DILIP KUMAR BIOGRAPHY

DILIP KUMAR, the Devdas of the Fifties, was emotive, handsome and had that certain X factor that made him the brightest star of his time.
Muhammed Yusuf Khan took on the name Dilip Kumar as his screen name. He was born on 11th December 1922 in Peshawar which is now part of Pakistan. He was born into a Pashtun family and was one of twelve children. One of his brothers Nasir Khan was also an actor and they worked together in Ganga Jamuna (1961) and Bairaag (1976). His father Ghulam Sarwar was a fruit merchant with orchards in Peshawar and Deolali in Maharashtra.

He started a canteen in Pune where he was noticed by the director Amiya Chakravarty. With Chakravarty and actress Devika Rani's help, he entered the film industry after changing his name to Dilip Kumar.
Dilip Kumar was involved with actress Madhubala but they had to part ways as her family was opposed to their marriage. He married actress Saira Banu who was two decades younger than him in 1966. He married a second time in 1980 to Asma but the marriage ended soon after.
Dilip Kumar has been actively involved in charity work. He has been awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1994) and Nishan-e-Pakistan by the Pakistani Government in 1998. He entered politics in 2000 and was a Member of Parliament.
1944 to 1949 Dilip Kumar made his debut with Amiya Chakravarty's Jwar Bhata (1944) as a wandering musician. He appeared in Pratima (1945) and Milan (1947). Jugnu (1947) was his first major success.

He worked in several movies the following year among which were Shahid (1948), which was about India's freedom struggle and starred Kamini Kaushal with whom he was romantically linked off-screen too and Mela (1948) with Nargis. Andaz (1949) was the first and last movie in which he worked with Raj Kapoor.

1950 to 1959 The early fifties saw the release of movies like Arzoo (1950), Deedar (1952), Aan (1952) and Footpath (1953). In 1955, he commanded applause for his performance in Bimal Roy's Devdas with Suchitra Sen and Vyjayanthimala.

Naya Daur (1957) was a commercial and critical success. The movie was also in the news as the director B.R. Chopra took legal action against actress Madhubala as she was signed up as the lead but backed out when her relationship with Dilip Kumar came to an end.

1960 to 1976 Dilip Kumar's next role as Prince Salim in Mughal-e-Azam (1960) was another one of his memorable performances and the movie was one of the high grossers of Bollywood. He produced and acted in Ganga Jamuna with his brother Nasir Khan.

After a bad spell at the box office, he had a hit with Ram Aur Shyam (1967). A few more movies later, he took a long sabbatical after his 1976 release Bairaag.

1981 to 1989 Manoj Kumar's Kranti was his comeback movie in 1981. It was a multi starrer with Hema Malini, Shashi Kapoor, Shatrughan Sinha and Parveen Babi. It was one of the biggest movies of the eighties.

He played Sanjay Dutt's father in Subash Ghai's Vidhaata and joined Amitabh Bacchan in Ramesh Sippy's Shakti winning the Filmfare Best Movie Award. Dilip Kumar and Nutan came together in Subash Ghai's Karma (1986).

1990 to 1999 The year 1991 saw Dilip Kumar in Saudaghar with Rajkumar. The movie was about two feuding families. He was seen again in Qila (1998) which is his last movie to date. He played a negative role. The movie subsequently did not fare well.

Dilip Kumar received the Filmfare Best Actor Award for Daag, Azaad, Devdas, Naya Daur, Kohinoor, Leader, Ram Aur Shyam and Shakti. He was the first actor who won the Filmfare Best Actor Award. He also had a record number of nominations and wins. He won the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993.

Name: Dilip Kumar
Birthday: Monday, Dec 11 1922
Star Sign: Sagittarius
Parents:
Sisters:
Brothers:
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First Film: Jwar Bhatta
Nature: Charming
Clothing Style: Formal
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Biography

Dilip Kumar (born December 11, 1922) is an Indian film actor and Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha). He is the recipient of India's highest award for cinematic excellence, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and also the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan's highest civilian award. Dilip Kumar was born Yusuf Khan in Peshawar (now Pakistan) in a Pathan family of twelve children. His father relocated to Bombay (now Mumbai), where the young Yusuf Khan became involved in the Bollywood film industry. A Hindi novelist suggested that he use a screen name, Dilip Kumar. His first film. Jwar Bhatta, was released in 1944. In 1949, he co-starred with Raj Kapoor in the film Andaz, which went to become a major success and made him a superstar. Tragic roles in popular films such as Deedar (1951) and Devdas (1955) earned him the title of "tragedy king". The film Mughal-e-Azam (1960), in which he played crown-prince Jehangir, the son of Akbar, was also a huge hit. He produced and starred in the 1961 hit Ganga Jamuna. Despite the huge success of the movie, he did not produce another film. In the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Dilip Kumar acted in fewer films. Newer actors had taken the spotlight. However, his many fans were still willing to go see him in the character roles he increasingly favored. He co-starred with Amitabh Bachchan in the 1982 movie Shakti. While the movie was not a major success, Dilip Kumar won a Filmfare Award for his role as a father and an uncompromising policeman. Some of his older films have achieved the status of "evergreen classics", shown over and over again on television or cherished on videotape and DVD. A few of them, such as Devdas, Ram aur Shyam, and Ganga Jamuna, have been re-made several times. Dilip had a narrow brush with wider fame in 1962, when Hollywood director David Lean offered him the role of Sherif Ali in his 1962 blockbuster, Lawrence of Arabia. However, Kumar declined the part. The role eventually went to Omar Sharif, the Egyptian actor. He was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1995. In 1998 he was awarded the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, the highest civilian award conferred by the government of Pakistan. He is the second Indian to receive the award; the first was former Indian prime minister Morarji Desai. Hindutva politicians like Bal Thackeray objected strongly to the award, and asked him to return it, but Mr. Kumar held his ground. In 1980, he was appointed Sheriff of Mumbai, an honorary position. Dilip Kumar is considered one of the best actors produced by the Bollywood film industry, and Kumar fans see echoes of his style in the work of younger stars like Shahrukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan. He married actress and "beauty queen" Saira Banu in 1966 when he was aged 44 and she aged 22. At the time, gossip columnists predicted doom for the high-profile couple, but Dilip and Saira have proved them wrong. Their union has been one of the longest lasting marriages in Bollywood. He has been active in efforts to bring the people of India and Pakistan closer together. He has been a member of the upper house of Parliament since 2000 and is known for his extensive charity work.