Dilip Kumar is an Indian film actor and Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha). He is the recipient of India’s highest award for cinematic excellence, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and also the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan’s highest civilian award.

Dilip Kumar was born Yusuf Khan in Peshawar (now Pakistan) in a Pathan family of twelve children. His father relocated to Bombay (now Mumbai), where the young Yusuf Khan became involved in the Bollywood film industry. A Hindi novelist suggested that he use a screen name, Dilip Kumar. His first film. Jwar Bhatta, was released in 1944.

In 1949, he co-starred with Raj Kapoor in the film Andaz, which went to become a major success and made him a superstar. Tragic roles in popular films such as Deedar (1951) and Devdas (1955) earned him the title of “tragedy king”. The film Mughal-e-Azam (1960), in which he played crown-prince Jehangir, the son of Akbar, was also a huge hit. He produced and starred in the 1961 hit Ganga Jamuna. Despite the huge success of the movie, he did not produce another film.

In the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Dilip Kumar acted in fewer films. Newer actors had taken the spotlight. However, his many fans were still willing to go see him in the character roles he increasingly favored. He co-starred with Amitabh Bachchan in the 1982 movie Shakti. While the movie was not a major success, Dilip Kumar won a Filmfare Award for his role as a father and an uncompromising policeman.

Some of his older films have achieved the status of “evergreen classics“, shown over and over again on television or cherished on videotape and DVD. A few of them, such as Devdas, Ram aur Shyam, and Ganga Jamuna, have been re-made several times.

Dilip had a narrow brush with wider fame in 1962, when Hollywood director David Lean offered him the role of Sherif Ali in his 1962 blockbuster, Lawrence of Arabia. However, Kumar declined the part. The role eventually went to Omar Sharif, the Egyptian actor.

He was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1995. In 1998 he was awarded the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, the highest civilian award conferred by the government of Pakistan. He is the second Indian to receive the award; the first was former Indian prime minister Morarji Desai. Anti-Muslim, anti-Pakistan Hindutva politicians like Bal Thackeray objected strongly to the award, and asked him to return it, but Mr. Kumar held his ground.

Dilip Kumar is considered one of the best actors produced by the Bollywood film industry, and Kumar fans see echoes of his style in the work of younger stars like Shahrukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan.

He married actress and “beauty queen” Saira Banu in 1966 when he was aged 44 and she aged 22. At the time, gossip columnists predicted doom for the high-profile couple, but Dilip and Saira have proved them wrong. Their union has been one of the longest lasting marriages in Bollywood.

He has been active in efforts to bring the people of India and Pakistan closer together. He has been a member of the upper house of Parliament since 2000 and is known for his extensive charity work.

