Dilip Kumar

Actor, Director, Writer

Born: Peshawar, North-West Frontier Province, British India

BIOGRAPHY

Dilip Kumar (born Muhammad Yusuf Khan; 11 December 1922) is an Indian film actor, producer and activist. Also known as the Tragedy King and the First Khan, he is credited with bringing realism to film acting in the Indian subcontinent, and is considered one of the greatest and most influential actors of all time. He has been described as the ultimate method actor (natural actor) by Satyajit Ray. Kumar was one of the biggest Indian movie stars, and a pioneer of method acting, predating Hollywood method actors such as Marlon Brando. Kumar debuted as an actor in the film Jwar Bhata in 1944 produced by Bombay Talkies. His career has spanned over six decades and with over 65 films. Kumar is known for his roles in films such as the romantic Andaz (1949), the heartwarming Babul (1950 film), the impassionate Deedar (1951 film), the swashbuckling Aan (1952), the dramatic Devdas (1955), the comical Azaad (1955), Naya Daur (1957 film), Yahudi (1958), Madhumati (1958), Kohinoor (1960 film), the epic historical Mughal-e-Azam (1960), the social Ganga Jamuna (1961) and Ram Aur Shyam (1967).In 1976, Dilip Kumar took a five-year break from film performances and returned with a character role in the film Kranti (1981) and continued his career playing leading roles in films such as Shakti (1982), Karma (1986) and Saudagar (1991). His last film was Qila (1998).He is the winner of nine Filmfare Awards and is the first recipient of Filmfare Best Actor Award (1954). He still holds the record for the most number of Filmfare Awards won for that category with eight wins (Shah Rukh Khan tied with him in 2011). Critics acclaimed that he is among the greatest actors in the history of Hindi cinema. Much like Brandos influence on New Hollywood actors such as Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, Kumars method acting had a similar influence on future generations of Indian actors, from Amitabh Bachchan and Rajesh Khanna to Shah Rukh Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 1991, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1994 and Indias second highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan in 2015 for his contributions towards Indian cinema and nominated him to Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Indian Parliament for a term. The Government of Pakistan honoured him with its highest civilian honour, the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, in 1997.