Dilip Kumar was born Yusuf Khan at Peshawar (now in Pakistan) into an orthodox middle-class Muslim family. Later, his family moved to Bombay in search of a livelihood. After the initial struggle, he was introduced into the world of arc lights and grease paint by the prime actress of those times, Devika Rani. Following his debut in Jwar Bhata in 1944, he played a variety of characters during a tremendously successful career of over six decades.
Critics hail him as the monarch of tragedy for his popular portrayal of characters subjected to unhappiness, misfortune and loss of loved ones. In Devdas he plays the tragic role of a young man madly in love with a woman who is married to another man. He loses his beloved and follows the path of self-destruction. He continues to love and adore her till his very end. With Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand, he formed the famous star trinity of the 1950s backed by the success of films such as Andaz, Aan, Daag, Madhumati, Ganga Jamuna and Ram Aur Shyam. His performances in the tragical dramas Deedar and Devdas are often regarded as the epitome of emoting. He was awarded the Filmfare Best Actor Award eight times. He won it for the first time in 1953 for Daag, in 1955 for Azaad, in 1956 for Devdas, in 1957 for Naya Daur, in 1960 for Kohinoor, in 1964 for Leader, in 1967 for Ram Aur Shyam and in 1982 for Shakti. He produced only one film in which he acted too. This film, Ganga Jamuna (1958), became an all-time hit and won many awards. He is the proud recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
The doyen of Hindi films, Dilip Kumar is regarded by many as the greatest actor of Indian cinema and as an institution in acting. He has inspired and influenced many actors of his age.
Till today, many actors idolise him and imitate his style of acting and dialogue delivery. But few have been able to create the same magic on the silver screen, as he did. He played memorable character roles in films like Vidhata, Shakti, Karma and Saudagar.
He created a hit romantic pair with Madhubala — in real and reel life; the crowning glory being Mughal-e-Azam in which he played the role of a besotted Salim. This film became a superhit and created many box-office records.
In recognition of his contribution to the field of entertainment, he was nominated a member of the Rajya Sabha by the Government of India. Today, he is leading a happy retired life with his wife Saira Bano — a leading actress of her time.