Legendary Actor Dilip Kumar Passes Away at 98

Veteran actor Dilip Kumar passed away this morning in Mumbai’s Hinduja hospital. He was 98 years old. 

He was admitted last week into the hospital after he complained of breathlessness. 

A friend Faisal Farooqui posted a tweet from Dilip Kumar’s official Twitter handle informing about his demise. 

He wrote, “With a heavy heart and profound grief, I announce the passing away of our beloved Dilip saab a few minutes ago. We are from God and to him we return.” 

“He passed away due to prolonged illness at 7.30 am,” Dr Jalil Parkar, who had been treating Dilip Kumar, told news agency PTI.

Twitter 

The President of India Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi passed their condolences through official tweets. 

Born as Mohammed Yusuf Khan, Dilip Kumar was often referred to as “Tragedy King” and “The First Khan.” He made his debut with the film Jwar Bhata in 1944 which was produced by Bombay Talkies. 

In a career spanning over five decades, Dilip Kumar worked in over 65 films. He was also known to introduce method acting in Indian cinema. 

The actor briefly suffered from depression for playing too many tragic roles and on his psychiatrist’s advice took on light-hearted roles. 

He holds the record for the most number of Filmfare Award for Best Actor, sharing the record with Shahrukh Khan. The legendary actor will always be remembered for his performance in films like Andaz (1949), Aan (1952), Devdas (1955), Ram Aur Shyam (1967), and the epic historical film Mughal-e-Azam (1960). 

He is the only Indian recipient of Pakistan’s highest civilian award, Nishan-e-Imtiaz. He was also conferred with Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India’s highest award in the artform and the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award of the country.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced that Dilip Kumar will be honoured with a state funeral today evening 

The actor is survived by his wife Saira Banu.