By Renu Baliyan
Legendary actor Dilip Kumar has passed away today at 7:30 am at Khar Hinduja hospital after prolonged illness, according to reports. The actor leaves behind a rich legacy of films that spanned six decades in Bollywood. Dilip Kumar was suffering from age-related ailments for some time and he had been in and out of hospital in the entire month of June. He was 98. Dilip Kumar has carved an image of “tragedy king” and delivered some of the most stunning classics to film lovers. The funeral of the actor is scheduled to take place today, according to his official Twitter account. Here is the tweet:
“Burial today at 5:00 PM. Juhu Qabrastan at Santacruz Mumbai.”
Also, the popularity of Dilip Kumar can be seen from the fact that ever since the news of his death came out, he is trending on social media site Twitter. #DilipKumar, #SairaBanu, RIP Sir, #TragedyKing are some of the top trends on Twitter.
Amitabh Bachchan took to his social media account and posted, “An institution has gone .. whenever the history of Indian Cinema will be written , it shall always be ‘before Dilip Kumar, and after Dilip Kumar’ .. My duas for peace of his soul and the strength to the family to bear this loss .. Palms up togetherPalms up togetherPalms up together. Deeply saddened.”
Dilip Kumar was a shy Muslim fruit seller who left no stone unturned to give a strong fight to early failure and family disapproval to emerge as one of the most successful Bollywood actors. He became a highly respected actor during the golden period of Indian cinema from 1940s to 1960s.
Let us take a look at some of the most enduring classics to celebrate the life of Dilip Kumar:
1. Mughal-e-Azam
The film is one of the best classics of Bollywood and gave Dilip Kumar one of his most remarkable roles. The film revolved around the love story of Salim (played by Dilip) and Anarkali (played by Madubhala). The film depicted forbidden relationships and escape from the Mughal kingdom. Also, Mughal-e-Azam also became Bollywood’s highest grossing movie of all time for over 15 years.
2. Madhumati
Dilip Kumar appeared in double role in the film Madhumati. The actor was seen as a reincarnation of one of his characters in Madhumati. The film became one of the first of its kind in Bollywood and after this many Bollywood films were based on the theme of reincarnation. The song of the film became chartbusters and became highly popular. It also emerged as one of the highest grossing movies of 1950s. Many Bollywood lovers still love to hum the song “‘Suhana Safar Aur Yeh Mausam Haseen’.
3. Ram Aur Shyam
The superhit film featured DilIp Kumar in double role. DilIp played both the character Ram and Shyam with effortless ease and impressed everyone with his outstanding acting. Despite the sharp contrast in both the character DilIp pulled it off amazingly. Ram was a shy man and Shyam was a mischievous person in the film. DilIp discovered the experience of acting in Ram and Shyam quite satisfying and stimulating.
4. Ganga Jumna
With this film Dilip made his debut as the producer. Apart from becoming producer, Dilip also acted in the film. He showcased the story of an innocent person who was compelled by situations to become a dacoit. The film also starred Vyjanthimala and Nasir Khan. Kumar’s role was liked very much in the film and he was nominated at the Filmfare Awards.
5. Daag
This is the film for which Dilip Kumar won his first ever Filmfare Award in the category of Best Actor. Dilip played the role of Shankar in the film. In the film, Dilip buckles under the pressure of supporting his widowed mother and resorts to drinking as he is the only bread earner. The film was a super hit at the box office and also starred Amiya Chakravarty, Nimmi, and Lalita Pawar.
6. Devdas
Prior to Shahrukh Khan and Abhay Deol, Dilip Kumar performed the role of Devdas. Dilip Kumar won the Filmfare award for Devdas. The actor delivered one of his finest performances in the film that earned him scores of fans. Film critics praised the sensitivity with which Dileep portrayed the role of a doomed lover in the film. Later Dileep Kumar confessed in an interview that he still cannot bring himself to agree with Devdas when he hits his lover Paro with a stick saying “I have given you this mark to punish your pride.”
7. Naya Daur
Dilip performs the role of a tongewalla in the film Naya Daur. Dilip vows to challenge the way things happen in his village pertaining to transportation and the injustice and harassment tongawallas face. Dilip Kumar won his third successive Filmfare Award in the category of Best Actor. It became the second highest grossing film of 1950s after Mother India. Interestingly, Dileep Kumar had refused to act in the film when he was approached by the filmmakers. It earned Rs 5,40,00,000.
8. Andaaz
The film showcased Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar who also happened to be Bollywood A listers. The film showed one-side love when Dilip fell in love with the actress (Nargis played the actress) in the film. When Dilip wants to confess his feelings to the actress in the film he comes to know that she already has a fiancé. Dilip yet again delivered one his best performances in the film.
9. Deedar
Deedar is the black and white film and it was directed by Nitin Bose. The film starred Dilip Kumar, Nargis, and Nimmi. The film showcased the story of unsuccessful love when hero’s childhood love got separated due to class inequalities. Dilip gave an outstanding performance in the film.
10.Kranti
The film was released in 1981. It was produced and directed by Manoj Kumar. It had multiple cast that included Shashi Kapoor, Hema Malini, Dilip Kumar, and Manoj Kumar. The film showed a group of revolutionaries who decided to drive the British out of India.
