Dilip Kumar (1922-2021): A tribute to 'The First Khan'

Bombay Talkies' Devika Rani rechristened Yusuf Khan, the fruit trader as Dilip Kumar and gave him his new identity as a film actor. His first film, Bombay Talkies' 'Jwar Bhata' did not do well but success beckoned with his second film 'Jugnu'. Photo: Dilip Kumar in Devadas

Dilip Kumar's father, Lala Ghulam Sarwar Khan came to know of his son's tryst with movies only when Raj Kapoor's grandfather Basheshwarnathji, pointed his attention to the hoarding of 'Jugnu'. He was not happy with it and it has now become a part of film lore that Raj Kapoor got his father Prithviraj to mediate and things finally ended well. (File Photo | EPS)

As Dilip Kumar's career took flight in the late 40s and 50s he got the opportunity to play the Nehruvian hero grappling with problems plaguing a young India, most notably in 'Shaheed' and 'Naya Daur'. That idealism gave way to a certain disillusionment in the 60s with films such as 'Ganga Jamuna'. This disillusionment became pronounced and transformed into anger by the 70s and found resonance with the emergence of the angry young man persona of the 70s Bachchan by when Kumar had moved on to character roles. Photo: Dilip Kumar with Amitabh Bachchan (File Photo | PTI)

Part of Hindi cinema's famed triumvirate along with Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar set hearts aflutter. His understated approach to acting inspired generations of actors and spawned countless wannabes. The intensity that is at the core of each of his performances made his tragic characters stand out so far as to tragedy being affixed to his name. Classics such as 'Devdas', 'Andaz' and the epic romance 'Mughal-e-Azam' are testaments to this skill of his. After playing so many tragic roles, Dilip Kumar went through a bout of depression in the 1950s and decided to opt for lighter roles in films like 'Ram Aur Shyam' and 'Gopi'.

Following the norm in the film industry, Kumar's name was sometimes linked to his heroines. The most discussed to this date being his relationship with Madhubala that ended due to a court case during the making of 'Naya Daur' in 1957. They were believed to have been in a relationship for seven years before that since they have shot together for the film, 'Tarana'. Photo: Dilip Kumar and Madhubala in 'Tarana'

Mughal-e-Azam (1960) is often described as a milestone in the history of the Hindi film industry. The epic historical drama film, directed by K. Asif, tells a love story between Mughal prince Salim and Anarkali, a court dancer. Salim's father and emperor Akbar, disapproves of the relationship, which leads to a war between father and son. The classic film features Madhubala, Dilip Kumar and Prithviraj Kapoor. The film was shot after Dilip and Maghubala's relationship ended and was the last time the both of them worked together. Photo: Dilip Kumar and Madhubala in Mughal-e-Azam

Many years after his split with Madhubala, Dilip Kumar got married to Saira Banu whom he met at a party. They have been together for close to five decades since then. There was a blip in between when Dilip Kumar married Asma Sahiba and took her as a second wife in 1981. That marriage ended in two years. Photo: Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu (Photo | Twitter)

He was a much-awarded artist, honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 1991 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2015 as well as the Dadasaheb Phalke in 1994. To this day, Dilip Kumar remains the only Indian to have received the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, the Pakistan government's highest civilian award. A year after Dilip Kumar received the award, Kargil war broke out and the then Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray demanded that he return the award. But Dilip Kumar refused to budge and met with the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the matter. Photo: Dilip Kumar with Atal Bihari Vajpayee (Photo | PTI)

In so many ways, Dilip Kumar has been witness to and a part of India's birth and evolution. In 1980, Dilip Kumar served as the sheriff of Bombay. In the early 1990s, when Mumbai was battered with communal tension and violence, Kumar stood as a figure of peace. During the 1993 riots in the city, stories abound of how he opened his home and made it a command centre for relief work. Dilip Kumar was nominated to the Rajya Sabha for one term in 2000. Photo: Dilip Kumar entering Parliament (Photo | PTI)