Movies Done By Dilip Kumar

1944 Jwar Bhata Jagdish Amiya Chakravarty
1945 Pratima Paidi Jairaj
1946 Milan Ramesh Nitin Bose
1947 Jugnu Suraj Shaukat Hussain Rizvi
1948 Ghar Ki Izzat Chander Ram Daryani
1948 Shaheed Ram Ramesh Saigal
1948 Mela Mohan S. U. Sunny
1948 Anokha Pyar Ashok M. I. Dharamsey
1948 Nadiya Ke Paar Chhote Kumar Saheb Kishore Sahu
1949 Shabnam Manoj B. Mitra
1949 Andaz Dilip Mehboob Khan
1950 Jogan Vijay Kidar Nath Sharma
1950 Arzoo Badal Shaheed Latif
1950 Babul Ashok Naushad
1951 Hulchul Kishore S. K. Ojha
1951 Deedar Shyamu Nitin Bose
1951 Tarana Dr. Motilal Ram Daryani
1952 Aan Jai Tilak Mehboob Khan
1952 Daag Shankar Amiya Chakravarty Filmfare Award for Best Actor
1952 Sangdil Shankar R. C. Talwar
1953 Shikast Dr. Ram Singh Ramesh Saigal
1953 Footpath Noshu Zia Sarhadi
1954 Amar Amarnath Mehboob Khan
1955 Azaad Azaad / Abdul Rahim Khan / Kumar S. M. Sriramulu Naidu Filmfare Award for Best Actor
1955 Uran Khatola Kashi S. U. Sunny
1955 Insaniyat Mangal S. S. Vasan
1955 Devdas Devdas Bimal Roy Filmfare Award for Best Actor
1957 Naya Daur Shankar B. R. Chopra Filmfare Award for Best Actor
1957 Musafir Raja Hrishikesh Mukherjee
1958 Yahudi Prince Marcus Bimal Roy
1958 Madhumati Anand / Deven Bimal Roy Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actor
1959 Paigham Ratan Lal S. S. Vasan Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actor
1960 Kohinoor Yuvraj Rana Devendra Pratap Bahadur / Kohinoor S. U. Sunny Filmfare Award for Best Actor
1960 Mughal-E-Azam Prince Salim K. Asif
1961 Gunga Jumna Gungaram ‘Gunga’ Nitin Bose Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actor
1964 Leader Vijay Khanna Ram Mukherjee Filmfare Award for Best Actor
1966 Dil Diya Dard Liya Shankar / Raja Saheb Abdul Rashid Kardar and Dilip Kumar himself Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actor
1966 Paari Warden Jagganath Chatterjee Guest Appearance, Bengali film
1967 Ram Aur Shyam Ram / Shyam (Dual Role) Tapi Chanakya Filmfare Award for Best Actor
1968 Sunghursh Kundan S. Prasad / Bajrangi Harnam Singh Rawail Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actor
1968 Aadmi Rajesh / Raja Saheb A. Bhimsingh Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actor
1968 Sadhu Aur Shaitaan Cameo as himself, a person with sugarcane A. Bhimsingh Guest Appearance
1970 Sagina Mahato Sagina Tapan Sinha Bengali film
1970 Gopi Gopiram ‘Gopi’ A. Bhimsingh Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actor
1972 Dastaan Anil / Sunil / Judge Vishnu Sahay (Dual Role) B. R. Chopra
1972 Anokha Milan Warden Jagganath Chatterjee Guest Appearance
1972 Koshish Cameo as himself in a telephone call Gulzar Guest Appearance
1974 Sagina Sagina Mahato Tapan Sinha Remake of 1970 Bengali film also starring him
Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actor
1974 Phir Kab Milogi Teja Singh Hrishikesh Mukherjee Guest Appearance
1976 Bairaag Kailash / Bholenath ‘Bhola’ / Sanjay (Triple Role) Asit Sen Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actor
1981 Kranti Sanga / Kranti Manoj Kumar
1982 Vidhaata Shamsher Singh / Shobhraj Subhash Ghai
1982 Shakti D.C.P. Ashwini Kumar Ramesh Sippy Filmfare Award for Best Actor
1983 Mazdoor Dinanath Saxena B. R. Chopra
1984 Duniya Mohan Kumar Ramesh Talwar
1984 Mashaal Vinod Kumar Yash Chopra Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actor
1986 Dharm Adhikari Dharam Raj K. Raghavendra Rao
1986 Karma Jailor Vishwanath Pratap Singh / Rana / Dada Thakur Subhash Ghai
1989 Kanoon Apna Apna Collector Jagat Pratap Singh B. Gopal
1990 Izzatdaar Brahma Dutt K. Bapaiah
1991 Saudagar Thakur Veer Singh Subhash Ghai Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actor
1998 Qila Jagannath Singh / Judge Amarnath Singh (Dual Role) Umesh Mehra

The Government of India honoured Dilip Kumar with

2015 – India’s second highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, for his contributions towards Indian cinema
2000-2006 – Elected to Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Indian Parliament.
1994 – Dadasaheb Phalke Award
1991 – India’s third highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan, for his contributions towards Indian cinema
1979-1982 – Appointed as the Sheriff of Bombay by the Governor of Maharashtra, India for the period
1998 – Government of Pakistan honoured him with its highest civilian honour, the Nishan-e-Imtiaz.