Dilip Kumar, arguably one of the finest actors to have blazed the silver screen in India, was born today in

Peshawar, Pakistan, today. As an Indian actor, he worked in Hindi cinema and dominated the landscape

from the 1940s well into the 60s. He continues to be regarded as one of the finest exponents of method

acting. From Devdas (1955) to Naya Daur (1957) to Mughal-e-Azam (1960), he gave unforgettable

performances which continue to be gems of Indian cinema.

Born as Mohammed Yusuf Khan, he adopted his screen name, Dilip Kumar, by which he continues to be

known till today. Said to be selective about his roles, Kumar worked in less than 60 films in a career

spanning over five decades. The characters he played were varied and his roles depicted a variety of

emotions.

He debuted as an actor in the film Jwar Bhata (1944). Following a series of unsuccessful attempts, he

had his first box office hit in Jugnu (1947). Dilip Kumar had a taste of success a string of brilliantly

memorable films like the romantic drama Andaz (1949), the heroic Aan (1952), the social drama

Daag (1952), the action drama Insaniyat (1955), the comical Azaad (1955), the romantic social Naya

Daur (1957), the mystery paranormal romance Madhumati (1958), the social drama Paigam (1959), the

fairy-tale adventure Kohinoor (1960), and the epic historical Mughal-e-Azam (1960).

Andaz, Aan and Naya Daur both block-busters briefly became the highest-grossing Indian films up to

that point, a feat later achieved by Mughal-e-Azam, which sustained the record for 15 years.

The 1970s saw Kumar's career take a slide marked by three back-to-back commercial failures,

Dastaan (1972),  Sagina  (1974) and  Bairaag  (1976). Post-1976, he took a brief hiatus from film

performances and returned in full force with the revolutionary drama of ensemble cast,  Kranti (1981),

which was the highest-grossing Indian film of the year.

Through the 1980s, Dilip Kumar continued to play leading character roles in ensemble films

as  Vidhaata  (1982), Shakti (1982), Karma (1986), and  Saudagar  (1991). His last on-screen appearance

was in the commercially unsuccessful Qila (1998) that saw him in a dual role.

Dilip Kumar also later served as a member of the Rajya Sabha from 2000 to 2006.

He himself had largely shunned media limelight and endorsements and liked to maintain a private life

away from the glare of paparazzi. However, his private life continued and continues to attract much

interest.  He was in a long-term relationship with actress and frequent co-star Madhubala that ended

after the Naya Daur court case in 1957.

He married actress Saira Banu in 1966, and until his death in 2021 resided with her in Mumbai. For his

contributions to film, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1991 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2015,

the country's third and second-highest civilian awards by the Government of India.

He was also the recipient of India's highest accolade in the field of cinema, the Dadasaheb Phalke

Award in 1994. In 1998, the Government of Pakistan conferred Kumar with Nishan-e-Imtiaz, their

highest civilian decoration. He is the only Indian to have received the honour. The house in Peshawar

that Kumar grew up in has been declared a national heritage monument in 2014 by the Pakistani

government.