Bollywood’s stars get together to launch Dilip Kumar’s biography

Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, who was slated to sing at the event, couldn’t make it.

The stage glittered with the presence of Hindi cinema icons like Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra and Aamir Khan, when the trio, along with veteran actress Saira Banu and author Udaya Tara Nayar, launched thespian Dilip Kumar’s long-awaited autobiography “The Substance and The Shadow” in his presence in Mumbai on Monday evening.

Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, who was slated to sing at the event, couldn’t make it. Held at Grand Hyatt in Santa Cruz in Mumbai, the red carpet of the event saw celebrities from the old and gold age as well as new generation for the momentous night. 

From Zeenat Aman, Danny Denzongpa, Farida Jalal, and Vyjayanthimala to Subhash Ghai, Ayan Mukerji, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Rajkumar Hirani, Madhuri Dixit and Priyanka Chopra, many Bollywood stars attended the gala.

Dilip Kumar’s wife Saira Banu, who looked resplendent in a green sari, was overwhelmed to see the fraternity’s participation in the event, which saw Karan Johar as a host. She hoped the book is appreciated.

Before the event, she said: “Please pray that the readers will receive the book with the same dedication with which we have written the book. Every chapter in the book is important and you all will read something that you have not read before about him.”

Born Muhammad Yusuf Khan, the actor entered filmdom with the 1944 release “Jwar Bhata”, and thereafter dedicated six decades of his life working in much appreciated films like “Mela”, “Naya Daur”, “Devdas”, “Madhumati” and “Mughal-E-Azam”. 

His autobiography chronicles the 91-year-old’s life from his days as a child to present — the ups and downs in his life, his family, career, wife and more, as told by him to Nayar, who is a close family friend.

Aamir, who recited a poem penned by Prasoon Joshi specifically for the occasion, said: “We all were eagerly waiting for this big day. I am a huge fan of Yusuf sahab and I was waiting to read his book and his experiences.”

Actress Priyanka Chopra, who walked the red carpet, said she was “honoured” to be invited for the event.

“I’m so happy for them today. They have been close to my family for a long time. I have seen all his films and I really admire him,” she said. For Madhuri Dixit, who walked in with her husband Sriram Nene, it was a proud moment to be part of the event.

“Dilip Kumar is a legend in himself and it’s a big day. He has been an inspiration for everybody,” she said.

Lata Mangeshkar, who is close to Dilip Kumar’s family, had given her consent to perform at the event, but if sources are to be believed, her ill health didn’t allow her to be present.

Stars pay tribute to veteran actor Dilip Kumar at biography launch

Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan and Dharmendra were among the stars attending a lavish launch event for Dilip Kumar's biography.

The biography entitled The Substance and the Shadow chronicles the life and career of the acclaimed actor who has starred in over 60 films.

© Getty Images / Sipra Das/The India Today Group

Veteran Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar

According to NDTV Movies, the actor's wife Saira Banu said: "I am feeling on top of the world today. This is a dream come true for me. Please pray that the dedication with which we have written the book, it is received by the readers in the same way."

While filmmaker Karan Johar played the role of Master of Ceremonies, Kumar's former co-star Vyjayanthimala lit the inaugural lamp along, with actresses Madhuri Dixit and Priyanka Chopra.

Writing on Twitter Amitabh Bachchan, who worked with the legendary actor in the 1982 film Shakti and was recently featured with him on the cover of Filmfare, described the event saying: "T 1510 -What a evening last night ! Book release of the autobiography of Dilip Saheb .. so much nostalgia .. so much to say .. but how !!"

Posting a photo on her Twitter page, Madhuri Dixit commented: "I was honoured to attend Dilip Saheb's autobiography launch. So much grace, dignity and talent."


Aamir Khan, who was accompanied by wife Kiran Rao and mother Zeenat Hussain, said he has been inspired by Dilip Kuamr.

"It is a very memorable day. I have always been a huge fan of Yusuf sahib. Probably, one of his biggest fans, he's been such an inspiration figure to me, right through my career. I have learnt so much.

"I am looking forward to reading his book. We'll get to know about his life, his work, his experiences. Something again, which will be a big opportunity for me to learn," he added.

Priyanka Chopra said: "Dilip saab is one personality without whose name the film industry is incomplete. I feel myself extremely lucky that I have been invited for this event. I have seen all his films and I really admire him."

The VIP guest list included veteran actors Jeetendra, Danny Denzongpa, Prem Chopra and Sanjay Khan, actresses Zeenat Aman and Farida Jalal and writer Javed Akhtar.

