Indian film legend and prolific actor Dilip Kumar passed away at the Hinduja hospital in Mumbai on July 7 following prolonged illness. He was 98.
Kumar, who was married to actor Saira Banu, had been ailing for the past one month and was hospitalised several times.
He had been successfully treated for bilateral pleural effusion and discharged, but was readmitted to hospital after complaining of breathlessness.
The veteran cinema actor, who dominated the Hindi film scenario along with Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand from around the middle of the 19th century, had been the last survivor of the trio who rocked the world with their performances.
The thespian had endeared himself to generations of film-goers through his acting, that witnessed him essaying roles of tragedy and romance through popular films like Mughal-e-Azam and Devdas.
Born Yusuf Khan, he changed his name to Dilip Kumar and performed in his first film “Jwar Bhata” in 1944 for a five decade long career that ended with his film “Qila” in 1998.