Page 26 - Seniorstoday December 2022 Issue

Special Feature – Dilip Kumar @ 100

A power actor;

a reticent man

Dilip Kumar believed that stars should never let their mystique fade with
overexposure to the outside world; thus he remained till his passing at the age of 98,
a legendary star loved by film fans, but really known by just a few in his inner circle,
writes Deepa Gahlot

On December 11, 1922, Mohammad Yusuf his film debut in Jwar Bhata, changing his
Khan was born in Peshawar (now in name to Dilip Kumar, for fear of incurring
Pakistan), one of 12 children of a fruit his father’s wrath.
merchant, Lala Ghulam Sarwar Khan and
his wife Ayesha Begum. He would go on
to become one the biggest stars of Indian
cinema, whose birth centenary celebrations
are being planned by fans, with a film
festival, exhibitions and an outpouring of
admiration on social media.
After Partition, the family stayed back
in Deolali, a small town in Maharashtra,
where Yusuf Khan received his early
education. When he moved to Bombay to
run an army canteen, he was discovered
by Devika Rani, the co-founder and head
of major studio Bombay Talkies, and made Dilip Kumar’s home in Peshawar

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