As well as offering insights into his career, the book reveals details of Dilip Kumar's romance with the late actress Madhubala and how he met and married Saira Banu.

Dilip of Arabia?

The late Omar Sharif burned his way into Hollywood with Lawrence of Arabia, and went on to become one of its hottest sex symbols. But what most people don't know is that the actor who was originally supposed to play Omar Sharif's role in the film was Dilip Kumar.

Director David Lean was an Indophile thanks, partly, to the fact that his fourth wife was Leela Welingkar, a legendary Hyderabadi beauty. Lean had recently made The Bridge on the River Kwai, which had won seven Oscars, and he was now looking to make his next great blockbuster.

To play Lawrence, Lean had originally wanted Marlon Brando, but Brando turned him down because the money wasn't good enough. Lean then selected the then unknown Peter O'Toole, with his brilliant blue-eyes.

The next question was who to cast as Sherif Ali, a character based on various tribal chieftains who had fought alongside Lawrence. Lean did not want to use a European star; he wanted a more authentic actor. That's when he got in touch with Dilip Kumar, whose work he knew because of his personal experience of India.

A meeting was arranged with Dilip Kumar, where the charming and persuasive Lean pitched the role to him. But Dilip Kumar turned him down, and the role went to Omar Sharif who had originally been cast to play Tafas, Lawrence's desert guide who, ironically, is shot dead by Sherif Ali in his iconic introductory sequence. Thus, what was intended as Omar Sharif's end in the film, turned out, instead, to be the beginning of a famous Hollywood career. He won an Oscar nomination for his role, and never looked back. Lawrence of Arabia itself, meanwhile, went on to be ranked as one of the greatest films in cinema history.

Sharif was in the right place at the right time: Hollywood, in the 1960s, needed an exotic multi-purpose foreigner. Sadly, his playboy lifestyle eventually made him take up any mediocre role that would finance his lavish habits — leading him to ruefully comment in later years that he had squandered his career.

But the big mystery, of course, is: why did Dilip Kumar turn down a part that any actor would kill for? It seems an inexplicable career decision, especially given the fact that David Lean was at his prime as a director, having won seven Oscars with his last film.

Strangely, Dilip Kumar's autobiography, The Shadow and the Substance, doesn't shed much light on the matter, so one can only speculate. Was it was because he was then busy with his ambitious Ganga Jamuna project? Or because he believed his loyalty was to his Indian audiences? Or simply because he found David Lean too domineering a personality and was worried that the chemistry wouldn't work? All that Dilip Kumar has said on the subject is that he thought Omar Sharif had played the role far better than he himself could have.

Whatever the reason, it may well rank as one of the worst career moves in cinema history. Dilip Kumar lost the opportunity to take his talent onto a whole new, international level, right at the prime of his career. A big loss, especially for an actor noted for his ability to take risks, to learn, and evolve with every new role.

One cannot help wonder: What if Dilip Kumar had, indeed, played the part? He was, unquestionably, a better actor than Omar Sharif (although, he might not have quite had Sharif's homme fatale quality). He would have done a great job of Sherif Ali's role, quite likely even better than Omar Sharif did. He might have thus become one of Lean's pool of chosen talent, like Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins and Omar Sharif himself, whom the great director called upon to act in his subsequent productions. And then who knows what might have happened? Maybe, for one thing, Lean might have decided to make his critically acclaimed A Passage to India a couple of decades earlier, with Dilip Kumar playing a brilliant Dr Aziz.

But, that apart, Lawrence of Arabia would have opened other Hollywood doors for Dilip Kumar. And those experiences would have, in turn, helped enrich his future Hindi movie roles. He would have thus surely avoided the bad patch he went through in the 1970s, starting with Gopi and Sagina Mahato, which wiped out ten of the best years of his life. But one thing is for sure: Dilip Kumar would not, unlike Omar Sharif, have left Indian cinema and moved to Hollywood; he was too rooted, and modest, a person for that.

Nor, for that, matter is he likely to have romanced the likes of Ava Gardner, Catherine Deneuve, Julie Christie and Barbara Streisand. There would probably always have been a Saira Bano waiting for him back home. That is as much as one can say without breaking the rules of counterfactual history.

