Active Stocks
Thu Mar 28 2024 15:59:33
  1. Tata Steel share price
  2. 155.90 2.00%
  1. ICICI Bank share price
  2. 1,095.75 1.08%
  1. HDFC Bank share price
  2. 1,448.20 0.52%
  1. ITC share price
  2. 428.55 0.13%
  1. Power Grid Corporation Of India share price
  2. 277.05 2.21%
Business News/ Opinion / Views/  Inimitable thespian
BackBack

Inimitable thespian

Once known as Yusuf Khan, he made his debut as Dilip Kumar in 1944 with Jwar Bhata, before freedom, but reached a career zenith much later, with Naya Daur, a 1957 movie that had a horse-cart racing a motor car in a rural setting

A file photo of veteran actor Dilip Kumar (Photo: ANI)Premium
A file photo of veteran actor Dilip Kumar (Photo: ANI)

Dilip Kumar (1922-2021), who died on Wednesday, was an actor many in the Hindi film industry credit with having taught them the word ‘thespian’. Not literally, but for want of a more accurate biographical tag. Once known as Yusuf Khan, he made his debut as Dilip Kumar in 1944 with Jwar Bhata, before freedom, but reached a career zenith much later, with Naya Daur, a 1957 movie that had a horse-cart racing a motor car in a rural setting. It was about the dilemmas posed by free India’s pursuit of modernity and industrialization. His box-office grip, though, must be credited to his versatility, as evident in the wide spectrum of roles he played.

Our cinema took a global turn with the opening of a closed economy in the early 1990s. Screens now had a sports car in a romantic race of pulses against the Swiss Alps, and Dilip Kumar had a fan-turned-star in Shah Rukh Khan, who, unlike our famed thespian of post-Partition times, apparently saw no need for a ‘more marketable’ screen name. Liberalization had heralded another new era. Today, as filmmakers face the prospect of stricter censorship than ever, might yet another celluloid shift be upon us?

Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!

Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
More Less
Published: 07 Jul 2021, 09:53 PM IST
Next Story footLogo
Recommended For You
Switch to the Mint app for fast and personalized news - Get App