RIP Dilip Kumar: Veteran actor's mortal remains laid to rest with full state honours

As a school student, Sharad Pawar once cycled to the temple town of Jejuri in Pune district to see Dilip Kumar shooting for Naya Daur .

. A large group of people on Wednesday offered ghaibana Namaz-e-Janaza (funeral prayers in absentia) for legendary Indian actor Dilip Kumar at his ancestral house in Qissa Khawani Bazaar area of Peshawar in Pakistan.

They also offered fateha (prayers) for the 98-year-old cinema icon and prayed for his eternal peace.

(PTI)

. Screen legend Dilip Kumar on Wednesday was buried with full state honours here, marking the end of an illustrious career as one of Indian cinema's most loved icons.

. A celebrity's lack of interest in social causes and larger politics could be a matter of debate. Yet, we can safely posit that Indian celebrities, for example, most Hindi film industry icons, have selfishly received from society and failed to give back in return. Was this always the case? I am not sure, but there comes to my mind an exception to this rule - Dilip Kumar aka Yusuf Khan.

. Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and Leader of Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief over the demise of thespian Dilip Kumar on Wednesday.

In a statement, the Governor said Dilip Kumar was a trendsetter in Indian cinema with a different style of acting. He was regarded as one of the greatest actors that the country has ever produced.

In a career spanning over five decades, Dilip Kumar inspired the next generations of actors, the Governor said.

. Bollywood legend Dilip Kumar, who died on Wednesday at the age of 98, was widely regarded as one of the first superstars of Indian cinema. While almost everyone knows about his contribution to Hindi cinema, not everyone may be aware of the fact that he shared a special bond with the Tamil and Telugu film industries. As fans mourn his demise, here is a look at some relatively unknown aspects of Saab's career.

. Adding another feather to his cap, he became the first actor to receive the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. He was also the only one to get for award three consecutive years- 1955, 1956 and 1957.

. Veteran Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar — who passed away on Wednesday morning — is arguably one of the finest actors of Indian cinema. The 'Original King' had acted in a number of films that remain evergreen, from Mughal-e-Azam to Ram aur Shyam.

. Credit:AFP Photo

. Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provincial government on Wednesday condoled the demise of legendary Indian actor Dilip Kumar, saying he will always be remembered for his love and affection he had for the people of his ancestral home town here.

The KP government spokesman said he was saddened to know about the death of Kumar, a resident of Peshawar who earned fame in acting.

"Late Dilip had great regard and respect for the people of his birthplace Peshawar. He will always be remembered for his services, love and affection he had for the people of Peshawar," the statement said.

. "End of an unforgettable era in Indian Cinema! The legendary Dilip Kumar is no more, we are deeply saddened by this irreparable loss. His iconic on-screen persona will be remembered forever," NFAI said.

. Dilip Kumar mortal remains to be laid to rest with full state honours: Chief Minister's Office

. Bollywood legend Dilip Kumar, who passed away on Wednesday, was an actor par excellence who enjoyed a strong fan following due to his impressive body of work and classy acting style. While his contribution to the film industry is pretty well documented, a section of the audience may not know that in 2003, he was to collaborate with Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan for director Subhash Ghai's magnum opus Mother Land, a war drama.

. In an interview with Bollywood Shaadis, she said, "When he smiled at me and remarked that I was a pretty girl, I could feel my whole being taking wings and flying rapturously. I knew somewhere deep within me that I was going to be his wife."

. “His secular beliefs spring straight from his heart and from his respect for all religions, castes, communities and creeds,” Saira Banu wrote in the foreword of the actor's autobiography "The Substance and the Shadow".

In the troubled early 1990s, when Mumbai was riven by communal tension, Kumar emerged as a figure of peace. During the 1993 riots in the city, stories abound of how he opened his home and made it a command centre for relief work.

He was a much awarded artist, honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 1991 and the the Padma Vibhushan in 2015 as well as the Dadasaheb Phalke in 1994. He was also a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha for one term and served as the sheriff of Bombay in 1980.

In 1998, somewhat controversially, he was awarded the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, the Pakistan government’s highest civilian award. The following year, the Kargil war between the two countries broke out and Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray demanded he return the award. But Kumar refused to succumb and met then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the matter.

. Credit: PTI Photo

. In 1960, he became an inseparable part of Hindi cinema when he essayed the role of Prince Salim, the future Mughal ruler Jahangir, in K Asif's magnum opus Mughal-e-Azam, which emerged as a bonafide blockbuster. His scenes with Prithviraj Kapoor, who played Akbar, were intense and are considered to be the backbone of the timeless classic. His romantic scenes with Madhubala, the reel Anarkali, were another highlight of the film and hit the right notes because of the natural chemistry between the legends.

. Kumar’s love life also made news; he had relationships with actresses Kamini Kaushal, Madhubala (they made the 1960 blockbuster “Mughal-e-Azam,” about thwarted lovers, long after they broke up) and Saira Banu, whom he married in 1966 when he was 44 and she was 22. In the 1980s, while still married to Banu, Kumar married socialite Asma Rehman in secret. The news was quickly outed and it became a scandal, but Banu stuck with Kumar, who ended the second marriage. He is survived by Banu.

. Dilip Kumar's best films

. Around the same time, he was offered the lead role in the 1962 classic Lawrence of Arabia but turned it down. The film eventually went with Egyptian star Omar Sharif. 'Saab' later revealed that he felt Shariff played the role "far better" than he could have.

. As one of the country’s earliest Method actors, he was often compared to Marlon Brando, another early adopter of the technique, even though Kumar credited himself with using it first.

“I learned the importance of studying the script and characters deeply and building upon my own gut observations and sensations about my own and other characters,” Kumar said in his autobiography, “The Substance and the Shadow” (2014). “The truth is that I am an actor who evolved a method.”

His preparation for roles became the stuff of legends. For his death scene in the 1961 megahit, “Gunga Jumna,” he ran around the studio so that he could enter the set at a point of exhaustion.

For a song sequence in the 1960 film “Kohinoor” (“Mountain of Light”), he learned to play the sitar. For emotional sequences in the 1982 movie “Shakti” (“Power”) and the 1984 movie “Mashaal” (“Torch”), he drew from memories of when his brother died, recalling the pain that registered on his father’s face.

. Dilip Kumar remains the undisputed 'Tragedy King' of the silver screen. With his looks, acting, dialogue-delivery – he is not only idolised in India, but also across the world where people watch Indian films, including in Pakistan.

. Bollywood legend Dilip Kumar passed away on Thursday, hours after being hospitalised due to breathlessness. He was 98.

RIP Dilip Kumar: Veteran actor's mortal remains laid to rest with full state honours

Pawar recalls cycling to Jejuri to see Dilip Kumar

Fans of late Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar, who died today in Mumbai at the age of 98, light candles outside Dilip's ancestral home in Peshawar on July 7, 2021. Credit: AFP Photo

Funeral prayers in absentia offered for Dilip Kumar at his ancestral house in Peshawar

Cinema icon Dilip Kumar laid to rest with full state honours

Dilip Kumar: The gardener of the Pasmanda movement

Follow us on :

Follow Us