Dilip Kumar and Saira Bano
By Nandini Bhushan
Mumbai: India’s first ever silver screen superstar and an institution in himself, ‘tragedy king’ Dilip Kumar, 98, who breathed his last at 7:30 am in a city hospital after a prolonged illness today, was laid to rest with full state honours at Juhu Qabrastan in Santacruz, Mumbai at 4.30 pm. His mortal remains were wrapped in Indian tricolour.
The legendary actor had to be admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of a city hospital on June 30, 2021 for the second time within ten days of getting discharged, following complaints of breathlessness as a “precautionary measure”.
Born as Yusuf Khan on December 11, 1922 in Peshawar, he was one of twelve children of Ayesha Begum and Lala Ghulam Sarwar Khan, a fruit merchant. His family moved to Mumbai where he chanced to encounter Devika Rani, a pioneering Indian actress who introduced Dilip saab to the Hindi cinema and the rest is history.This Peshawar boy is often said to be the first of the Khan’s.
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Basheshwar Nath, Prithviraj Kapoor’s father and Raj Kapoor s grandfather pointed Dilip Kumar’s father’s attention to a hoarding of Jugnu. The two families were neighbours and friends for years in Peshawar and Yusuf turned to Raj when his disappointed father refused to speak to him since he had hidden about his acting career from his family. And eventually everything turned well only after Raj got his father to mediate and both the Peshawar boys became India’s most loved and respected actors.
From his first film Jwar Bhata in 1944 to the last Quilla, Dilip Kumar worked for almost six decades and essayed a wide variety of roles. Although he had no formal training in the skill, he immersed himself in every character he portrayed on the screen. Dilip saab’s preparation for the role was so intense and passionate that he turned down Guru Dutt’s Pyaasa since after playing Devdas he got so deeply in the character that he slipped into depression on account of it and had to seek medical help to recover from the same. Such was his work commitment that he politely refused Lawrence of Arabia since he believed that his performance in other films would be affected as he might have to stay away from Mumbai for a long time. The other famous anecdote of Dilip Kumar that his fan would always cherish was that when Malika – e – Tarrannum Noor Jahan visited India nostalgically said that she was visiting Bombay after thirty years to which Dilip Kumar instantly replied “aur hum aapke tees saal se intezaar kar rahe the“. His death has left an irreversible void.
Dilip Kumar was a part of the famous triumvirate comprising Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor who ruled the Indian cinema in 1950’s and 1960’s and left their mark as Raj Kapoor the showman, Dev Anand the flamboyant romantic hero while Dilip Kumar as an actor. In his long acting career he holds the record to receive the maximum number of awards that included eight Filmfare awards. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1991 and Dada Saheb Phalke award in 1994 for his contribution to Indian cinema. The Nishan – e – Imtiaz, the highest civilian award in Pakistan was given to him in 1997. He also served as a Member of Parliament of Rajya Sabha from 2000 – 2006.
Dilip Kumar dazzled his fans with his cinematic brilliance each time he appeared on the screen. Although it is difficult to pick his best performance, movies like Mughal – e – Azam, Naya Daur, Devdas, Madhumati, Ganga Jamuna will always be remembered as timeless classics of the legendary actor.
He is survived by his wife and yesteryear actress Saira Banu. The love story of Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu was no less than a bollywood movie as they were madly in love despite the age gap of 22 years. Although their marriage made headlines, it turned out to be a perfect one as the couple was together for almost five decades. Saira Banu has been a constant support to him through the years.
Celebrities took to social media and paid their tribute to Dilip saab.
Social media is filled with heartfelt messages from his friends, fans and B town celebs. Saira Banu’s grand niece Aayesha shared a priceless picture and penned down an emotional note for her ” Phuphonana” Dilip Kumar wrote as an end of an era. Megastar Amitabh Bachan tweeted that the institution has gone with Dilip saab. Sanjay Dutt, Dilip Kumar’s neighbour, dropped a picture in Instagram and remembered him as a father figure.
Top photo: File photo of Dilip Kumar with his wife Saira Banu. Photo courtesy Bollywood Hungama
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