Dilip Kumar was one of Hindi cinema's biggest superstars, the kind of actor whose looks left young women swooning. Few know that his journey was far from smooth, before he became one of the industry's biggest names, he had to sit through three back to back failures at the start of his career.
A childhood neighbour named Raj Kapoor
As children, Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor lived in the same neighbourhood. When both later moved to Mumbai, they went on to become two of the biggest stars in Hindi cinema.
A dry fruit business in Pune
In 1940, Dilip Kumar left Mumbai and moved to Pune. There he started a business supplying dry fruits, since his father was a fruit trader by profession. But fate had other plans for him, and before long he found himself stepping into acting.
From Mohammed Yusuf Khan to Dilip Kumar
Dilip Kumar's real name was Mohammed Yusuf Khan. To carve out his own identity as an actor, he changed his name and never once used his real name on screen. Even so, there was no actor in that era who could match him.
Three flops, then a career saving hit
His debut film 'Jwar Bhata' released in 1944. It marked the start of his acting career and it was this film that gave him his new name, Dilip Kumar. The film, however, did not do particularly well. Two more films followed and neither made much of an impact, both turning out to be flops. His fourth film, 'Jugnu', changed everything, creating a sensation and turning out to be a lifesaver for his career.
Shaheed, Mela and Andaz turn him into a star
After the success of 'Jugnu', Dilip Kumar went on to work in films like 'Shaheed', 'Mela' and 'Andaz'. These were the films that truly turned him into a star. In 'Andaz', he shared screen space with Raj Kapoor and Nargis.
The 1950s and the rise of the Tragedy King
Through the 1950s, Dilip Kumar virtually ruled the box office. That decade brought films like 'Jogan', 'Babul', 'Deedar', 'Tarana', 'Daag', 'Aan', 'Udan Khatola', 'Insaniyat', 'Devdas', 'Naya Daur', 'Yahudi', 'Madhumati' and 'Paigham'. These films earned him the title of Bollywood's 'Tragedy King'.
Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan change the game
By the time the 1970s arrived, Dilip Kumar had films like 'Gopi', 'Dastaan', 'Sagina', 'Sagina Mahato' and 'Bairaag' to his name, but only 'Gopi' turned out to be a hit. This was also the period when superstars like Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan had made their entry into the industry. In the years that followed, the number of films offered to Dilip Kumar began to decline.
