Tapan Sinha (Bengali: তপন সিন্‌হা), (2 October 1924 – 15 January 2009) was a Indian film director. He was arguably the most uncompromising filmmaker outside the orbit of Parallel Cinema.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life and background[link]

Sinha was born in Kolkata, [West Bengal]. He studied physics at the University of Patna and later earned an MSc at the University of Calcutta.^[1]

He married Indian actress Arundhati Devi. Their son is Indian scientist Professor, Anindya Sinha. On 15 January 2009, he died of pneumonia and septicaemia.^[2]

Career[link]

Tapan Sinha went to London in 1950s to learn film-making. On reaching London, he contacted CryHearsth, Manager of Pinewood Studios. Through his help, he managed to obtain his first assignment. He got to work in director Charles Cryton's unit as a Sound Engineer. Cryton, who made some British comedies like Lavender Hill Mob etc. was then working for a film called The Hunted.

Though he was primarily based in the Bengali film industry, Sinha also made films in different languages like Hindi and Oriya.

His films have also won laurels in International Film Festivals of Berlin, Venice, London, Moscow, San Francisco, Locarno, Cork Festival in Ireland, Kampuchea and Seoul. He has also served as a member of the jury in film festivals at Tashkent and San Francisco among others.

Charles Dickens's novel, A Tale of Two Cities and the cinematic adaptation featuring Ronald Colman inspired Sinha to get involved in film-making. Sinha started as a sound recording engineer and gradually shifted to directing.

In his youth, Sinha was greatly influenced by contemporary American and British Cinema. Among his favorite directors were John Ford, Carol Reed, and Billy Wilder. He used to think that he had to make films on the lines of his favorites. Rabindranath Tagore's work had been a great source of inspiration to him as well. Different Tagore works had special significance to him in various moments of his life. No individual has ever influenced him on a personal level. But his strong and profound belief in God has been a constant source of inspiration.

Sinha's first film, Ankush, is based on the Narayan Ganguly story Sainik, which had an elephant as the central character. His next Uphaar featured Uttam Kumar, Manju Dey and others. His Aadhar Periye featured Madhabi Mukherjee, Subhendu Chaterji, Sumitra Mukherjee, Anil Chaterji, Nirmal Kumar, Subrota Chaterji, Bikash Roy, Kalyan Chaterji, Chinmoy Roy and others. It was is based on a story by Chittaranjan Maity. Sinha's Hatey Bazare is based on an autobiographical story by Banophool. Ashok Kumar and Vyjantimala Bali are the central performers.

Sinha's Ek Je Chilo Desh is a fantasy film, based on a story by Sankar. It concerns a mad scientist who discovers a drug that can reveal an individual's dishonest past. Evil traders and politicians whose lives are endangered by these discoveries conspire to kill the scientist. The cast features Dipankar De, Sumitra Mukherji, Kali Banerji, Anil Chaterji and others.

Sinha's Louho Kopat is based on the story of the Bengali writer Jorasanho. The film stars Kamal Mitra, Nirmal Kumar as the jailer and Anil Chaterji in a character role. Sabuj Deeper Raja is a children's film, shot in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It is based on a story by Sunil Ganguly. Sinha's Hansuli Banker Upakatha is based on a story by Tara Shankar Banerji and stars Lily Chakravorty.

Kabuliwallah is based on a story by Rabindranath Tagore. Kabullliwallah (Chabi Biswas) who is dreaded by children turns out to love children. The actors include Radhamohan Bhattacharji, Kali Banerji and Manju De. Tinku Thakur plays the role of the small girl in the film, and Jiban Bose has a role as well as a jailer, who has good faith in the Kabulliwallah. Rabindrasangeet Khoro Bayu Boy Bege Chari Dik Chaye Meghe is used in the film. The film portrays Sinha's personality, a child at heart. The same trait is reflected in films like Galpo Hollo Satti, Harm and Safed Hathi.

