25 Nov

Dilip Kumar : Interesting facts about Dilip Kumar

  • Dilip Kumar’s real name is Yusuf Khan. He was born in 1922.
  • He was the fifth child of Mohammed Sarwar Khan and Ayesha Begum, in a family of 13 brothers and sisters
  • He ran an army canteen for British soldiers in Pune. To supplement the measly pay of Rs 36 a month, he sold fruit
  • He came to Bombay Talkies looking for a job as a writer. He was spotted by Devika Rani and landed the lead role in Jwar Bhata in 1944. He drew a salary of Rs 1000 a month with Rs 200 extra as ‘war allowance’
  • He was advised to change his name. There was a choice of three Dilip Kumar, Jahangir and Vasudev. It was reportedly Devika Rani who finalised the name Dilip Kumar.
  • His first big hit was the Nitin Bose-directed Milan (‘46)
  • He sang a song with Lata Mangeshkar in Musafir, Laagi nahin chuute Rama chaahe
  • He learnt to play the sitar for Kohinoor
  • He was fascinated with Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights and played Heathcliff in three films – Mela , Arzoo and Dil Diya Dard Liya
  • For Mughal-e-Azam, he had a special wig made in London. He was initially reluctant to play Salim because he reasoned that he did not look like a prince
  • He was honoured with the title of Padma Bhushan in ‘91 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in ‘95
  • He married Saira Bano in ‘66 at the age of 44
  • He was offered Omar Sharif’s role in Lawrence of Arabia but he refused. He also turned down Mehboob Khan’s Mother India

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