The legendary ‘Tragedy King’ of the silver screen was known by several names, who left for his heavenly abode on July 7, 2021. Some knew him as Salim of Mughal-e-Azam, while, for others he was Deva as he became the second actor to play the role of Devdas in an adaptation of Saratchandra Chattopadhyay’s novella of the same name. Then there were other names like Ram, Shyam, Rana Vishwa Pratap Singh and Veer Singh, among many others. Known for some of his unforgettable performances in movies like Aan, Daag, Devdas, Madhumati, Azaad, Mughal-e-Azam, Gunga Jamuna, Kranti, Karma, Ram Aur Shyam, among others, Dilip Kumar had a career of over five decades. The actor debuted in films with 1944’s Jwar Bhata, but the film and his work did not garner much attention. It was with 1947’s Jugnu, also starring Noor Jehan that he clinched his first box office hit.
Dilip Kumar also possessed the distinction of being the only Indian recipient of Pakistan’s highest civilian award, Nishan-e-Imtiaz.
For his contribution to cinema, Dilip Kumar was conferred with India’s highest award in the art-form the ‘Dadasaheb Phalke Award’. He also received the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award of the country. Dilip Kumar is listed in the Guinness World Records for winning the maximum number of awards by an Indian actor
Along with Shah Rukh Khan, he held the record for winning the most Filmfare Awards in the Best Actor category. He also won the inaugural trophy in the same category in 1954.
But was this doyen actor’s birth name Dilip Kumar? No, Dilip Kumar was, in fact, the late actor’s screen name and was given by producer Devika Rani. The actor was born as Muhammad Yusuf Khan in an Awan family in Pakistan’s Peshawar.
In his autobiography, Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow, the veteran actor revealed why he changed his name from Muhammad Yusuf Khan to Dilip Kumar.
He wrote, “She (Devika Rani) said, quite matter-of-factly: ‘Yousuf, I was thinking about your launch soon as an actor and I felt it would not be a bad idea if you adopted a screen name. You know, a name you would be known by and which will be very appropriate for your audience to relate to and one that will be in tune with the romantic image you are bound to acquire through your screen presence. I thought Dilip Kumar was a nice name. It just popped up in my mind when I was thinking about a suitable name for you. How does it sound to you?”
Well, it was not just Devika Rani who influenced Yusuf Khan to change his name. In an interview with Mahendra Kaul in 1970, he revealed the real reason he changed his name was ‘pitayi ka darr’ (fear of thrashing) from his father. The late actor had said that his father never liked his acting career and called it ‘nautanki’. Ironically, his father never appreciated his friend Dewan Basheshwarnath Kapoor’s grandson Raj Kapoor doing films either. Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor were neighbours in Peshawar.
The entire industry is greatly disturbed at the unfortunate demise of Dilip Kumar has sent down the wave of grief and shock across the nation. His last rites were performed in Mumbai in the presence of close family members and celebs like Subhash Ghai and Amitabh Bachchan also marked their presence at the funeral.