Kabulliwallah (1956) was subsequently remade in Hindi by Bimal Roy and directed by Heman Gupta, featuring Balraj Sahani. Oerdellin was cast as the child lead. The film won the Music Award and the Silver Bear at the 7th Berlin International Film Festival.^[3]

Sinha made a few documentaries, including a biographical film on scientist Jagadish Bose. He also used Rabindrasangeet in other films. The Rabindrasangeet Keno Choker Jole Bijeye Dile Na, Sukhno Dulo Joto is used in his film Ekhoni. The film featured Swaroop Dutta, Aparna Sen, Moushumi Chaterji, Nirmal Kumar, Chinmoy Roy, Padda Devi, Subhendu Chaterji, N.Vishwanathan and others. The film was based on a novel by Ramapada Choudhury.

Khoniker Atithe features Nirmal Kumar, Ruma Guha Thakurta, Anil Chaterji, Tulsi Lahiri, Radhamohan Bhattacharjee and others. The film is based on a story of Tagore.

Sinha's Arohi features actors like Kali Banerji, Bikash Roy, Sipra and Bhanu Banerji. This was remade in Hindi by Hrishikesh Mukherji as Arjun Pandit.Arohi was based on a story by Banophool. Safed Hathi, a children's film made in Hindi, features Shatrughan Sinha and Mala Jaggi, and also stars Gayatri. Kalyan Chaterji essayed a cameo role as a postman. The story was written by Sinha himself.

Sinha's Zindagi Zindagi is a Hindi film with Sunil Dutt and Waheeda Rehman. It fared badly, possibly because the narration was too subtle for Hindi audiences.^{[citation needed]}. Atithe may be based on the life of Rabindranath Tagore and featured Partha Mukherjee, Smita Sinha and Ajitesh Banerji. Tonsil is a comedy film, in which Madhabi Mukherjee made her debut.

His Jhinder Bandi is based on a story by Saradindu Bandyopadhyay, the well-known crime fiction writer in Bengali literature. The actors include Uttam Kumar, Sandhya Roy, Soumitro Chaterji, Radhamohan Bhattacharji, Tarun Kumar, Dilip Roy and Arundhuti Mukherji. The first film in which Uttam and Soumitra starred together was Sinha's Jhinder Bandi in which Soumitra was, for the first time, cast as the villain. He had worked in barely a handful of films until then, aside from starting off as the struggling Apu buffeted by waves of tragedy. The film was a success, and yet did not typecast Soumitra with the permanent mark of a villain, as it might have been apt to do with other actors.^{[citation needed]}

Sinha's Sagina Mahato might be categorized as a political film, although human drama and relationship lie at the heart of this magnum opus.^{[citation needed]} Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu play the central characters. Anil Chaterji also has a supporting role. The Hindi version of the film, named "Sagina", also stars Dilp Kumar as the central character.

Sinha's Kalamati was the first film to deal with life in creches in coalmine areas. Made in 1957, it was much ahead of its time. Anil Chaterji has a role in the film. Raja stars Debraj Ray, Samit Bhanja, Arati Bhattacharji, Mahua Roy Choudhury, Anil Chaterji, Santu Mukherji and others.

Apanjan is a story of unemployed youths, starring Swaroop Dutta and Samit Bhanja. This early film focuses on a movement similar to Naxalism in later days. Apanjan was remade in Hindi by Gulzar as Mere Apne. The film also features Chaya Devi, Rabi Ghosh, Bhanu Banerji, Kalyan Chaterji, Partha Mukherjee, Nirmal Kumar and others.

'Aaj Ka Robinhood, a children's film funded partly by the government and a producer, Jalan, has been screened at twelve International Film Festivals, including Tashkent, Berlin, and Sofia. The film has a running time of 80 minutes. Dubbed in English, it has the English title Return of Robin Hood. In this 1987 film, Sinha returned to the world of children and filmed in Hindi.

Nirjan Saikate has performers like Anil Chaterji, Sharmila Tagore, Chaya Devi, Ruma Guha Thakurta, Bharati, Renuka, Robi Ghosh, Pahari Sanyal, Nabadip Haldar and Jahar Ganguly. It is the story of five widows, was based on a story by Kalkut (pen-name of Samaresh Basu). In an interview, Tapan Sinha said "He believes that widows have a right to get married. Great social reformers like Vidyasagar and Vivekananda strove ceaselessly to bring about this practice."^{[citation needed]} Harmonium features Durgadas Banerji, Anil Chaterji, Satya Banerji, Arati Bhattacharji, Swaroop Dutta, Kali Banerji, Samit Bhanja, and Chaya Devi.

