By any definition, Indian film star Dilip Kumar is a legend. He was famously called the 'Tragedy King' of Bollywood. Dilip Kumar wanted to be a businessman but accidentally became the hero of the Hindi industry. The journey of Bollywood from far away Peshawar, Pakistan, was not easy at all for Mohammad Yusuf Khan, known as, Dilip Kumar. Bollywood has seen his powerful acting for about 5 decades. Read on to know the success story of this 'Tragedy King'

Who is Dilip Kumar?

Dilip Kumar was a famous Indian actor as well as a film producer. He is widely known for his work and effort in Hindi cinema. His unmatched acting method distinct him from others, and he was considered as one of the pioneers for making a difference in the Indian movie industry.

With his charm and talent, Dilip Kumar dominated the industry for more than 50 years. Some of his famous movies are Andaz, Babul, Deedar, Daag, Mughal-e-Azam, and many more. After his debut in 1944, Dilip Kumar appeared in 63 movies until 1998.

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Dilip Kumar Life History

Dilip Kumar was born on 11 December 1922 in the Kissa Khawani Bazar area of ​​Peshawar, Pakistan, to a Muslim aristocratic family named Mohammad Yusuf Khan. Dilip Kumar's father was a fruit trader, and he also had an orchard. In the late 1930s, Dilip Kumar's father moved to Mumbai with a family of 12 members. Dilip Kumar started his primary education at Deoliar Burns School near Nasik.

However, the teenager Yusuf left the house one day as he did not get along with his father from the very beginning. During that time, Raj Kapoor was his childhood friend, who later became his co-star in the Hindi industry as well. After leaving the house, Dilip went to Pune. After reaching there, he met with a cafe owner, and he found an Anglo-Indian couple next to him. With their help, Dilip Kumar opened a sandwich shop near the Army Club. His business also started booming.

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Tragedy King's personal life was colorful enough. At first, Dilip Kumar fell in love with actress Kamini Kaushal, but they could not get married. He later fell in love with actress Madhubala, but their family did not agree to the marriage. Then in 1986, Dilip Kumar married Saira Banu, who was 22 years younger than him. However, their marriage faced a critical situation in early eighties. It was rumored that Dilip Kumar gone into a relationship with Asma Rehman, a woman from Hydrabad, Pakistan. However, Dilip Kumar spent the rest of his life with Saira Banu.

Dilip Kumar passed a colorful life with enough stardom. However, he left the film industry a long time ago. He died on July 7, 2021, at the age of 98. He was admitted to the hospital with some health issues. Dilip Kumar has been suffering from critical illness due to his age. This veteran actor breathed his last in Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai while his wife Saira Banu was sat by him.

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Dilip Kumar Career and Success Story History

Entering the film industry was dramatic for Yusuf. During his business, Yusuf met with the then famous psychologist Dr. Masani, who later introduced him to the owner of 'Bombay Talkies.' Later in 1943, Yusuf Khan went to Bombay Talkies to look for a job, but the owner Devika Rani offered him to become an actor. Yusuf could not turn down the offer, and that was the start of today's Dilip Kumar.

However, he had to change the name as Devika Rani suggested that the name Yusuf Khan would not be appropriate for a romantic hero. Well-known Hindi poet Narendra Sharma was working for Bombay Talkies at that time. He proposed three names - Jahangir, Vasudev, and Dilip Kumar. Among those names, Yusuf Khan prefers Dilip Kumar for himself. And there was another big reason for his name change. That is so that his conservative father would not know about his new profession.

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Dilip Kumar's first film 'Jwar Bhata' was released in 1944. However, in the beginning, some of Dilip Kumar's films were not successful. However, his box office performance was not much of a success. He was praised for his acting talent. However, after several other unsuccessful movies, 'Jugnu'‌ released in 1947 with actress Nurjahan was a great hit. Then in 1948, Dilip Kumar presented two consecutive hit films, Shahid and Mela.

In 1949, Dilip Kumar played an extraordinary role in Mehboob Khan's movie 'Andaaz.' He was accompanied by co-stars Raj Kapoor and Nargis. The same year, the box office got another hit film Shabnam, starring Dilip Kumar. He did not stop after that. He worked in more than 60 movies, including Jogan, Babul, Halchal, Didar, Tarana, Dag, Uran Khatola, Insaniyat, Naya Daur, Madhumati, Paygam, Devdas, Azad, Kohinoor, Ganga Jamuna, Ram Aur Shyam, Shakti, Kranti, Saudagar and more.

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Awards

In his legendary film career, Dilip Kumar got uncountable awards. He achieved Padma Bhushan award in 1991. In 2016, he received India's second-highest title, the Padma Vibhushan. The then Home Minister Rajnath Singh handed over the medal to the greatest actor of Hindi Cinema.

Earlier in 1995, he received the Dadasaheb Phalke award. On the other hand, in 1997, Pakistan gave their highest national award Nisha-E-Imtiaz to Dilip Kumar. As an Indian actor, Dilip Kumar won the highest number of awards and holds the Guinness Book of World Records

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Throughout his acting career, Dilip Kumar has received many nominations and awards at the Filmfares. At different Filmfares, Kumar was nominated for ‘Best Actor’ Award for 19 times, and won the title for 6 times. Dilip Kumar was crowned with ‘Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award’ in 1993.

Final Words

After retiring from Hindi films, Dilip Kumar often stayed ill and admitted to the hospital several times. He was afflicted with various diseases due to old age. His beloved wife, Saira Banu, was always by his side. The great actor, Tragedy King, Dilip Kumar will be remembered by the film enthusiasts for his unparalleled contribution to the Bollywood film industry.

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