Dilip Kumar dies at the age of 98: The epoch has come to an end.
Dilip Kumar, India’s enduring film legend through the decades, died on Wednesday at a Mumbai hospital after a lengthy illness, according to his family and doctors treating him. He was 98 years old.
The actor, dubbed “Tragedy King” by generations of moviegoers for his portrayal of the brooding, intense romantic in classics such as Mughal-e-Azam and Devdas, is survived by his wife Saira Banu.
“They say you can be either a’star’ or a ‘actor.’’ One of Dilip Kumar’s greatest assets is that he is that rare legend who is both. For me, he is a trendsetter in terms of acting style, as well as a huge and beloved star of his time who commanded both critical and commercial attention.
When Dilip saab began his career with Jwar Bhata in 1944, the popular form of acting was highly theatrical and stylised. He defied convention by adopting a more naturalistic approach to acting. He walked in and it was like a breath of fresh air. Obviously, I wasn’t even alive when he delivered some of his best early performances. But I remember watching Gopi, Dastaan, Bairaag, and Sagina as a kid.
Kumar, whose birth name was Yusuf Khan, was also known as the “First Khan” of the Hindi film industry, in addition to being known as the “Tragedy King.” In the 1950s and 1960s, he established himself as one of the most bankable actors, particularly with the period drama Mughal-e-Azam, in which he played the lovestruck Salim.
One of the most iconic dialogues and scenes in both the old and new Devdas is when Kumar says, “Kaun kambakht hai jo bardasht karne ke liye peeta hai? Mai toh peeta hoon ke bas saans le sakoon.”
Inspired by the way American actor Paul Muni blended realism into acting for the camera, Kumar’s greatest contribution as an actor to the medium was the way he made his craft look effortlessly organic. This set him apart from everyone else. Mehboob’s Andaz (1949), which also gave him stardom, was the first film to show off Kumar’s craft for the first time.
His silent lover in the triangle, which also included Nargis and Raj Kapoor, virtually redefined acting in Hindi films. Among the leading men of the time, including Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand, he was the only one who could transcend genres and not be limited to romance, drama, or social.
Off-screen, Kumar’s actions sparked debate, such as when he publicly declared his second marriage to divorced Hyderabad-based socialite Asma Sahiba in the early 1980s, or when he refused to return the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan’s highest civilian honour, in the aftermath of the Kargil war in 1999. In a life that spanned nine decades, there are bound to be some regrets and unfulfilled dreams that Kumar may have had.
The Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi in his tweet has mentioned Dilip Kumar as a Cinematic Legend blessed with unparalleled brilliance.
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