Alex McCurthy
Legendary Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar, best known as the ‘Tragedy King’ of Hindi cinema, died at 98 years old in Mumbai on Wednesday morning. He breathed his last at 7:30 AM at Mumbai’s PD Hinduja Hospital. The news of his death was confirmed by Dr. Jaleel Parkar, Pulmonologist, who was treating this veteran actor.
Dilip Kumar’s spokesperson Faisal Farooqi has likewise shared the pitiful news on the former’s Twitter handle. “With overwhelming sadness and significant grief, I announce the death of our beloved Dilip Saab, few minutes prior. We are from God and to Him, we return,”
Kumar, referred to generations of film-goers as the ‘Tragedy King’ for his depiction of the agonizing, intense heartfelt in works of art, for example, ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ and ‘Devdas’, was recently admitted to the Hinduja Hospital, a non-COVID-19 office in Khar, since last Tuesday.
Speaking of Dilip Kumar’s commitment to Indian cinema, his career had spanned over five decades. Kumar, brought into the world as Yousuf Khan and often known as the Nehruvian-era hero, did his first film ‘Jwar Bhata’ in 1944 and his last ‘Qila’ in 1998, 54 years later.
The five-decade career included “Mughal-e-Azam”, “Devdas”, “Naya Daur”, and “Ram Aur Shyam”, and later, as he graduated to character roles, ‘Shakti’ and ‘Karma’.
He acted in over 65 movies in his career and is known for his notable roles in movies like ‘Devdas ‘(1955), ‘Naya Daur’ (1957), ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ (1960), ‘Ganga Jamuna’ (1961), ‘Kranti’ (1981), and ‘Karma’ (1986). His last film was ‘Qila’, which was released in 1998. He is presently survived by his wife and veteran actor Saira Banu.
As the news of his demise spread, tributes started pouring in from all quarters. Numerous grief-stricken Bollywood celebrities including Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh, and several other celebs took to Twitter to share their views.
PM Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi were first among those who mourned the demise of the Bollywood veteran, considering it a huge misfortune to the universe of Hindi cinema.
Here are some of those political reactions:-
Ram Nath Kovind, President of India
Dilip Kumar summarized in himself a past filled with emerging India. The thespian’s appeal transcended all boundaries, and he was loved across the subcontinent. With his demise, an era ends. Dilip Saab will live forever in the heart of India. Condolences to family and countless fans.
M Venkaiah Naidu, Vice President of India
Deeply anguished by the death of a veteran actor and former Rajya Sabha member. In the death of Shri Dilip Kumar, the universe of cinema has lost one of the greatest Indian actors.
Narendra Modi, PM of India
Dilip Kumar Ji will be remembered as a cinematic legend. He was blessed with unparalleled brilliance, due to which audiences across generations were enthralled. His death is a misfortune to our social world. Condolences to his family, friends, and innumerable admirers. Tear.
Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP
My heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and aficionados of Dilip Kumar Ji. His extraordinary commitment to Indian cinema will be remembered for generations to come.
