Today, July 7, will be a very sad day for Indian Cinema as it lost one of the most popular actors in its history, Dilip Kumar. The 98 year old actor took his last breath in Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai.

Mr. Dilip Kumar was born in Peshawar, Pakistan (at the time British India) and was one of the twelve children of his parents. Their family later shifted to Indian state of Maharashtra. Let us remember some of this memorable happenings from his life and pay a tribute to him for his extraordinary work for Indian Cinema.

1) Dilip Kumar and his Peshawar Home.

Dilip Kumar in his old interviews has revealed how his ancestral home in Peshawar was always special to him. On a visit to Pakistan, years after the India-Pakistan partition, Dilip Kumar reportedly fell to his feet and kissed the floor of this childhood home. He also remembered how he used to play and mingle with other friends and family at his home.

2) Joining Bollywood.

Dilip Kumar debuted in Hindi Cinema with the movie Jwar Bhata in 1944. After a string of failures in Indian Cinema, he gained popularity with his film Jugnu in 1947 alongside Noor Jehan which was also his first box office success. He became even popular with films like Shaheed and Mela in 1948.

3) Receiving the title “The Tragedy King”.

1950s was completely a decade meant for Dilip Kumar in Hindi Cinema. His films such as Deedar, Hulchul, Naya Daur, Devdas, Paigham, Madhumati established his image as “Tragedy King” as these films has a tragic or mournful plot. Dilip Kumar also suffered from depression due to portraying many tragic roles and as a result his psychiatrist suggested him to take up light roles as well.

4) Honours and Recognitions

Dilip Kumar has received several awards and recognitions in his life. He received Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan, the third highest and second highest civilian honours of India in the years 1994 and 2015 respectively. He also received Nishan-e-Imtiaz, the highest civilian honour of Pakistan in 1998. He’s the one of the few actors with highest number of Filmfare awards with about 8 Filmfare awards. He also received Dada Saheb Phalke award in 1994.

Although Mr. Dilip Kumar passed away leaving all of us with a heavy heart, he’ll forever remain immortal in all hearts. Very few have been able to achieve what he has achieved in his life and that’s what we should be remembering always!