Bancharamer Bagan includes a performance by Manoj Mitra as an old gardener. Chaplinesque in its approach, the film depicts the tragedy of a small man in this big world. In Khudito Pasan, Dilip Roy gives a performance as a moghul king. This film, based on a story by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, also stars Soumitra Chaterji.

Sinha's Jatugriho (Uttam and Arundhuti Devi) is a fascinating film drawn from everyday life, specifically what happens when two individuals (Uttam & Arundhuti) meet, quite unexpectedly, on a train, after a long gap in which they have not seen one another. The subject of marital discord has rarely been dealt with more finesse in Indian films.

Golpo Holo Satti is a satirical film on how a heaven-sent servant (played by Robi Ghosh) brings order and peace to a quarreling disorganised family. Bhanu Banerji and some lesser-known actors (with the exceptions of Bharati and Chaya Devi) comprise the cast. This was remade in Hindi by Hrishikesh Mukherji as Bawarchi, with Rajesh Khanna in the lead role.

Atanka is based on a true story about a teacher who witnessed a murder, and his subsequent harassment and torture and harassment by the group of hoodlums who committed the crime. Soumitro, Satabdi and Prasenjit are the central performers, along with Nirmal Kumar and Manoj Mitra. Nimu Bhowmick and Bhishnu Guha Thakurtha play the villains. Anil Chaterji has a role as one of the teacher's wellwishers.

Aadmi Aur Aurat is based on a story by Prafulla Roy. Amol Palekar and Mahua Roy Choudhury act in this piece. Sinha's telefilm Aadmi Aur Aurat was remade in Bengali as Manush (starring Samit Bhanja and Devika Mukherjee) by the director himself. Sinha made another telefilm Didi with Deepti Naval as the central character.

Sinha's Ek Doctor Ki Maut was based on "Abhimanyu," a story by Ramapada Choudhury. Ek Doctor Ki Maut has Shabana Azmi, Pankaj Kapoor, Irfan Khan and Anil Chaterji in the cast. In Ek Doctor Ki Maut there is a touch reminiscent of Ibsen. Dipankar Roy invents a vaccine for leprosy, but the entire community turns against him. In this work, Sinha examines the way society responds to talent. "I based this story on the suicide of a young scientist in Delhi" said the director.^{[citation needed]} Vijeyandra Ghatge, Vasant Choudhury and Deepa Sahi have cameos in the film. "Talent is subject to ridicule. The more you excel the more number of enemies you seem to have: Why this animosity towards Excellence?" Ek Doctor Ki Maut won the Rajat Kamal for the second best feature film of the year, besides earning Sinha the Best Director Award.

Sinha's Wheelchair has a cast of Soumitro Chaterji, Laboni Sarkar, Arjun Chakravorty and Ruma Guha Thakurta. Sarkar gives a performance as a handicapped character who uses a wheelchair. The film was based on a story by the director himself, although it was inspired by the life of a crusading doctor. Wheelchair is about a young woman who is molested late one evening in jer office. While fighting off the three men, she sustains injuries and is bedridden for a while. She is fortunate enough, however, to receive proper medical care and also emotional support, and in the end, she can look forward to a better life.

Adalat O Ekti Mey (Bengali/1981) features Tanuja, Biplab Chaterji and Manoj Mitra. The film departs from Sinha's usual style. Urmila (Tanuja), a young teacher on a holiday, is raped by a gang of wealthy young men. The culprits are arrested, but Urmila is shunned by her friends, fiancé and even parents. She is an outcast like Dr. Roy in Ek Doctor Ki Maut. The difference is that while Urmila is ostracized through no fault of her own, Roy faces social wrath because of his talent.

