26 Lesser-Known Facts About Dilip Kumar, The Tragedy King of Bollywood

People from any era are familiar with the name Dilip Kumar, the living legend who is not only immensely popular in India for his amazing contribution to the Hindi cinema but all over the world. But did you know that apart from being a superb actor, Dilip Kumar has also been a producer, a screenwriter and an activist? And, that in his early 20s, he had set up a sandwich stall in an army canteen? Not just these, there are various other facts about this living legend that are lesser known, and we will try to enlighten you as much as we can! So, lets get started.

1. He was born in Peshawar and his father was a landlord

Most of us know that Dilip Kumar’s real name is Muhammad Yusuf Khan. This nonagenarian was born on 11th December 1922 in the Qissa Khawani Bazaar area of Peshawar which is in present Pakistan. His father Lala Ghulam Sarwar Ali Khan was a landlord and a fruit merchant who owned orchards in Peshawar and Deolali. His mother Ayesha Begum was a home-maker.

2. He grew up with Raj Kapoor in Nashik

Dilip Kumar did his schooling from Barnes School in Deolali, Nashik. Raj Kapoor was his childhood friend and they grew up together in the same religiously mixed neighbourhood.

3. He ran away from home when he was in his teens

Dilip Kumar left his home in the year 1940, after an argument with his father and ran away to Pune. At that time, he was still a teenager.

4. He went to Pune and set up a sandwich stall

After he reached Pune, he met a canteen contractor with the help of a Parsi café owner and an elderly Anglo-Indian couple. There, he got a job only on the basis of his merit of his knowledge of the English language, both written and spoken, as he did not reveal his family antecedents. He set up a sandwich stall at the canteen till the duration of the contract and ended up saving a whopping Rs 5,000, a huge sum back then, post which he went back home.

5. Dilip Kumar’s first step in film industry was in 1942

In the year 1942, he met Dr. Masani as he wanted to assist his father in the family finances. Dr. Masani took him to Bombay Talkies in Malad and in turn led him to meet actress Devika Rani who was also the owner of Bombay Talkies.

6. In 1942 he joined Bombay Talkies as a script-writer for Rs 1,250 per month

He joined Bombay Talkies for a salary of 1,250 per month in their scripting and story-writing department due to his proficiency in Urdu.

7. Devika Rani asked him to change his name to Dilip Kumar

After around 2 years, Devika Rani requested him to change his name to Dilip Kumar and cast him in the lead role in the movie Jwar Bhata in 1944.

8. He gave his first hit three years after debut

While his debut movie in 1944 Jwar Bhata was not a success, he saw success with the film Jugnu in 1947 in which he starred opposite Noor Jehan. This was followed by more successful movies like Mela and Shaheed in the year 1948.

9. The 1950s was the decade of Dilip Kumar

The biggest breakthrough of his career came with the movie Andaz in 1949 in which he starred along with Raj Kapoor and Nargis. He saw more success in the 1950s with movies like Jogan, Hulchul, Babul, Deedar, Naya Daur, Devdas, Daag and Madhumati.

10. Mughal-E-Azam is Dilip Kumar’s highest-grossing film till date

In the 1960s, he starred in the movie Mughal-E-Azam, which became the highest-grosser in the Indian Film history and stayed on till 11 years. The success streak continued with the movies Ganga Jamuna, Leader, Dil Diya Dard Liya, Ram aur Shyam and Aadmi.

11. Dilip Kumar suffered from depression due to the roles he did in movies in 1950s

However, the intense roles he portrayed in these movies during the 1950s labelled him as the “Tragedy King” and he briefly suffered from depression. On the advice of his psychiatrist, he took up lighter roles in movies like Aan, Azaad and Kohinoor.

12. He turned down a major role in ‘Lawrence of Arabia’

Dilip Kumar was approached by British director David Lean for the role of Sherif Ali in his movie “Lawrence of Arabia” in the year 1962, which was declined by Kumar. The role then went to Egyptian acting great Omar Sharif.

Dilip Kumar was also considered to star opposite Elizabeth Taylor in another of Lean’s movie called Taj Mahal, however, the project got cancelled.