While Dilip Kumar did not act in Lawrence of Arabia, there was another Indian actor who did. And that was I S Johar, who played the minor role of Gasim, a Bedouin tribesman who Lawrence finally executes. The role got I S Johar his hour of glory back home in India, and many Indian fans went to see the film to watch his two minutes on screen. Just imagine the reception a Dilip Kumar would have got, locking his dark oriental eyes with Peter O'Toole's arctic blue eyes through the film's nearly four hours of epic running time.

Five things we would love to read in Dilip Kumar’s biography

Yogen Shah

The legend launches his book today. Here are some of the highlights we would love to read in his biography

Dilip Kumar‘s life has been very mysterious as he never really opened up to the media, but all that is going to change with his biography launch today. The much awaited book, The Substance And The Shadow, will see the thespian actor talk about his life journey of 91 years. The biography has been penned by noted film editor Udayatara Nayar. Here are a few things that we would want to read about in the biography.

-Dilip Kumar had an unspoken rivalry with Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor in his haydays, just like Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan have in the present era. We would want to know his side of the story and how he tackled the competition coming from the other two stalwarts.

-His relationship with Kamini Kaushal had become the talk of the town. However, they could not marry due to her being married to her deceased sister’s husband. We would definitely want to know more about this story.

-His relationship with Madhubala also garnered a lot of attention as the two worked together for a long time in Mughal-e-Azam. He has time and again refrained from answering questions about her, but we hope to know more details about their intimacy in the biography.

-Dilip Kumar never gave a cameo or a special appearance in any film. Directors and producers kept writing character roles for him but he never agreed to it. We would definitely want to know the reason behind such discretion.

-Dilip Kumar stopped working after his 1998 film Qila. In an era where scripts are being written specially for older characters like Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor, why did the tragedy king retire? We hope our question is answered in this biography.

19 Things I Loved About Dilip Kumar’s Star-Studded Autobiography Launch!

Dilip Kumar’s Autobiography Launch

I just spent a phenomenal evening at the Grand Hyatt, Mumbai. Amidst some of the Indian film industry’s greatest living legends and a double helping of nostalgia. All because the original king of Bollywood, 91-year-old Dilip Kumar, launched his autobiography The Substance and The Shadow written by his close friend Uday Tara Nayar.

Here are just some of the amazing, heart-warming and nostalgic things that were said… in no particular order but with Bollywood nostalgia of epic proportions!

1. THE BIG B. (AND WHY TIMING IS KEY.)

Timing is everything. And since Amitabh Bachchan is supremely punctual (and I like to believe, so am I), I caught my fellow Allahabadi just as he was walking in! He later gave Allahabad a shout-out during his speech about Dilip saab and that put an extra large grin on my face!

2. THE LEGENDARY SOUNDTRACK.

The Bollywood tunes that were playing on loop from classic Dilip Kumar films had everyone tapping along to the beat on their knees. (Just as I’ve seen my mom do time and time again.) Dilip Kumar himself entered to the classic dil tadap tadap ke keh raha hai aa bhi ja fromMadhumati which also felt like epic timing!

3. EVERGREEN BOLLYWOOD MELODIES, SERVED UP LIVE & UNPLUGGED!

Later we were treated to a medley of songs performed live by Shaan and Javed Ali.

In fact, their rendition of dil diya hai jaan bhi denge, ae watan tere liye made me immediately want to watch Karma (for the billionth time.)

Shaan and Javed Ali

Oh and when they sang a song from Saudaagar the whole movie started playing in my head – starting from ILU ILU *LOL*! But can you guess which song they sang? :)

4. A LOVE STORY THAT’S 4 DECADES NEW.

Saira Banu was beaming all night. The sparkle in her eye a testimony to their 46-year-old love story. In fact she’s the reason this launch happened at all, “I persuaded Dilip Kumar to narrate his story” she revealed. How awesome is that?!

5. THE CANDLE & THE LEGEND.

Vyjayanthimala, Madhuri Dixit and Priyanka Chopra

After lighting the auspicious lamp with Madhuri Dixit and Priyanka Chopra, Vyjayanthimala said a few words. My favourite part was when she jokingly admitted to being known as the “twinkle toes” of the film industry, since most of her roles involved more dancing and less dialogue!

Vyjayanthimala, Karan Johar, Madhuri Dixit and Priyanka Chopra

Vyjayanthimala, Karan Johar, Madhuri Dixit and Priyanka Chopra

She also recounted her experience of playing Chandramukhi to Dilip Kumar’s Devdas and being absolutely mesmerised by his performance, desperately nervous that she would forget her one major line! Aur mat peeyo Devdas. Itna zyaada bardaasht na kar sakoge.

