Preamble:
The article is written based on online research; facts obtained from various major sources, IMDB and Wikipedia, various articles appearing in newspapers and magazines, Dilip Sahab’s autobiography, and my own perceptions of the great man.
Mining relevant material for my article from a mountain of information can be painful, tiring, and daunting. Nevertheless, it hasn’t discouraged me from paying tribute to one of the greatest living legends of our times.
Though, considerable care has been taken to avoid factual errors. Any mistake or omission creeping in, in an otherwise earnest endeavour, is purely unintentional and not deliberately designed to cause any offence, aggravations, or aspersions against any party or individual.
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Born in Qissa Khawani Bazaar in Peshawar in, erstwhile, undivided India, Muhammad Yusuf Khan was one of a Pathan family of twelve children. His father, Ghulam Sarwar, was a fruit merchant of considerable means. His mother tongue is Hindko, an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the north-western part of, then, undivided India. The family had huge orchards not only in Peshawar, but also in Deolali, Nasik District. This facilitated their relocation to Mumbai in 1930. Ten years later, Khan tried his luck in Pune starting with a canteen on his own and dealing in dry fruits.
Dilip Kumar, the name:
Who knew the world of Muhammad Yusuf Khan would turn on its head. As destiny would have it, Devika Rani spotted Khan. She was enamoured by the striking presence of the tall and handsome Pathan. Devika Rani was a leading actor of her time and founder of Bombay Talkies. She and her husband Himanshu Rai were convinced that Khan would be a worthy actor.
Together, they helped him to gain entry into the Hindi film industry. It wasn’t known as Bollywood at that time as it is today. She wanted to give him a separate screen identity and chose ‘Dileep Kumar’ as a name, subsequently; the ‘ee’ were replaced with an ‘i’. The rest, as they say, is history.
Dilip Kumar, the actor:
His first film was Jwar Bhata( 1944) , produced by Bombay Talkies. He portrayed the role of Jagdish, a wandering musician. If Dilip Kumar was lucky to get entry into the film industry, the reception he received on his debut film was anything but favourable. Most critics panned his performance, and the fact that the film didn’t do too well didn’t help either. Baburao Patel, editor, Filmindia( now defunct) was at his vitriolic best describing Dilip Kumar… “the new anaemic hero”. Patel said, “He looks gaunt and famished and strikes one as a long ill-treated convict who has escaped from a jail. His appearance on the screen creates both laughter and disappointment. His acting effort in this picture amounts to nil.”
Unfortunately, his ‘non-acting’ skills displayed in that film were lost to posterity forever with not a single print surviving the ravages of time. I don’t think Dilip Kumar would lose too much sleep on this. It’s interesting to recount Dilip Kumar’s rejoinder on this in his autobiography Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow, “Honestly, the whole experience passed by without much impact on me. I did what I was told to do and it was not easy at times, or most times rather, to come to terms with the fact that it was all unreal and unrelated to one’s real self and real existence.”
Pratima( 1945) , another Bombay Talkies production came and went without creating any impression. It was a case of third time lucky for Dilip Kumar as his third film, Milan( 1946) , was notable success. Critics began to take note of the young man's understated performance. Dilip Kumar, the actor, had finally come of age.
Dilip Kumar, the legend:
The film Jugnu( 1947) with singing star Noorjehan was akin to today’s film ‘Jism’. Baburao Patel wasn’t amused, and called it a “dirty, disgusting, vulgar picture”. It was even banned for a while. We know how bans work in our film industry. Soon it went on to become a blockbuster hit. Incidentally, this was the only film in which Dilip and Noorjehan acted together. On the eve of Independence, the country was bifurcated and Noorjehan relocated to the country of her choice.
It is important to note what Udayatara Nayar has to say in her introduction to Dilip Kumar’s autobiography… “As the young actor progressed from Jwar Bhata( 1944) , his first film, to Jugnu( 1947) , his first hit at the box office, he began to grasp the essential secret of making a successful film. By his own study and observation of the process of film making and marketing of the end product, he arrived at the conclusion that an actor’s responsibility did not end with his work as an actor. The actor had as much of a stake in the quality and finesse of a film, which ensured its commercial success. It meant an efficient and dedicated management of the infrastructure and resources of the production as well as a creative management, which started with the writing of the script and the screenplay.”
Dilip Kumar was no longer just an actor, his deep understanding of social topics, the meticulous attention to detail, responsibility towards the public who were invested in him, and his ability to immerse himself in his work define the genius and legend that he is.
Babul( 1950) finally convinced the opinion maker Baburao Patel of the actor’s stellar performance, and talent. In his review of the film, he remarked “It is a great work and the ease with which Dilip Kumar portrays the role makes one wonder whether the man himself has lived through similar moments of pathos and frustration in his private life! ” Life had turned full circle.
Dilip Sahab was soon regarded as the ‘tragedy King’. He was, also, credited for bringing realism and method into acting. Some call him the ‘First Khan’ and not without reason.
Who can forget the historical epic, Mughal-e-Azam and Dilip sahab’s refined performance. In fact, everything about the film was extraordinary catapulting Dilip Kumar, the actor, to the top and giving birth to Dilip Kumar - the legend, the first real superstar and possibly the greatest actor to have graced the Indian silver screen.
He has won nine Filmfare Awards, and is the first recipient of the Filmfare Best Actor Award( 1954) , in those days the awards were not rigged as they are now.
Dilip Kumar, the man:
A gentleman, and a sensitive human being, Dilip Sahab has many facets to his personality. He is fluent in Urdu, Hindi, Hindko, Punjabi, Awadhi and Bhojpuri dialects of Hindi, Marathi, English, Bengali, Gujarati, Pashto, and Persian. A philanthropist and an ex Member of Parliament, he was, also, Sheriff of Mumbai.
He has various innumerable awards to his credit, both film and civilian. I may add, counting mere awards would be a travesty, as I believe they would fade away in the unrelenting brilliance of the great man himself. Awards are relevant only because he has graced them.
On the personal front, his equation with another legendary actor, Madhubala, is something people talk of even today. In my earlier article on Madhubala, “A Prophecy That Gave Rise To A Legend”, I had already covered their romance, at length. Hence, I am eschewing that part of Dilip sahab’s life in this article.
Dilip sahab is presently enjoying a blissful life after his retirement from films. His begum, beauty queen and actor, Saira Banu sahiba is a source of considerable strength to him. Her admiration, love, devotion, and service towards her idol and husband is not only commendable but something every wife can learn from.
Suffice it to say, their life has been one of grace, dignity, happiness and fulfilment.
Need I say more?
mbfarookh ©