Sinha's Antardhaan stars Soumitro Chaterji, Madhabi, Manoj Mitra, Sabyasachi Chakravorty, Satabdi Roy, Riku Dutta, Bhisma Guha Thakurtha, Ramen Roy Choudhury, Nirmal Chakravorty, and Arjun Chakravorty. It deals with the disappearance of a girl and her lover and is based on a story by Dibyendu Palit. Sinha feels that some fictionalization of a real-life incident, or even a newspaper report from which the source of the original story is supposed to be derived, is necessary for cinematic dramatization. Riku Dutta, a newcomer to films who is regularly seen in television serials, was excited to act in this film of Sinha who, she says, is the mentor of many new artistes.^{[citation needed]}

In the series of films that Sinha made in the last eight years of his life, a trusting and idealistic man, assailed by unfortunate circumstances or hostile and scheming persons, stands out as an example of indomitable individualism. "I have always believed in individual courage and effort. I think, collective system or life hardly allows an individual to discover the infinite strength within him. I like the individual who has the courage to face any untoward situation, which is why I have shown an individual as a relentless fighter against all hazards in Aadmi Aur Aurat, Atanka and Ek Doctor Ki Maut. My protagonists in these films have practically done miracles by their own strength and self-confidence. In Antardhaan also, the Professor takes up the job of finding out his missing daughter. He depends only on himself and on none else, sais the Director.^{[citation needed]}

Boiduryo Rahasya was a detective film. Manoj Mitra, Bhishma Guha Thakurtha, Tapas Pal, Alpana Goswami, Moonmoon Sen and Premansu Bose with Basant Choudhury form the cast. Sinha presented five hit films in succession: Kshudita Pasan, Kabuliwallah, Hatey Bazare, Apanjan and Ekhani. This created a record that is thus far unsurpassed^{[citation needed]}

Sinha's 5 part feature film Daughter of this Century marked a new beginning in Indian Cinema. Starring Shabana Azmi, Jaya Bachchan, Nandita Das, Deepa Sahi, and Sulabha Deshpande in central roles, the film was produced by Shunya Communications under the tutelage of Sesh Nath Banerjee and Mohan Das. The film was based on storied by noted writers over a span of century that highlighted the negligence and indifference towards the women folk of our country. Starting with a Rabindranath Tagore's "Jibito o Mrito", it also incorporated stories of other notable Bengali writers like Sarat Chandra Chaterji, Gour Kishore Ghosh, Prafulla Sen and Dibyendu Palit. Five actress played the central roles and were supported by the who's who of Tollygunge that included Jeet, Debashree Roy, Arjun Chakraborty, Rita Koyral, Amit Banerjee, Papia Sen and many others. The director wanted to convey the message that in spite of tremendous scientific advancements, attitudes towards women have not changed much in the span of a century.

Raja Sen's documentary on Tapan Sinha is entitled Filmmaker for Freedom. Sinha made a detective TV serial Hutumer Naksa, casting Soumitra Chaterji, Manoj Mitra, Dhiman Chakravorty, Robi Ghosh and others.

Sinha's wife, filmmaker Arundhuti Devi, died in 1990.

Aajab Gayer Aajab Katha is based on a novelette by eminent Bengali writer Shirsendu Mukhopadhay. This film, in Sinha's own words "is a semi-fantasy designed for all, including children." Aajab Gayer Aajab Katha "is a strange story of a strange village." The message is, it is necessary to have a community drive to get anything done in today's society. "We must not look at the Government for everything," says the Director. "In the west and also in the far east, there is a system of community initiatives. I believe, we should have this same kind of approach too." He adds, "According to this story, a person has to prepare himself to confront any adversary."^{[citation needed]} The cast of Aajab Gayer includes Debasree Roy starring as a light-hearted village girl. "Debasree has not done such a role before and I found her absolutely suitable for it," said the director.^{[citation needed]} She is the only female character in the film, which also brought a new face, Debesh Roy Choudhury, to the big screen. His role requires him to do a lot of "physical labor, including sprinting." The rest of the cast includes Soumitra Chaterji, Manoj Mitra, Nirmal Kumar, and Bibhas Chakravorty. Ten days of shooting were done at Falta, on the banks of the Ganga, starting on 7 December 1997. The following month, some shots were taken in a village house.^{[citation needed]}

Sinha's final venture, the children's filme Anokha Moti, was incomplete. The film features Arjun Chakravorty, and is being made in Hindi.

Awards[link]

His works have won 19 National Film Awards in various categories.

