On Wednesday, one of Indian cinema's most celebrated actors, Dilip Kumar, died due to prolonged age-related illness, after being admitted to the intensive care unit of the Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai. Kumar's family friend Faisal Farooqui took to the actor's Twitter handle to share the news with his followers: “With a heavy heart and profound grief, I announce the passing away of our beloved Dilip Saab, few minutes ago. We are from God and to Him we return.”
Over the course of his almost six-decade-long career, the veteran actor, born Mohammed Yusuf Khan, helmed a number of evergreen hits. While 1952's Daag saw him winning his first Best Actor award, one of the roles he's most well-known for was that of Prince Salim in Mughal-e-Azam (1960) opposite Madhubala (who played Anarkali). Devdas (1955), Naya Daur (1957), Ram Aur Shyam (1967), Shakti (1982), and Saudagar (1991) are just of few of his other noteworthy performances.
While his illustrious career is familiar to most, what is lesser-known about the icon is that before he pursued acting, Kumar worked as a canteen owner and a dry fruit supplier in Pune. He was spotted by actor Devika Rani and her husband Himanshu Rai, who cast him as a lead in their 1944 film Jwar Bhata. Kumar was last seen on-screen in the 1998 Qila, where he played a dual role.