6. CHANDRAMUKHI RELOADED

Another Chandramukhi, years later – Madhuri Dixit said she wished that she had been born in Dilip saab’s era of cinema so that she could have been cast opposite him as his heroine. She has that magical old-world charm doesn’t she? I could totally see her in his time too.

7. PC WRITES HISTORY.

Priyanka Chopra put it so beautifully herself saying, “jab bhi film industry ka itihaas likkha jaayega, Yusuf Saab ka naam pehle panne par hoga.” #Fact

Karan Johar, Madhuri Dixit and Priyanka Chopra

8. MUMMY AMBANI LOVES PINK!

I discovered that Mummy Ambani is all about pink! I like her already :)

Photo courtesy @ZeeCinema

9. THERE’S A MOVIE IN HERE SOMEWHERE!

There was a brilliant 3D audio visual presentation about the making of this autobiography that just brought his entire career to life. And that’s how I discovered that Dilip Kumar is Lata Mangeshkar‘s rakhi brother, did you know that? Now I’m waiting for the full-length feature. Who would be able to play Dilip Saab is the question? Leave me your recommendations in the comments below, I’ll talk to Kjo :P

#MakingOfALegend

10. AAMIR KHAN KNOWS HIS HEROES.

Aamir Khan read aloud a poem by Prasoon Joshi. It was beautiful. The line that struck me was, woh aasma choona chahta tha, magar apni sharton par… Living life on your own terms is what true legendary is all about, don’t you think? He also said that he is Dilip Kumar’s biggest fan in the film industry, “aisa main maanta hoon!” With a cheeky grin. #Lovethat!

Aamir Khan

11. JAVED AKHTAR, THE LYRIC MASTER.

But the speech of the night, hands down goes to Javed Akhtar, who was so damn passionate and eloquent. I was too busy tweeting the things he said to even get his picture! So here you go.

In fact some of his comments were SO good I had to tag Farhan Akhtar to give him props for his pa!

12. A CLASSIC CASE OF TWITTER FRIENDSHIP!

I made a new old friend in @ZeeCinema on Twitter, who have so sweetly agreed to make me a list of 10 classic must-watch Bollywood movies to share with you soon, stay tuned!

13. DHARAM PAJI’S LEGENDARY BROMANCE.

And then Dharmendra got on stage and shared stories of their bromance that made everybody smile! He recounted the time he and Dilip Kumar became drinking buddies and exchanged stories till the wee hours of the morning, just like bros. How amazing would it have been to have been part of THAT crew, can you even imagine?

Dharmendra

14. AMIT UNCLE.

Karan Johar

Another living legend, Amitabh Bachchan (aka “Amit Uncle” to Kjo), had a brilliant assessment of Dilip Kumar’s acting prowess:

Amitabh Bachchan

He said, “When you see a scene performed by Dilip Kumar you are convinced there is no alternate way to enact that scene.”

15. LEGENDARY MEMORIES.

The Big B went on to read a passage from the autobiography which recounted a pretty poignant moment at the start of Dilip Kumar’s career where he was asked to run. When he asked why he was running, he was told it was to save the heroine who is about to kill herself. Satisfied with this explanation he ran when the director yelled action, but ended up running faster than the new camera from Germany could capture and was told to “run for her life, but slower!” *LOL*

16. HOW MANY LEGENDS CAN YOU SEE?

Legends on Stage

And just before the event ended, Dilip Kumar was helped on stage by Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra and Aamir Khan. Have you ever seen so much Bollywood epic-ness on one stage together? (All we were missing was Shah Rukh Khan.)

PS. This was my view… (left of the camera crew!)

Dilip Kumar’s Autobiography Launch

Legends on stage

Legends on stage

Legends on stage

Legends on stage

Legends on stage

17. THE DELIGHTFUL MRS. KHAN.

On my way out, I heard Kiran Rao rocking some major Gujarati to whom I assumed were family in the filmy frat. The gist of what I gathered to be that she was being vegetarian tonight. :) She was also super sweet about posing for this picture, even with a plate in her hand!

Aamir Khan was also flitting around in the lobby for a while looking absolutely gorgeous even though he is super tiny – didjya know that? :P

Kiran Rao

Anu Malik meanwhile was less delighted to be clicked at the buffet, but posed for me regardless.

