Peshawar: Legendary Indian actor Dilip Kumar’s 99th birth anniversary was celebrated in his city of birth here in Pakistan. The provincial Cultural Heritage Council arranged ing a grand function to dust up some nostalgia about Dilip Kumar. It also paid glowing tributes in loving memory of the late thespian. Blessed with a unique ability to underplay emotions, Kumar was credited to have brought method acting to Indian cinema.
The superstar passed away July 7 this year after a battle with prolonged illness. He was survived by wife Saira Bano.
Dilip Kumar was born December 11 in 1922 as Yousuf Khan at Mohallah Khudadad near the fabled Qissa Khwani bazaar of the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He spent 12 years of his childhood here before migrating to India. He was rechristened as Dilip Kumar and became a legendary actor in the Hindi film industry.
Participants of the function Saturday, organised by the council at Peshawar Press Club, paid glowing tributes to the phenomenal career of Kumar. They also praised the achievements of some of the other legendary actors such as the late Raj Kapoor, who was also born in this city.
Secretary, Cultural Heritage Council, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Shakeel Waheedullah, Central Secretary of Communist Party Pakistan Imdadullah Qazi, Provincial Secretariat Mazdoor Kissan Party Pakistan Abdul Mehmood, and Tariq Khattak were some of the speakers on the occasion.
Kumar’s century-old ancestral house is situated in the fabled Qissa Khwani Bazar. It was declared a national heritage in 2014 by the then Nawaz Sharif government. The actor had always held the city of Peshawar close to his heart and would reminisce about his childhood memories.
The speakers also used the platform to shun hatred and foster peace between India and Pakistan. “Shunning hatred and promoting brotherhood between the two countries is our sole objective,” they said.
In 1998, the Pakistan government honoured Kumar with the ‘Nishan-e-Imtiaz’ – the country’s highest civilian award. He was often known as the Nehruvian hero. Kumar did his first film Jwar Bhata in 1944 and his last Qila in 1998, 54 years later. The five-decade career included hits like Mughal-e-Azam, Devdas, Naya Daur and Ram Aur Shyam. Later he graduated to character roles and acted in movies like Shakti and Karma.