• Kabuliwala (1956), based on a story by Rabindranath Tagore, won the Music Award and the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.^[3]
• Ek Doctor Ki Maut(Death of a Doctor)(1991), won National Award for Second Best Film, Best Director, 1991/ Special Jury Award for Best Actor, 1991/ BFJA Awards - Best Film, Best Director, 1991/ 37th Film Fare Award for Best Screenplay, 1991/ Red Cross Film Festival, Sofia (Bulgaria), 1991
• He was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2008 for his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema on 21 July 2008.

Filmography[link]

• Ankush (1954)
• Upahaar (1955)
• Tonsil (1956)
• Kabuliwala (1957)
• Lauha Kapat (1958)
• Kala Mati (1958)
• Khaniker Atithi (1959)
• Khudhito Pashan (1960)
• Jhinder Bandi (1961)
• Hansuli Banker Upakatha (1962)
• Nirjan Saikate (1963)
• Jatugriha (1964)
• Arohi (1964)
• Atithi (1965)
• Galpo Holeo Satti (1966)
• Hatey Bazarey (1967)
• Aapan Jon (1968)
• Sagina Mahato (1970)
• Sasina (1970)
• Ekhani (1971)
• Zindagi Zindagi (1972)
• Aandhar Periye (1973)
• Raja (1975)
• Harmonium (1976)
• Ek Je Chhilo Desh (1977)
• Safed Haathi (1978)
• Sabuj Dwiper Raja (1979)
• Banchharamer- Bagan (1980)
• Adalat O Ekti Meye (1982)
• Admi Aur Aurat (1982)
• Manush (1983)
• Didi (1984)
• Baidurya Rahasya (1985)
• Atanka (1986)
• Aaj Ka Rabinhood (1987)
• Ek Doctor Ki Maut (1991)
• Antardhaan (1992)
• Wheel Chair (1994)
• Daughters of This Century (1999)
• Hutumer Naksha
• Ajab Gaanyer Ajab Katha (1999)
• Anokha Moti (2000)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Tapan Sinha at the Internet Movie Database
• Tapan Sinha: Saluting The Indomitable Human Spirit
• The Films of Tapan Sinha
• Tapan Sinha at calcuttaweb.com
• Tapan Sinha passes away

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (June 2011)

Deepti Naval
Deepti Naval at the special screening of her film Memories in March (2011)
Born	(1957-02-03) February 3, 1957 (age 55) Amritsar, India
Other names	Dipti Naval
Occupation	Film actor, director
Years active	1979 - present
Spouse	Prakash Jha 1985 - 2002
Website
http://www.deeptinaval.com/

Deepti Naval (born 3 February 1957) is an acclaimed Indian American actress who has worked in over 70 Hindi films. She has most often worked in arthouse and independent films, known as parallel cinema in India. She has also acted and directed Television serials. Apart from acting, Naval is also an artist who holds exhibitions of her photographs and paintings. She is best known for her acting in films like Chashme Baddoor (1981), Mirch Masala (1985), and more recently, Leela (2002) and Freaky Chakra (2003).

Early life[link]

Deepti Naval was born on 3 February 1957^[1] in Amritsar, Punjab, India. She went to the City University of New York and received her Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts at Hunter College in Manhattan.^[1]

Career[link]

Naval started her film career by playing a supporting role in 1977 film Jallian Wala Bagh. She also did a role in Shyam Benegal's 1978 film Junoon. Later in 1980 she worked in Ek Baar Phir as the main lead actress. She is known to be a sensitive actress and was a part of the art films and light films of the 80's. Saath Saath, Chashme Buddoor and Mirch Masala are some of her films from the era. She was often cast with Farooq Shaikh. Though considered as talented as Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil she somehow did not achieve the same stature in terms of awards or memorable casts.

Once she moved out of lead roles, she portrayed character roles in mainstream Hindi films but was not satisfied with the roles she got and took a break. Of late she has made a comeback of sorts with films like Bawandar and Freaky Chakra.

In April Naval was recognized as the 2007 Tribute Honoree of the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles.

She is directing her first film as a director in Do Paise Ki Dhoop, Chaar Aane Ki Baarish which stars Manisha Koirala.

She published a collection of her Hindi poems in 1981, entitled 'LAMHA LAMHA'

She also starred in the critically acclaimed Punjabi film Marhi Da Diva (1989).

She is back in acting with a daily soap Mukti Bandhan in colors.

