Inder Jeet S ‘Prince’
Dilip Kumar (real name Yusaf Khan) was born on Dec 11, 1922 in Peshawar (Pakistan). It is indeed a miracle that a former fruit merchant went on to become India’s greatest actor Dilip Kumar’s life as an actor began from May 1942 at Bombay Talkies Studio, Malad, Bombay. He was merely 19 years and 5 months old at that time. It is said that it was famous actress Devika Rani who spotted him at Pune’s Military Canteen. She told him to come to Bombay and offered him his first film ‘‘Jawar Bhata’’. Yusaf Khan was given screen name of Dilip Kumar. He was playing the 2nd lead opposite a new lady Mridula:
The hero was Agha. Film was written and directed by Amiya Chakraborthy.
Dilip Kumar’s very Ist shot required him to run so as to rescue the heroine Having played football and hockey all his life, Dilip ran as fast as he could-hoping probably to convey the urgency that only a hero could feel while rescuing the heroine. But before he could reach Mridula, the director had called ‘cut’ “you are running much too fast. Our camera can not follow you at that speed’’ said Chakraborty. Several takes later Dilip managed the gentle trot that the director wanted & the shot was okayed.
The actual ‘rescue’’ happened only the next day by which Dilip’s embarassment had ample time to rise to the fore. “I was too nervous to even touch her (Mridula), recalls Dilip Kumar and adds “let alone hold her with both hands’’. This was something his career as a sportsman had not prepared him for. And if there was anything which would have made him give up a career in films, it was this “Jawar Bhata’’ took an unusually long time to make and was eventually released in Bombay on Nov, 29, 1944. The film opened to a lukewarm response and even the presence of Amiya Chakraborthy as writer director could not salvage the film which dealt with the age old story of a girl torn between the love of two men (Agha and Dilip Kumar) filmdom’s leading journal film India’ dismissed the film as nothing outstanding but was particularly savage in its criticism of Dilip Kumar. “Dilip Kumar the new hero of Bombay Talkies is an anaemic addition to our film artistes. He needs a lot of vitamins and a prolonged treatment of proteins before another picture can be risked with him. He looks gaunt and famished and strikes one as a long ill treated convict who has escaped from a jail. His appearance on screen creates both laughter and disappointment. His acting effort in this picture amounts to Nil.’
However, destiny had something strange in store for Dilip Kumar. He went on to sign one tragic film after another and eventually came to be crowned as the ‘Tragedy King’ of Bollywood thanks to tragic characters he played in films like ‘Mela’ (1948), “Deedar’ (1955).
However, Dilip Kumar showed his malleability in films like ‘Aan’ (1953) where he played a sword slashing prince ‘Amar’ (1954) where in the darkest role of his career he raped the heroine and ‘Leader’ (1964) where he showcased his comic genius. He was a method actor before the term came in vogue. His melancholic face, filled with the pathos of unrequited love continues to haunt film lovers till today. The actor is considered on institution in himself.
Dilip Kumar, who was crowned the king of tragedy, himself believed that he was being type cast and wanted to opt out. He said in one of his interviews in 1952 as,’’ I do not know why every producer wants me to die in his films, why every director wants to see tears in my eyes, why every screen heroine has to desert me on the screen and why audiences expect me to wear a serious, tragic expression all the time. It is so monotonous ….. and so depressing!’’
Dilip Kumar played a lover with aplomb on screen was actually a quiet, reserved soul who felt shy when it came to talking to girls in college and had to overcome his fears while shooting with his heroines.
The love lorn bachelor who had reconcilled himself to a life of single blessedness, surprised himself and the world when he married ‘beauty queen’ Saira Bano in 1966. He was 44 at that time & Saira was just 22. It was rumoured that Saira was madly in love with actor Rajinder Kumar. Since jubliee Kumar was already married, to save her daughter from mental agony, her mother Naseem Bano hurriedly married off Saira to Dilip Kumar’s “Bairaag’’ (1976) was his last film as a hero. In 80’s he started doing character roles. His memorable films were “Vidhata’’, “Shakti’’ (1982) “Karma’’ (1986) & ‘‘Saudagar’’ (1991) Dilip Kumar starrer “Kalinga’’ was launched with much fanfare in 1991. It remained in the making for a very long time and was finally shelved due to financial problems. “Qila’’ (1998) was Dilip Kumar’s last released movie. The thespian has not faced the camera since then and has involved himself in various charitable concerns. Now-a-days his health is posing a problem. He is reportedly suffering from Alzheimers disease and remained confined to his house most of time.
His health may have deteriorated but the actor will continue to inspire the generations to come.
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