Journey from Yusuf Khan in Qissa Khawani Bazaar, Peshawar to Dilip Kumar, Mumbai
Dilip Kumar was born on December 11, 1922 in Peshawar to Lala Ghulam Sarwar Khan and his wife Ayesha Begum. His parents named him Muhammad Yusuf Khan. Known as Bollywood's Marilyn Brando, the actor was born in Peshawar's Qissa Khawani Bazaar under the name of Mohammad Yousuf Khan, the fourth of 12 children of parents Ayesha and Mohammad Sarwar Khan. He later adopted the name Dilip Kumar when he entered the film industry.
His father was a fruit seller, and as he grew up, due to the family's volatile financial situation, Dilip Kumar gave up his dreams of pursuing professional cricket or football.
Kumar was introduced to Indian actress Devika Rani by his former teacher. He was asked to consider becoming an actor in Rani, which surprised him because he had seen only one film in his life, and that too a war documentary. Despite his reluctance, he agreed to accept the offer because of the dire need for money.
The queen also advised him to hide his Muslim identity and take a new Hindu name which would help his career flourish in post-partition India. And from there he became Dilip Kumar.
Dilip Kumar has also confirmed this in his autobiography, Dilip Kumar: Substance and Shadow (DILIP KUMAR THE SUBSTANCE AND SHADOW). In a 1970 interview, Kumar said he changed his name out of fear of his father. The father of the late actor did not praise Kumar's performance but called it a 'gimmick'.
Legendary actor Dilip Kumar passed away in Mumbai on Wednesday morning after a long illness. He was 98 years old. Dilip Kumar breathed his last at 7.30 am at Khar Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai. Dilip Kumar was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1991, the Dada Sahib Phalke Award in 1994 and the Padma Bhushan in 2015 by the Government of India. In 1998, the government of Pakistan awarded Dilip Kumar the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan's highest civilian award.
The legendary actor starred in several classic Hindi language films in the 1950s and 1960s. Some of these films include Mughal Azam, Devdas, Naya dour, Ganga Jumna, Ram and Shyam, and others.
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