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'Thespians don’t die': Pakistani leaders, fans mourn legendary actor Dilip Kumar

Fans of late Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar, who died today in Mumbai at the age of 98, gather outside Dilip's ancestral home in Peshawar, Pakistan, on July 7, 2021. (AFP)
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Updated 08 July 2021
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'Thespians don’t die': Pakistani leaders, fans mourn legendary actor Dilip Kumar

  • Pakistan-born Kumar is widely considered greatest actor in history of Hindi cinema
  • Pakistani PM mourns actor’s death, calls him "most versatile actor of his generation"
Updated 08 July 2021
Sabah Bano Malik

Rawalpindi: Pakistani leaders, celebrities and fans on Wednesday mourned the passing of Dilip Kumar, one of the greatest stars of the golden age of Indian cinema from the 1940s to the 1960s, who died in Mumbai aged 98. 
Kumar, who had a career spanning over 50 years and acted in nearly 60 films, was born Mohammed Yusuf Khan on December 11, 1922, in Peshawar in what was then United India, before independence from British rule and the creation of Pakistan. He was an actor, film producer and philanthropist, as widely revered in Pakistan as he was in India. 
Kumar is survived by his wife, Saira Banu, a top Bollywood leading lady in the 1960s and 1970s.
“With a heavy heart and profound grief, I announce the passing away of our beloved Dilip Saab, few minutes ago,” a family friend of Kumar’s, Faisal Farooqui, posted on the late actor’s official Twitter. “We are from God and to Him we return.”

Prime Minister Imran Khan wrote that he was “saddened” to learn of Kumar’s passing, calling him the “greatest and most versatile actor” of his generation. He also highlighted the actor’s efforts to help raise funds for Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital, the cancer hospital Khan founded in the 1990s. 
“I can never forget his generosity in giving his time to help raise funds for SKMTH when the project launched.”

President Dr. Arif Alvi also took to Twitter with a message of condolence: “An outstanding actor, a humble man, and a dignified personality.”

Kumar has been credited for bringing a distinct form of method acting and realism to Indian cinema and holds the record for the most Filmfare Award for Best Actor wins. He was also the inaugural recipient of the award.
The New York Times in its obituary called him “the last of a triumvirate of actors who ruled Hindi cinema in the 1950s and ‘60s.”
“In post-independence India, Mr. Kumar and two other stars set about defining the Hindi film hero,” the Times said. “Raj Kapoor reflected the newly minted Indian’s confusion: his signature role was that of the Chaplinesque naïf negotiating a world that was losing its innocence. Dev Anand, known as the Gregory Peck of India, embodied a Western insouciance that still lingered; he became a stylish matinee idol.”
Kumar delved deeply into his characters, “breaking free from the semaphoric silent-movie style of acting popularized by megastars like Sohrab Modi and Prithviraj Kapoor.”
As one of the country’s earliest method actors, he was often compared to Marlon Brando, another early adopter of the technique, even though Kumar credited himself with using the technique first.

Kumar received the Padma Bhushan, one of India’s highest civilian awards, in 1991, the Dadasaheb Phalke, India’s highest award for cinematic excellence, in 1994, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2015. From 2000 to 2006, he served as a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Parliament.
In 1998, the Pakistani government conferred on him their highest civilian honor, the Nishan-e-Imtiaz - the only Indian to get the award.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said Kumar was loved by millions of people across India, Pakistan and around the world: “Tragedy king will be missed always.”

“A man of all seasons. He will be mourned by millions in India, Pakistan and wherever Indian cinema is followed,” journalist Raza Rumi tweeted:

Ajmal Jami, a special correspondent and talk show host at top TV channel Dunya News, wrote that Kumar would live on in the hearts and memories of all people around the globe who were familiar with Bollywood:

Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi wrote, “A huge loss for Yousuf Khan sahib’s fans from KPK [Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan] to Mumbai and across the globe. He lives on in our hearts.”

