Dilip Kumar is without a doubt one of the most talented actors in Bollywood history. The performing talent has dominated the Hindi silver screen for a long time and continues to do so. This tragedy has taken a long time for King to gain the respect he now has. Yusuf was born in Pakistan and came to Pune with his family when he was a child. When Devika Rani of Bombay Talkies met Yusuf Khan in 1940, he had a Canteen and used to sell dry fruits. Yusuf Khan’s life and name were forever transformed as a result of this interaction.
Let’s look at some interesting and little-known facts about Bollywood’s “Tragedy King,” Dilip Kumar:
1. Dilip Kumar is the first Pakistani-born Bollywood superstar.
2. Dilip Kumar used to sell fruits alongside his father, a fruit dealer in Pune, long before entering the film industry. He met a canteen contractor with the help of a Parsi café owner and an old Anglo-Indian couple after arriving in Pune. He was hired only based on his proficiency in the English language, both written and spoken, and he did not mention his family history. He set up a sandwich booth at the canteen for the duration of the contract, saving a whopping Rs 5,000, which was a significant sum at the time, and then returned home.
3. Dilip Kumar grew up in the same neighborhood as Raj Kapoor, who was also his boyhood friend and was born Yusuf Khan to an Awan family. Dilip left home for Pune in 1940 after quarrying with his father (Poona as it was known then). Until his contract ended, he set up a sandwich stand at the army club. He then returned to Bombay with Rs 5,000 in savings. He later joined Bombay Talkies, where he met actor Ashok Kumar, who greatly influenced his acting technique and introduced him to method acting. Devika Rani then asked him to change his name from Yousuf to Dilip Kumar and cast him in the 1944 film ‘JwarBhata.’
4. With the support of Mrs. Devika Rani, Dilip Kumar made his Bollywood debut with ‘JwarBhata.’ In an interview, he stated that a family friend who was helping him find work introduced him to Mrs. Devika Rani at the Bombay Talkies Studio and that she had never seen him before. She offered him a job as an actor with a monthly salary of Rs 1,250. Dilip, who was overjoyed, assumed the sum offered was for a year because it was a substantial figure. Devika merely provided the money because she saw potential in him and didn’t want to lose him, he later learned.
5. Following his debut film, ‘JwarBhata,’ Dilip Kumar enjoyed a streak of successful films. However, films like ‘Sairat,’ ‘Babul,’ ‘Tarana,’ ‘Hulchul,’ ‘Deedar,’ Daag,’ Chandirani,’ UranKhatola,’ Devdas,’ Yahudi,’ and ‘Kumati’ catapulted him to stardom in the 1950s. These were the flicks that cemented his reputation as Bollywood’s “Tragedy King.” He was the first actor to win the Filmfare Best Actor Award, which he won seven times over his illustrious career. Madhubala, Vyjayanthimala, Nargis, MeenaKumari, Bhanumathi Ramakrishna, and KaminiKaushal were among the finest actresses of his time, and he forged popular on-screen pairs with them. He also played humorous roles to lose his ‘Tragedy King’ persona. But there was one tag he couldn’t get rid of.
6. He married SairaBanu at 44, while she was only 22 years old. She has remained by Dilip Kumar’s side ever since. Dilip later revealed that when he visited Saira’s birthday celebration, he fell head over heels in love with her and was taken aback because she was no longer the little girl he had avoided working with because he feared she would look too young to be his heroine. In 1980, Dilip Kumar married Asma, a Hyderabadi young lady. In any case, his second marriage was short-lived.
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7. He was the first actor to be booted from the Filmfare award for the best on-screen character. He received this award for the film Daag. Dilip Kumar has been nominated for 19 Filmfare awards and has won eight of them.
8. Dilip Kumar was unavoidably compelled to work with prominent performing artist Madhubala, whom he’d met while working on Tarana’s arrangements. Dilip’s love story with Madhubala is more well-known than his marriage. They had to split ways since Madhubala’s family was opposed to the romance.
9. Dilip Kumar had found a mentor in Ashok Kumar, and his first break in JwarBhata came as a result of his recommendation. Dilip Kumar was considered the “best method actor” by legendary director Satyajit Ray.
10. In the verified dramatization film Mughal-e-Azam, Dilip Kumar convincingly played Prince Salim. Until 2008, the film was the second highest-grossing film in the history of Indian cinema.
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11. He is a cricket fanatic. He is not just a fan, but he was also a decent player back in the day. According to an earlier interview with actor Saif Ali Khan’s late father, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Dilip had once smashed a six on a very well-known bowler’s ball during one of the charity celebrations in his era.
12. Despite his onscreen appearance, which has always represented him as a serious actor, Dilip is a fun-loving person in real life who has been known to make people laugh for hours.
Apart from a Guinness World Record, Dilip Kumar won a slew of awards during his illustrious career. Kumar was chosen as the Sheriff of Mumbai and received the Padma Bhushan, DadasahebPhalke Award, and Padma Vibhushan honors from the Indian government, to name a few. Kumar received the NTR National Award from the Andhra Pradesh government. Kumar was also given the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan’s highest civilian award, by the Pakistani government. The Indian National Congress also nominated Dilip Kumar to serve in the Rajya Sabha, India’s upper chamber of Parliament, from 2000 to 2006.
Without a doubt, Dilip Kumar’s personality, acting, films, and songs have not been forgotten and will never be forgotten!