Personal life[link]

Deepti Naval was at one time married to filmmaker and director Prakash Jha with whom she has an adopted daughter Disha.^[2] Naval was also once involved with actor Nana Patekar, and later engaged to Vinod Pandit before he died.^[3]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Deepti Naval's own website
• Deepti Naval - Deepti Naval Biography, Books,Works, Blog, Interview

Dilip Kumar
Dilip Kumar in 2006.
Born	Yusuf Khan (1922-12-11) December 11, 1922 (age 89) Peshawar, North-West Frontier Province, British India
Residence	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Other names	Dilip Sahaab
Occupation	Actor, Producer, Director, Politician
Years active	1944–1998 (retired)
Religion	Islam
Spouse	Saira Banu (1966-present)
Signature

Dilip Kumar, born Muhammad Yusuf Khan on 11 December 1922, is an Indian actor and a former Member of Parliament. He is commonly known as "Tragedy King",^[1] and is described as "the ultimate method actor" by Satyajit Ray.^[2]

Starting his career with Jwar Bhata in 1944, Kumar's career has spanned five decades and over 60 films. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest actors in the history of Hindi cinema.^[3][4][5] Kumar was the first actor to receive a Filmfare Best Actor Award and holds the record for the most number of Filmfare Awards won for that category with Shahrukh Khan; eight wins.^[6] He starred in films of a variety of genres such as the romantic Andaz (1949), the swashbuckling Aan (1952), the dramatic Devdas (1955), the comical Azaad (1955), the historical Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and the social Ganga Jamuna (1961).

In 1976, Kumar took a five-year break from film performances. In 1981, he returned with a character role in the film Kranti and continued his career playing central character roles in films such as Shakti (1982), Karma (1986) and Saudagar (1991). His last film was Qila in 1998. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 1991 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1994 for his contributions towards Indian cinema. Dilip Kumar has acted with actress Vyjayanthimala the most, where they both had acted seven films together including the former's home production Gunga Jumna resulting great on-screen chemistry and alleged affair between them.^[7][8]

Early life[link]

Dilip Kumar was born as Muhammad Yusuf Khan on 11 December 1922,^[9] in Peshawar, British India (now in Pakistan). He was born to a Hindko speaking Peshawari family. His father, Lala Ghulam Sarwar, was a fruit merchant who owned orchards in Peshawar and Nashik in Maharashtra, India. The family relocated to Bombay (now Mumbai) in the late 1920s. Dilip Kumar started working as a canteen supplier in Pune circa 1940.^[10]

In 1943, actress Devika Rani, and her second husband Svetoslav Roerich spotted Khan in Aundh military canteens, Pune.^[10] and helped Khan's entry into the Bollywood film industry. Hindi author Bhagwati Charan Varma gave him the screen name Dilip Kumar and offered him the leading role in his film Jwar Bhata (1944).

Career[link]

His first film with Nisar Bhai and Hamed Bhai Jwar Bhata was released in 1944 which went unnoticed. His first major hit was the 1947 film Jugnu. He went onto appear in many hit films including Mela (1948), Andaz (1949), Deedar (1951), Devdas (1955), Yahudi (1958) and Madhumati (1958). These films established his screen image as the "Tragedy King".^[11] Together with Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand he was the biggest star in Bollywood in the 1950s. He starred alongside Raj Kapoor in Andaz (1949) and Dev Anand in Insaniyat (1955). He formed popular on-screen pairings with many of the top actresses at the time including Nargis, Kamini Kaushal, Meena Kumari, Madhubala and Vyjanthimala.

Depressed after playing many tragic roles his psychiatrist suggested he take on ligher roles which he played in films such as Aan (1952), Azaad (1955) and Kohinoor (1960).^[12] In 1960 he portrayed Prince Salim in the historical film Mughal-e-Azam which as of 2008 was the second highest grossing film in Hindi film history.^[13]

In 1961 he produced and starred in Ganga Jamuna in which he and his real-life brother Nasir Khan played the title roles. This was the only film he produced. In 1962 British director David Lean offered him the role of Sherif Ali in his 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia, but Kumar declined the part.^[14] The role eventually went to Omar Sharif, the Egyptian actor. His next film Leader (1964) was below average at the box office.^[15] In 1967 Dilip Kumar played a dual role of twins separated at birth in the hit film Ram Aur Shyam. His career slumped in the 1970s with films like Dastaan (1970) and Bairaag (1976), the latter in which he played triple roles failing at the box office.^[16][17] He took a five year hiatus from films from 1976 to 1981.^[10]

