Dilip Kumar Age
Bollywood Legend Dilip Kumar was born on 11 December 1922 at home in the Qissa Khawani Bazaar area of Peshawar, Pakistan.
Dilip Kumar Biography
Kumar was born to Ayesha Begum & Lala Ghulam Sarwar Ali Khan in a Muslim Hindko-speaking Awan family of 12 children.
His father was a landlord and fruit merchant who owned orchards in Peshawar and Deolali.
Mohammad Yusuf Khan was schooled at Barnes School, Deolali, Nashik. He grew up in the same religiously mixed neighbourhood as Raj Kapoor, his childhood friend.
In 1940, while still in his teens and after an altercation with his father, Mohammad Yusuf Khan left home for Poona (Pune, Maharashtra).
He set up a sandwich stall at the army club and when the contract ended, he headed home to Mumbai, having saved Rs. 5000.
Dilip Kumar Actor
In 1942, anxious to start a venture to help his father with household finances, he met Dr. Masani at Churchgate Station, who asked him to accompany him to Bombay Talkies, in Malad.
There he met actress Devika Rani, owner of Bombay Talkies, who asked him to sign up with the company on a salary of Rs. 1250 per month. Devika Rani requested him to change his name to Dilip Kumar.
Dilip Kumar First Movie
Dilip Kumar’s first film was Jwar Bhata in 1944, which went unnoticed. After a few more unsuccessful films, it was Jugnu (1947), in which he starred alongside Noor Jehan, that became his first major hit at the box office.
Dilip Kumar Movies
Kumar went on to have success in the 1950s playing leading roles in several box office hits such as Jogan (1950), Babul (1950), Hulchul (1951), Deedar (1951), Daag (1952), Shikast (1953), Amar (1954), Uran Khatola (1955), Devdas (1955), Naya Daur (1957), Madhumati (1958) and Paigham (1959).
Some of these films established his screen image as the “Tragedy King”. Kumar briefly suffered from depression due to portraying many tragic roles and on the advice of his psychiatrist, he also took on light-hearted roles.
In 1960, he portrayed Prince Salim in K. Asif’s big-budget epic historical film Mughal-e-Azam, which was the highest-grossing film in Indian film history for 11 years until it was surpassed by 1971 film Haathi Mere Saathi and later by the 1975 film Sholay.
Kumar’s career slumped in the 1970s with films like Dastaan (1972) failing at the box office. He starred alongside his real-life wife Saira Banu in Gopi (1970).
In 1981, he returned to films as a character actor playing central roles in ensemble films. His comeback film was the star-studded Kranti which was the biggest hit of the year.
His second collaboration with Subhash Ghai came with the 1986 ensemble action film Karma.
In 1998, he made his last film appearance in the box office flop Qila.
Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu
Dilip Kumar had fallen in love with Madhubala during the shooting of Tarana. They remained in a relationship for seven years until the Naya Daur court case. They never worked together after the release of Mughal-e-Azam (1960).
Madhubala died from a heart disease in 1969. Dilip Kumar married actress Saira Banu in 1966.
Dilip Kumar First Wife
He married actress Saira Banu in 1966, who was 22 years younger to him. Dilip Kumar married a second time in 1981 to Hyderabad socialite Asma Sahiba, but the marriage ended in January 1983.
He and his wife Saira Banu currently live in Bandra, Mumbai. Dilip Kumar does not have any children.
Dilip Kumar Health
He is 96 years old and in good health. Saira Banu has been a key to his longevity. If he is still with us (and long may he be so) while his contemporaries have gone, it is thanks to the care and attention he has received from Saira Banu.
Dilip Kumar Famous Movies
In 1960, he portrayed Prince Salim in K. Asif’s big-budget epic historical film Mughal-e-Azam, which was the highest-grossing film in Indian film history for 11 years until it was surpassed by 1971 film Haathi Mere Saathi and later by the 1975 film Sholay.
If adjusted for inflation, Mughal-e-Azam was the highest-grossing Indian film through to the early 2010s, equivalent to over ₹1000 crore in 2011.