Veteran Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar dies at 98

Veteran Bollywood actor, Dilip Kumar, known for his tear-jerking roles in Hindi cinema, passed away at the age of 98.

Faisal Farooqui, a family friend, took to the actor’s Twitter handle to announce his death on Wednesday.

He wrote ” 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. – Faisal Farooqui”

Kumar died at Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai on Wednesday where he was admitted last week following complains of breathlessness.

Kumar’s burial will take place on Wednesday evening with state honours.

Born in 1922 in Peshawar, now Pakistan, as Muhammad Yusuf Khan, the actor changed his name to Dilip Kumar when he began his Bollywood career in 1949.

Kumar has acted in over 60 films in a six-decade long career, with his biggest hits between 1949 and 1961.

In Mughal-e-Azam (1960), Kumar played the handsome, besotted Prince Salim trying to stand up for his love against a larger-than-life father in Bollywood’s most lauded period film.

His other memorable roles include the intense lovelorn heroes of Andaz (1949) and Devdas (1955).

He also acted in top-grossing film Azaad (1955) and Ganga Jamuna (1961), woven around social issues and class divides.

Kumar won many Indian film awards, served as a member of parliament and the sheriff of Mumbai. In 2015, he received the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award.

Dilip Kumar is survived by his wife Saira Banu, an actress,  whom he married in 1966 when he was 44 and she was 22.