Bollywood actors, Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan pay tribute to the cinema icon
Our Bureau
Mumbai
Legendary actor Dilip Kumar, best known as Tragedy King, is no more. Dilip Kumar died on Wednesday morning at Mumbai’s PD Hinduja Hospital. He was 98. The news of his demise is confirmed by Dr Jaleel Parkar, Pulmonologist, who was treating the veteran actor.
Dilip Kumar’s spokesperson Faisal Farooqi has also shared the sad news on the former’s Twitter handle.
“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,” Farooqi tweeted.
For the unversed, Dilip Kumar was admitted to the hospital a few days ago after he complained of breathlessness.
Speaking of Dilip Kumar’s contribution to Indian cinema, his career had spanned over six decades.
He acted in over 65 films in his career and is known for his iconic roles in movies like ‘Devdas ‘(1955), ‘Naya Daur’ (1957), ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ (1960), ‘Ganga Jamuna’ (1961), ‘Kranti’ (1981), and ‘Karma’ (1986). His last film was ‘Qila’, which was released in 1998.
He is now survived by his wife and veteran actor Saira Banu.
Dilip Kumar was laid to rest with full state honours at Juhu Qabrastan around 4:30 pm on July 7. Fans of Dilip Kumar had gathered outside the hospital where the ‘tragedy king’ passed away and the Mumbai police formed a human chain so that his mortal remains could be taken to his Bandra residence. Adhering to state funeral protocols, Dilip Kumar’s mortal remains were wrapped in Indian tricolor. He was then taken to the Juhu Qabrastan in Santacruz, Mumbai. Saira Banu was also seen leaving for the funeral with several close ones.
Earlier in the day, several Bollywood celebrities were seen arriving at Dilip Kumar’s residence to pay their last respects to the veteran actor. Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Vidya Balan, Karan Johar and Dharmendra among others were snapped at Dilip Kumar’s Bandra home. Shah Rukh Khan, who is very close to the couple, was also seen consoling a heart-broken Saira Banu. Social media is flooded with fans and celebrities mourning the demise of Dilip Kumar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid a tribute to the thespian and shared on Twitter, “Dilip Kumar Ji will be remembered as a cinematic legend. He was blessed with unparalleled brilliance, due to which audiences across generations were enthralled. His passing away is a loss to our cultural world. Condolences to his family, friends and innumerable admirers. RIP.”
Prime Minister Imran Khan also paid his tributes to the actor who was born December 11, 1922, at Qissa Khwani Bazaar in Peshawar which is now in Pakistan.