13. Dilip Kumar was the first actor to win the Filmfare Best Actor Award in 1956

He won the honour for Daag. Not just that, he won for 7 more times (of which four were consecutively) and was the actor with the highest number of Filmfare Awards till Shah Rukh Khan equalled him in 2011.

14. Dilip Kumar was the first actor to charge Rs 1 Lakh per movie during the 1950s

He has been described as the ‘ultimate method actor’ by Satyajit Ray.

15. His acting style was influenced by actor Ashok Kumar

When they first met in 1942, Ashok Kumar was already a star. He told Dilip Kumar to act “natural”.

16. Dilip Kumar has only produced one film in his life

The film was Ganga Jamuna and it released in the year 1961. It also starred his brother Nasir Khan.

17. His films started flopping at the Box Office in 1970s

In the 1970s his career graph saw a gradual dip with movies like Dastaan, Gopi, Sagina and Bairag failing to make a mark at the box office. Post that, he took a five year sabbatical from movies from the year 1976 to 1981.

18. He returned to movies after a 5-year break in 1981

He returned to the Indian Film Industry in 1981 playing character actor in ensemble movies such as Kranti, Vidhaata, Shakti, Mahsaal, Dharam Adhikari. He continued to play the similar roles further in movies Kanoon Apna Apna, Saudagar and Qila in the 1990s.

19. Dilip Kumar’s first love was Madhubala

Dilip Kumar and  Madhubala fell in love during the making of Tarana and were together for seven years. Their relationship fell apart due to their differences in a court case regarding the movie Naya Daur.

20. He married Saira Banu, 22 years his junior, in 1966

Actress Saira Banu and Dilip Kumar tied the knot 1966, the former being 22 years younger to the latter. Dilip Kumar is currently living with his wife Saira Banu in Bandra, Mumbai and they have no children.

21. Dilip Kumar married a second time in 1981

Dilip Kumar remarried Hyderabad socialite Asma Sahiba in the year 1981, however, their marriage lasted for only two years.

22. He holds Guinness World Record for winning the maximum number of awards by an Indian actor.

These awards include 10 Filmfare Awards for Best Actor, A Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award, Filmfare Special Recognition Award and 19 nominations for Filmfare Best Actor Award, Padma Bhushan in 1991, Dadasaheb Phalke Award 1994, Padma Vibhushan in 2015 and NTR National Award by the Government of Andhra Pradesh in 1997.

Dilip Kumar was also conferred Nishan-e-Imitiaz, which is the highest civilian award in Pakistan, by the Government of Pakistan in 1998.

23. He was the Sheriff of Bombay for 3 years

Dilip Kumar was also appointed as the Sheriff of Bombay by the Governor of Maharashtra during the period from 1979 till 1982.

For the uninitiated, Dilip Kumar has also been nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha by the Indian National Congress during the period 2000-2006.

24. Dilip Kumar posted his first tweet on his 89th birthday

With everyone making their presence felt on the social media, Dilip Kumar too joined the bandwagon with his first tweet made on Twitter on his 89th birthday in 2011.

T 587 – Please welcome the Master, the Thespian, the Ultimate .. Dilip Kumar, Dilip Saheb, Yusuf Khan on twitter ..ID : @thedilipkumar

— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) December 12, 2011

25. He donated for improvement of Bandra areas

Dilip Kumar has made a substantial donation towards the construction and improvement of the Bandstand Promenade and the gardens at Bandra Fort at Land’s End in Bandra.

26. Dilip Kumar dies at the age of 98

The tragedy king of Bollywood, Dilip Kumar passed away on 7 July 2021 due to prolonged illness. He was 98 years old.

With a heavy heart and profound grief, I announce the passing away of our beloved Dilip Saab, few minutes ago.

We are from God and to Him we return. – Faisal Farooqui

— Dilip Kumar (@TheDilipKumar) July 7, 2021

With multifarious characters, knockout movies and a successful career spanning over 6 decades, Dilip Kumar cannot be missed out by any movie buff. Most of our parents have lived through the era where movies were the main source of entertainment and the songs and movies are still etched into their memories. They know the true value of those times and the impact film stars made on the audience back then. Needless to say, Dilip Kumar’s personality, his acting, his movies and his songs have not yet been forgotten and can never be forgotten!