Yusuf Sarwar Khan aka Dilip Kumar; Thespian, Tragedy King, legends of legends, the
greatest method actor, the film institute are only some of the names of an
actor who have inspired many generations of actors. Satyajit Ray described him
as the ultimate method actor in the entire world. He truly is.

Dilip Kumar is compared with the
greatest actor in the world Marlon Brando. Many believe that he copies the
acting style of Marlon Brando. But that is not true. Marlon Brando came later in
the picture as far as method acting was considered. Marlon Brando’s unique style of acting
was noticed in the movie Streetcar Named
Desire, a role that he originated successfully on Broadway
in 1951. Dilip Kumar’s acting style came earlier than that. He had already
established by then the acting style he is known for. He had already left an
imprint with the movies like Jugnu ( 1947, Mela and Shaheed in 1948 and Andaz
in 1949. So to label him as a copy of Marlon Brando is factually wrong and
grossly erroneous. On the contrary, it is true that Marlon was inspired by
Dilip Kumar.

Dilip Kumar worked very hard to gain a reputation
and mastered the unparalleled portrayal of characters and emotions labelling
him as the tragedy king of Bollywood.  His standstill acting methods tell
thousands of stories. Dilip Kumar produced an eloquent silence. Dilip Kumar
became a legend because he was able to do justice to the character he
played. Dilip Kumar said that “you have to completely divorce your own
personality to become the one you are portraying”. It needs sincere efforts, a
lot of hard work, honesty, conviction and integrity. Dilip Kumar acquired all
those qualities to achieve unparalleled stardom.  When he plays the
drunkard, he becomes like the one and he portrays the romantic lover, he
behaves like the one as if he is the only one.

Dilip Kumar performed all sorts of roles but his
tragic roles have captivated the world. Such was his conviction for the roles
that he was not able to come out of the character he portrayed even months
after finishing the role. He was natural. Such close proximity to the real
character had taken a toll on his mental health. On the advice of Raj Kapoor,
he visited a psychiatrist who suggested he work in lighter movies. He
abided by the advice of the psychiatrist and worked in lighter movies like
Kohinoor,  Ram aur Shyam, Ganga Jamuna, Azaad,

Kohinoor had that marvellous mirror scene. There was
a wacky comedy achiev­ed by a confirmed tragedian. Jeevan and he played it with
deft timing. The mirror has slipped down from a dress­ing table, revealing the
hero who had to hide behind the table after being interrupt­ed right in the middle
of a romantic interlude with Meena Kumari. The same scene was copied by Amitabh
Bachchan in Amar Akbar Anthony.

Dilip Kumar is an enigma for all others who
followed him. Dilip influenced and created the clones like Rajinder Kumar,
Manoj Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh khan etc and influenced all others.
 Dilip Kumar gave sleep nights to the legends with him. Naseeruddin Had to
perform many retakes in Karma because he was getting nervous before Dilip Kumar
in Karma and so was Amitabh Bachchan before the making of Shakti. H

Some of the quotes from film actors on Dilip Kumar

“He has been an inspiration not just for me but I
am certain to thousands of those that have ever dreamt of facing a camera for
the art form called cinema. His presence, his aura and his dedication to film
shall be documented as ‘before Dilip Kumar and after Dilip Kumar’. Amitabh
Bachchan

We Are All Trying To Be Mini Dilip
Kumar but there is no one who can reach near him- The knowledge of Dilip Kumar
is unparalleled. Be it physics, history, literature or for that matter an
Apple. He said that the way Dilip sahib described the apple, he can’t describe
one-tenth of that even after getting facts. The way he mentioned an apple, he
felt like one…. Anupam Kher

When Dharmender was asked if he
had many followers. Whom did he follow? The question brought an eternal glow to
Dharmeder’s eyes. Saying that is only one and there could only one….Dilip
Kumar.

Lata Said that It was Dilip Kumar
who came to the rescue of her faulty pronunciation of Urdu. She recalled
how Dilip Sahab took a keen interest in rectifying the pronunciation and
intonation of the Urdu language after being reprimanded by Music composer Anil
Biswas.

Javeed Akhtar echoes the
sentiments of Satyajit Ray. Javed Akhtar once claimed that Dilip Kumar was the
first method actor in the world. According to Akhtar, he was doing method
acting much before Marlon Brando, the monarch of the method, redefined Hollywood
histrionics and even before the term itself was coined by a Russian acting
teacher.

 Dilip Kumar married actress and
“beauty queen” Saira Banu in 1966 when he was aged 44 and she was 22.
At the time, gossip columnists predicted doom for the high-profile couple, but
the union has been one of the longest-lasting marriages in Bollywood. Saira
Bhanu is still the strongest pillar Of Dilip Sahib’s life. When he is suffering
from Alzheimer’s, she cares for him like a mother.