DILIP KUMAR Turns 96!

Dev Anand once told Dilip Kumar " Lala, tu saw saal jiyega"(Lala, [family name] you will reach the centennial mark!). Dilip Kumar turns 96 today. He was born as Muhammad Yusuf Khan to Ayesha Begum and Lala Ghulam Sarwar Ali Khan in a Muslim Hindko-speaking Awan family in Kissa Qhawni Bazar, Peshawar, in 1922.

His father being a fruit merchant took his family to Bombay and settled there. As Yusuf Khan grew up to be a good- looking young man he started taking interest in cinema and went to Bombay Talkies. The cine star of the time, Dewika Rani, took his interview and the star Dilip Kumar was born. His debut was in the film Jwar Bhata (1944), and he went on to become a cine icon with an acting career spanning six decades and 65 films. Films like Andaz, Aan, Naya Daur, Devdas, Madhumati, Ganga Jumna and Shakti are some of his most memorable films. His performance in Tapan Sinha's Bengali film, Sagina Mahato, was remarkable.

Satyajit Ray termed Dilip's métier as method acting. In Ganga Jumna where Ganga (Dilip) was on the run chased by police he crumpled at the feet of Dhanno (Vyjayantimala) and poured out in agony "Unho ne mujhe ghar se beghar kar diya" (they have hounded me out of my house). It became one of the classic scenes of Indian cinema.

In Devdas, Dilip was immaculate in his portrayal of the brooding persona of Devdas. Vyjayantimala, Chandramukhi of Devdas, informs that once she found Dilip walking around the studio briskly, perspiring with his face looking pale. In the next scene, she was to dance to the song, Jise Tu Qubool Karle, with Dilip lounging on the bed with a melancholy look. There, he conveyed the impression that Sarat Chandra indeed wrote Devdas with Dilip in mind!

Dilip Kumar shone brightly in the films he acted in.  Many happy returns of the day to the icon!