Anu Malik

18. MY GIRL MANDIRA!

Mandira Bedi looked absolutely stunning in one of her own sari creations…

Mandira Bedi and Raj Kaushal

And got lots of compliments too! Remember when I got to walk the ramp for her? :)

Mandira Bedi

19. THE B-TOWN BOYS.

Karan Johar

I also bumped into Karan Johar and Riteish Deshmukh doing sporadic walking interviews on their way out. Ritesh was very warm and hugged me hello, I congratulated him on the “good news” and Karan Johar gave me his trademark Kjo grin!

Riteish Deshmukh

Gotta love Bollywood right? That’s exactly why I stayed up tonight blogging this for you, so I wouldn’t forget a thing! More pictures and the night’s fashion decoded tomorrow on the blog. 

Why Dilip Kumar refused to work with Nargis in Mother India

Film actor Dilip Kumar's autobiography is a delight for lovers of Hindi cinema. Titled Dilip Kumar: The Substance And The Shadow, and narrated by veteran journalist and writer Udaytara Nayar, the book is rich with trivia and anecdotes from the life of the veteran actor.

1. On his first appearance on the screen in Jwar Bhata: "When I saw myself on the screen, I asked myself: 'Is this how I am going to perform in the films that may follow if the studio wishes to continue my services?!' My response was: 'No.' I realised that this was a difficult job and, if I had to continue, I would have to find my own way of doing it. And the critical question was: HOW?"

2. On his love for Madhubala "Did it happen with me? Was I in love with Madhubala as the newspaper and magazines reported at that time? As an answer to this oft-repeated question straight from the horse's mouth, I must admit that I was attracted to her both as a fine co-star and as a person who had some of the attributes I hoped to find in a woman at that age and time... She, as I said earlier, was very sprightly and vivacious and, as such, she could draw me out of my shyness and reticence effortlessly

3. On his break-up with Madhubala, the actor says the relationship soured during the making of Mughal-e-Azam. Remembering the most sensuous scene from the movie he says: "The outcome was that halfway through the production of 'Mughal-e-Azam' we were not even talking to each other. The classic scene with the feather coming between our lips, which set a million imaginations on fire, was shot when we had completely stopped even greeting each other."

4. The actor refused a role in Mother India because he had romanced Nargis in his previous two films. "When Mehboob [Khan] sahab discussed Mother India with me in the early 1950s, I thought it was a brilliant and timely concept and it had to be made at any cost. The role he could offer me was one of the sons of heroine Nargis and I pointed out that it would be an incongruous casting after all the romancing she and I had done in earlier films, such as Mela (1948) and Babul (1950).

5.  On his love for outdoor shooting, he reminisced the making of Bimal Roy's Madhumati. "To us - Pran, Johnny Walker, Bimalda, Hrishida (Hrishikesh Mukherjee) and me - the time after 'pack-up' was very interesting. We got over the pressure of the day's work by spending the evenings in cheerful conversation and poetic exchanges while the cooks in the unit readied our dinner. Pran and I got along famously talking in Punjabi while Bimalda and Hrishida tried to outdo us in Bengali... It used to be a little awkward the following day when Pran had to brim with hostility as the negative character in the script. I must say he was amazingly true to the character Ugranarayan."

6. A stickler for rehearsals before his performance, Dilip Kumar says that actress "Devika Rani had advised me and all the actors she employed at Bombay Talkies that it was important to rehearse till a level of competence to perform was achieved. In the early years, it was a necessity for me to rehearse, but, even in the later years, her advice stayed with me when I had to match a benchmark I had mentally set for myself. In fact, I am aware that I am known for the number of rehearsals I do for even what seems to be a simple scene."

7.  On his famous hairstyle, and his barber: "The poor man [his barber] always had a problem with my hair which grew at jet speed, demanding fortnightly trimming. He was constantly crestfallen by my hair's refusal to be combed back and kept in place the way he wanted...The barber came home one afternoon and I had instructed him to wait if I did not reach the house on time. He took the liberty of sitting in the drawing room and my eldest sister took it as impudence on his part and gave him a dressing down, which was in progress when I made my entry. I apologised to him and I found him more bewildered than angry. Later, I took up the matter with Sakina Aapa [elder sister] and we had an unpleasant spat."

8. The evening of 23 August 1966, when Dilip Kumar met Saira Banu and fell in love: "When I alighted from my car and entered the beautiful garden that leads to the house, I can still recall my eyes falling on Saira standing in the foyer of her new house looking breathtakingly beautiful in a brocade sari. I was taken aback, because she was no longer the young girl I had consciously avoided working with because I thought she would look too young to be my heroine. She had indeed grown to full womanhood and was in reality more beautiful than I thought she was."