Senator Faisal Jawad Khan shared a number of photos of Imran Khan and Kumar together and wrote: “Truly a legendary actor, humanitarian. His universal acting style inspired generations of actors.”

Pakistani actors also turned to social media to express their grief.

“Dilip sahib was an institution in himself. Legend would be an understatement. Thespians don’t die. They live on in their work,” actor Adnan Siddiqui wrote. 

Kubra Khan posted a classic black and white shot of the late actor with the words: “They’ll be one more star in the sky tonight.”

Actor Reema Khan shared images of her and Kumar and wrote” “Showbiz all around the world are in a state of shock on the sad demise of the greatest legendary figure. Venerable Dilip Kumar Sahib who will remain alive in the hearts of all the people.”

Kumar did his first film, “Jwar Bhata” in 1944, which tanked. His breakthrough role came in 1949, with “Andaz,” where he played a jilted lover who is caught in a triangle between the woman he loves and her husband.
That role catapulted him to stardom and was the beginning of a decade where he made a career of playing tragic roles.
Bimal Roy’s adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s seminal novel “Devdas” was the turning point in an already successful career, catapulting him to superstardom.
His role as the doomed lover in “Devdas,” earned Kumar the epithet of “tragedy king” — the man who embodied melancholy on screen.
“An institution has gone .. whenever the history of Indian Cinema will be written , it shall always be ‘before Dilip Kumar, and after Dilip Kumar,” legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan said on Twitter.

Kumar said he felt weighed down after years of playing tragic roles. In the late 1950’s, he made a conscious attempt to play more upbeat roles, acting in romantic films like “Madhumati,” “Aan” and “Naya Daur.”
In his later years, although the hits were harder to come by, Kumar retained his stature as India’s first marquee star — the man whose face on a poster was enough for audiences to throng the theaters.
“Dilip Kumar ji will be remembered as a cinematic legend. He was blessed with unparalleled brilliance, due to which audiences across generations were enthralled,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.

Topics: Pakistan India actor dilip kumar

FIFA appoints Pakistani lawmaker to its reforms committee— state media

Updated 4 sec ago
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FIFA appoints Pakistani lawmaker to its reforms committee— state media

  • Syeda Amnah Batool is the only Pakistani representative serving on various FIFA committees, says state media
  • Pakistan’s ties with FIFA have seen ups and downs, with the global body suspending Islamabad thrice in eight years
Updated 4 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani lawmaker Syeda Amnah Batool has been appointed to FIFA’s Institutional Reforms Committee, making her the sole representative from her country on various committees of the global football body, state media reported on Thursday. 

FIFA’s reforms committee determines how the global football body is governed, operates and interacts with member associations and other football stakeholders. 

Syeda Amnah Batool is a member of Pakistan’s National Assembly from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party. She also serves as focal person to the Prime Minister’s Youth Program.

“The appointment marks a significant achievement for Pakistan in both the sporting and diplomatic spheres, as Syeda Amna Batool becomes the sole Pakistani representative currently serving on various FIFA committees,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan said in a report.

APP said Batool’s appointment reflects FIFA’s renewed confidence in Pakistan’s institutional direction and its constructive role in global football governance.

The development takes place after FIFA Senior Vice President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa’s three-day visit to Pakistan last month. The FIFA official discussed the development of football infrastructure with Pakistani football executives and government officials during his trip.

Pakistan’s relations with FIFA have improved recently, with the global body suspending Pakistan as a member three times over the past eight months. It last suspended Pakistan in February this year after the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) rejected its electoral reforms. 

FIFA lifted the suspension a month later in March when the PFF unanimously approved FIFA’s proposed constitutional amendments in an extraordinary meeting. 

Football has long been popular among Pakistan’s youth but in recent years participation has grown at the grassroots level amid rising interest in international leagues.

Local tournaments, school competitions, and community clubs across major cities have further fueled enthusiasm for the sport.
 

Topics: FIFA FIFA and Pakistan Syeda Amnah Batool

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