Tragedy King Of Bollywood – the legendary actor Dilip Kumar had passed away on 7th July 2021 after battling an age-related illness.
Today, 11 December, marks the late actor’s 99th birth anniversary. Let’s celebrate his legacy by looking back at some of the fascinating trivia about his life!
Born in Peshawar, Pakistan, Dilip Kumar Saab’s real name was Mohammed Yusuf Khan. Despite having an age gap of 22 years, he lived a happily married life with the much-younger actress Saira Banu.
One of the biggest stars in Hindi cinema – he holds the joint record with SRK for 8 Filmfare Best Actor Awards!
Here are 5 Unknown Facts About Late Dilip Kumar:
1) Rejected Hollywood Role
The late actor had once rejected the famous Oscar-winning Hollywood film ‘Lawrence of Arabia’. He was offered the role of ‘Sharif-al-Bin-l-Kharish’ but he declined saying, “ I felt I did not have to go to Hollywood to prove or satisfy myself.”
2) Script Writer First
Before ruling Bollywood with his mesmerizing acting, Dilip saab was a scriptwriter at Bombay Talkies in 1942.
He has also written the 1961 Indian crime drama film Gunga Jumna.
3) Sang Only Once
Apart from acting, the soft-spoken star had quite the singing skills but he only ever sang once – ‘Lagi Nahi Chute’ for ‘Musafir’ film in 1957.
4) Received Pakistan’s Highest Civilian Award
In 1998, Dilip Kumar was awarded the Nishan-e-Imtiaz – Pakistan‘s highest civilian award for his contribution to the world of cinema. He was the only Indian to win this honour.
5) Highest Paid Actor Of His Time
Back in 1950s, Dilip Kumar was the first-ever Bollywood superstar to charge 1 lakh as his fees.