9. The actor learned how to play a sitar for the movie Kohinoor (1960). The movie "will remain etched in my mind for the efforts I made to learn to play the sitar. It was another chance for me to test my flair for the comedy genre in acting... I enjoyed the making of Kohinoor also for the camaraderie that grew between me and Meena Kumari after Azaad as we, who were known for our forte with  emotional drama and tragedy, came together for another light-hearted film.

10. Amitabh Bachchan was mesmerised by Dilip Kumar's performance in Gunga Jamuna. "Recently, while we were chatting casually, Amitabh Bachchan mentioned to me that he had repeatedly viewed Gunga Jumna as a student in Allahabad to understand how a Pathan was effortlessly playing a rustic character of UP and speaking the dialect with such ease," said the actor in his book.

Why Dilip Kumar and Madhubala’s marriage did not happen

Things soured badly during the production of "Mughal-E-Azam".

Things soured badly during the production of “Mughal-E-Azam”.

Dilip Kumar and Madhubala would have been together had her father not tried to make a business venture out of their proposed marriage which did not go down well with the actor, who did not want someone else to dictate his career choices.

In his just-released autobiography “Dilip Kumar: The Substance And The Shadow”, Kumar, 91, reveals details about his relationship with Madhubala that continues to intrigue cinema fans even today.

The screen icon fondly remembers Madhubala as a great artiste and “vivacious and spirited person” with whom he attained an ease while working in 1951 film “Tarana”.

“I must admit that I was attracted to her (Madhubala) both as a fine co-star and as a person who had some of the attributes I hoped to find in a woman at that age and time… She, as I said earlier, was very sprightly and vivacious and, as such, she could draw me out of my shyness and reticence effortlessly,” Kumar says in the book, published by Hay House.

Their pairing in K Asif’s “Mughal-E-Azam” made headlines because of rumours about their emotional involvement, which made the director very happy. Madhubala confided to Asif about her feelings for Kumar and the director encouraged her.

But unfortunately things soured badly during the long production of the classic.

“I sensed, Asif was seriously trying to mend the situation for her when matters began to sour between us, thanks to her father’s attempt to make the proposed marriage a business venture,” Kumar recalls.

Their relationship worsened during the shooting of the film. Kumar reveals that the feather scene, described as one of the most sensuous moments in Hindi cinema, was shot when they had stopped speaking to each other.

“The outcome was that halfway through the production of ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ we were not even talking to each other. The classic scene with the feather coming between our lips, which set a million imaginations on fire, was shot when we had completely stopped even greeting each other,” Kumar writes.

The actor says the tribute for that scene should go to “the artistry of two professionally committed actors” for keeping aside their personal differences to carry out the vision of the director.

Madhubala’s father Ataullah Khan had his own production company and he was only to glad to have two stars under the same roof.

10 Things You Didn't Know About Dilip Kumar

Dilip Kumar, the veteran actor who has mesmerized audiences with his brilliant acting for 6 decades and spawned generations of admirers from Big B to Shah Rukh Khan, turns 90 today.

Here are 10 things you didn’t know about Dilip saab, whose very name evokes respect and admiration.

1) Dilip Kumar declined to co-star Saira Banu because ‘she was too young to be my leading lady’, whom eventually he ended up marrying. At the time of marriage, he was 44 and Saira Banu was 22.

2) 5 years is the longest gap between two Dilip Kumar movies. The two movies were ‘Bairaag’ (1976) and ‘Kranti’ (1971).

3) Dilip Kumar has been a Member of Parliament.

4) Before entering film industry, Dilip Kumar used to sell fruits in Pune.

5) Dilip Kumar is Bollywood’s first superstar who hails from Pakistan.

6) During his superstardom days, Dilip Kumar’s signing amount ranged from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 11 lakh.

7) It was on the recommendation of Ashok Kumar that Dilip Kumar got his first big break with Devika Rani's Bombay Talkies in the 1940s.

8) Before Yusuf Khan got the screen name Dilip Kumar, Uday Kumar and Vaaman Kumar were other screen names which were being considered.

9) Dilip Kumar married Asma, a Hyderabadi girl in 1980. However, his second marriage didn’t last long.

10) Dilip Kumar was the first person to win a Filmfare Best Actor Award.

Here’s wishing the most precious jewel in Bollywood’s crown a very happy birthday!