Dilip Kumar: Life in a timeline

Dilip Kumar born Mohammed Yusuf Khan life is nothing short of a beautiful film, replete with every color of life. From his birth in Peshawar to becoming the First Khan of Bollywood, the screen legend’s life is an inspiration to anyone who dares to dream.
Following is Dilip Kumar’s life in a timeline:
1922: Born as Mohammed Yusuf Khan in Peshawar, North-West Frontier Province, British India to Lala Ghulam Sarwar Khan and Ayesha Begum on 11th December.
1944: Makes his acting debut in “Jwar Bhata”, directed by Amiya Chakravarty, with the screen name Dilip Kumar.
1947: Tastes first major box office success, “Jugnu”, co-starring Noor Jahan and directed by Shaukat Hussain Rizvi.
1949: First breakthrough role in Mehboob Khan’s “Andaz”, co-starring Raj Kapoor and Nargis.
1951: Rumoured to fall in love with actress Madhubala during the shoot of “Tarana”.
1955: Release of career-defining film, Bimal Roy’s “Devdas” alongside Vyjayanthimala and Suchitra Sen.
1960: Featured in K. Asif’s epic historical drama “Mughal-e-Azam” as Prince Salim, his career-defining role, alongside Madhubala and Prithviraj Kapoor. “Kohinoor” co-starring Meena Kumari also opens in the same year.
1961: Turns producer with the self-starring “Gunga Jumna”. Broadly inspired by Mehboob Khan’s “Mother India”, the Nitin Bose directorial was allegedly ghost-directed and ghost-edited by Dilip Kumar, according to unconfirmed rumors. The film starring the actor with his brother Nasir Khan and Vyjayanthimala was the highest-grossing Bollywood film of 1961.
1966: Marriage with actress Saira Banu, who was 22 years younger than him.
1980: Appointed honorary Sheriff of Mumbai
1981: Marriage with Hyderabad-based Asma Sahiba, or Asma Rehman. The same year marked his comeback to Bollywood after a five-year break, with Manoj Kumar’s “Kranti”.
1983: Divorce with Asma Rehman
1991: Honoured with Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award in India.
1994: Honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India’s highest award in the field of cinema.
1998: Honoured with Nishan-e-Imtiaz, the highest civilian award of Pakistan.
1998: Release of his last Hindi film Qila, directed by Umesh Mehra and starring Dilip Kumar in a dual role. The film also had Rekha, Mamta Kulkarni and Mukul Dev.
2014: The thespian’s autobiography “The Substance and the Shadow” is published.
2015: Honoured with Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award in India.
2020: His younger brothers Aslam Khan and Ehsan Khan pass away owing to Covid-19.
2021: Dilip Kumar passes away at a Mumbai hospital around 7.30 am on July 7. He is laid to rest with state honors at Juhu Qabrastan, Santacruz, Mumbai around 5 pm on the same day.