Bollywood legend Dilip Kumar celebrated his 98th birthday on Friday.
While the veteran actor received a plethora of wishes from across the world, the sweetest one was without a doubt from Shah Rukh Khan, with whom Kumar shares a beautiful bond.
“To the one and only, who amazed and inspired the world by just being himself,” wrote Khan on social media. “I cherish and remember every time we’ve met in vivid details and you have always loved me like your own. Love you too much.”
Dilip Kumar’s wife Saira Banu, in an interview had once said that if she and her husband had had a son, he would have looked like SRK.
“I have always said that if we had a son, he might have looked like Shah Rukh,” said Banu. “Both he and saab are alike and have similar hair, which is why I like to run my fingers through Shah Rukh’s hair when we meet.”
It is also pertinent to add here that both Shah Rukh and Kumar’s ancestral roots can be traced to Peshawar’s Qissa Khwani Bazaar. Khan is reported to have visited the city twice during his childhood.
Earlier this year in September, the KP archaeological department announced that it had allotted Rs 50 million for the renovation and restoration of 15 historical sites in the province including the Kapoor Haveli and Dilip Kumar’s house located in Peshawar’s historical Qissa Khwani Bazaar.
“This is our cultural heritage and we take pride in preserving it. We are very proud that Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor were from Peshawar,” KP Director of Archaeology and Museums Abdul Samad had said.
Kumar’s wife Saira Banu had praised the government’s decision to restore her husband’s childhood home.
“I wish the provincial government success in its efforts and sincerely hope that this time the dream comes true. MashAllah,” the actor had said. “My heart fills up with joy each time I receive the same news about the ancestral home of Yousuf Saheb in Peshawar which the provincial government has been repeatedly trying to turn into a monument for posterity. It has come up so many times in the past and I have appreciated the tenacity with which the government is pursuing the mission of turning the house into a museum for the public to visit and feel the vintage charm of the house where Dilip Saheb grew up like any bright boy of the province.”
Popularly referred to as the ‘King of Tragedy’, Dilip Kumar was born as Muhammad Yusuf Khan on December 11, 1922, in Peshawar. He made his acting debut with the 1944 film Jwar Bhata. He is best-known for iconic roles in films like Devdas (1955), Naya Daur (1957), Mughal-e-Azam (1960), Ganga Jamuna (1961), Kranti (1981), and Karma (1986). He was last seen on the big screen in Qila in 1998 and was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1994, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2015.
