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We all know of the three Khans of Bollywood, considered as the biggest star of Indian cinema. However, there was a Khan way before these three took the stage. The first Khan of Indian cinema, the biggest superstar and pioneer of method acting in India, tragically passed away in 2021.
Died on 7th July 2021
Dilip Kumar, the veteran actor of Hindi cinema, is no more with us. The Tragedy King breathed his last at the age of 98. With his passing, an era of Hindi cinema has come to an end. He had been facing health issues for a long time.
Mohammed Yusuf Khan, better known by his stage name Dilip Kumar was one of the greatest actors Indian silver screen ever witnessed. His charms, his style and his talent. He effortlessly portrayed the role of a tangawallah as easily as he performed the role of a Mughal prince. Dilip Kumar is a legend in the world of cinema.
He was born in Peshawar and grew up in the same locality as Raj Kapoor, his childhood friend. Their friendship continued once they moved to Bombay after India's partition and ventured into the world of cinema. In fact, Dilip Kumar's first breakthrough role was in the movie Andaz, which co-starred his friend Raj Kapoor. This was the only movie in which both the friends worked together. A tragic love triangle, Andaz went on to become the highest-grossing film of its time.
There's an interesting story behind how Mohammed Yusuf Khan became Dilip Kumar. His father never approved of his acting career, fearful of his father's disapproval. He adopted the stage name of Dilip Kumar in his debut film Jwar Bhata. The name was suggested by Devika Rani, who was a co-producer of the movie. The name stuck, and soon Dilip Kumar would become a name on everybody's lips.
After the success of Andaz, he did a succession of hit films like Naya Daur, Daag, Babul, Devdas. The finesses with which he played tragic characters cemented his position as the Tragedy King in Bollywood. However, repeatedly playing heart-wrenching tragic characters began to take a toll on his mental health, and he suffered from depression. So much so that Gurudatt's Pyasa was initially offered to him, but his psychiatrist strongly advised against playing another tragic character and suggested he played more light-hearted roles.
As per his psychiatrist's advice, He played more light-hearted roles in Mehboob Khan's big-budget adventure musical Aan, which was his first technicolour film. He also did movies like Aazad, an action-comedy in which he played a witty, charming bandit. His ability to seamlessly do both tragic and comic roles impressed everyone. He towered high among his colleagues as the most versatile actor of his time.
He pioneered his own form of method acting in India, even predating Hollywood legends like Marlon Brando. Satyajit Ray, the acclaimed Indian filmmaker, despite not having the chance to work with him, described him as the "ultimate method actor". What was ingenious was that Kumar's method-acting was something he developed himself as he never attended an acting school.
Dilip Kumar's career reached new heights of success with Asif Ali's Mughal-e-Azam, an epic love story about the forbidden love between Prince Salim and Anarkali. It was the highest-grossing Indian film for 11 years. If adjusted for inflation, its box office collection would be equal to 1000 crore in 2011. Such was the magnificence of this period drama. When the coloured version was rereleased in 2004, it again became a box office hit.
Kumar's acting career spanned almost 5 decades, with his last movie Qila releasing in 1998. He did all sorts of roles, from a melancholic lover to witty thief, from a young gentleman to an angry old man. His prowess and acting were such that actors like Irrfan Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and others consider him an inspiration. He received many awards and prizes throughout his life. Interestingly, he is the only Indian to be awarded Pakistan's highest civilian honour Nishan-e-Imtiaz.
As the news of his death spread, there was a wave of mourning in the TV and film industry. Tributes were being paid to him on social media. Many celebrities reached to see his last rites. The Abhinay Samrat was given a final farewell with state honours.
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