Dilip Kumar, Bollywood's 'tragedy king', dies at 98 after long illness
2 min read 07 Jul 2021, 08:03 AM ISTBollywood's tragedy king Dilip Kumar breathed his last at Mumbai's PD Hinduja Hospital
PremiumVeteran actor Dilip Kumar passes away at the age of 98, says Dr Jalil Parkar, the pulmonologist treating the actor at Mumbai's PD Hinduja Hospital, according to news agency ANI.
Born Mohammed Yusuf Khan in 1922 in Peshawar, now in Pakistan, he was known by the screen name of Dilip Kumar once he joined Bollywood in the 1940s.
Dilip Kumar was taken to the hospital on June 30 after he complained of breathing issues. This was his second visit to the hospital in June.
"With a heavy heart and profound grief, I announce the passing away of our beloved Dilip Saab, few minutes ago. We are from God and to Him we return. - Faisal Farooqui," tweeted the official Twitter handle of Dilip Kumar.
Dilip Kumar is survived by his wife, Saira Banu, a popular leading lady in Bollywood in the 1960s and 1970s.
Dilip Kumar holds the record for winning the maximum number of Filmfare awards. He was the inaugural recipient of the award and won the best actor Filmfare Award eight times. In his five-decade-long career, he contributed to Hindi cinema in different ways, including the introduction of the method acting technique.
President Ram Nath Kovind condoled the death of the legendary actor and wrote on Twitter," Dilip Kumar summarised in himself a history of emerging India. The thespian’s charm transcended all boundaries, and he was loved across the subcontinent. With his demise, an era ends. Dilip Saab will live forever in the heart of India. Condolences to family and countless fans."
PM Modi condoles the passing away of veteran actor Dilip Kumar, says, "He will be remembered as a cinematic legend."
"Dilip Kumar Ji will be remembered as a cinematic legend. He was blessed with unparalleled brilliance, due to which audiences across generations were enthralled. His passing away is a loss to our cultural world. Condolences to his family, friends and innumerable admirers. RIP," PM Modi tweeted.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also paid tribute to the legendary actor of Bollywood on Twitter and wrote," My heartfelt condolences to the family, friends & fans of Dilip Kumar ji. His extraordinary contribution to Indian cinema will be remembered for generations to come."
Earlier, the veteran actor was hospitalised after a similar complaint on June 6.
Dilip Kumar, known to generations of film-goers as ‘tragedy king', had been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Hinduja Hospital, a non-COVID-19 facility, since Tuesday.
He has acted in over 65 films in his career and is known for his iconic roles in movies like 'Devdas '(1955), 'Naya Daur' (1957), 'Mughal-e-Azam' (1960), 'Ganga Jamuna' (1961), 'Kranti' (1981), and 'Karma' (1986). He was last seen in 'Qila' in 1998.
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