Yusuf Khan in Peshawar on December 11, 1922, the young Dilip Kumar went to school in Deolali, Maharashtra, where his fruit merchant father owned orchards. In 1940, Dilip Kumar moved to Pune and set up shop supplying dry fruits and running a canteen. Three years later, actress Devika Rani and her husband actor-director Himanshu Rai spotted him in a military canteen and cast him as the lead in 1944's Jwar Bhata. Author Bhagwati Charan Varma changed his name from Yusuf Khan to Dilip Kumar and the young actor took his first tentative steps towards stardom.More Related News