In 1981 he returned with the multi-starrer Kranti which was the biggest hit of the year.^[18] He went onto play character roles in hit films including Shakti (1982), Vidhaata (1982), Mashaal (1984) and Karma (1986).^[18] In 1991 he starred alongside veteran actor Raaj Kumar in Saudagar which was his last successful film.^[19] In 1993 he won the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1996 he was attached to make his directorial debut with a film titled Kalinga but the film was shelved. In 1998 he made his last film appearance in the unsuccessful film Qila where once again he played dual roles as an evil landowner and his twin brother investigating his death. His films Mughal-e-Azam and Naya Daur were fully colorized and re-released in 2004 and 2008 respectively.

Films refused[link]

Dilip Kumar was very choosy, and turned down lead roles in many films which eventually were released to great box office success, including Lawrence of Arabia, Pyaasa, The Rains Came and Sangam.

Voices[link]

During his Bollywood career, Dilip Kumar was most often voiced by Mohammed Rafi. Others who provided his voice were:

• Talat Mahmood
• Mukesh (until 1958), who was also the main voice of Kumar's competitor Raj Kapoor.
• Kishore Kumar was chosen to playback the song "Saala Main To Saab Bangaya" for the film Sagina(1974).

Public life[link]

Kumar has been active in efforts to bring the people of India and Pakistan closer together. He has been a member of the upper house of Parliament since 2000.^[10]

He was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1994. In 1998 he was awarded the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, the highest civilian award conferred by the government of Pakistan. He is the second Indian to receive the award. At the time of the Kargil War, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray demanded Kumar return his Nishan-e-Imtiaz, arguing that "He must return Nishan-e-Imtiaz following that country's blatant aggression on Indian soil."^[20] Kumar refused, saying:

"This award was given to me for the humane activities to which I have dedicated myself. I have worked for the poor, I have worked for many years to bridge the cultural and communal gaps between India and Pakistan. Politics and religion have created these boundaries. I have striven to bring the two people together in whatever way I could. Tell me, what does any of this have to do with the Kargil conflict?"^[21]

Personal life[link]

Kumar married actress and beauty queen Saira Banu in year 1966 when he was aged 44 and she was 22. Dilip Kumar secretly married a pakistani woman Asma in the early eighties but divorced her when Saira Banu refused to accept the marriage^[22]. His brothers are Nasir Khan, Ehsan Khan and Aslam Khan.^[23] Kumar's younger brother Nasir Khan was also an actor and appeared opposite him in Ganga Jamuna (1961) and Bairaag (1976).

Dilip Kumar on Twitter[link]

Around September 10, 2011 it surfaced that the health of Dilip Kumar is worsening. Some incredible tweets even mistakenly spread news of his death.^[24] Later Dilip Kumar's wife Saira Banu, made a public statement that the actor is good in health and in high spirits. Finally, Dilip Kumar launched his Twitter account. His first tweet was on his 89th Birthday on 11 Dec. 2011. His tweets are eloquent and inspirational.

Legacy and awards[link]

Dilip Kumar is widely considered to be one of the greatest actors in the history of Hindi cinema.^[3][4][5] Kumar holds the Guinness World Record for having won the maximum number of awards by an Indian actor.^[25] He has received many awards throughout his career, including 8 Filmfare Best Actor awards and 19 nominations.^[26] He was honoured with the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993.^[27] The Government of India honoured him with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1994^[21] — the highest award for cinematic excellence in India. In 1980, he was appointed Sheriff of Mumbai, an honorary position. In 1991, he was awarded Padma Bhushan from the Government of India.^[28] In 1997, Kumar was awarded, Nishan-e-Imtiaz, a high civilian award conferred by the Government of Pakistan.

He received in 1997 the NTR National Award. He was also awarded CNN-IBN Indian of the Year - Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009. From some years large section of his fan and people in general are demanding Bharat Ratna for Kumar.

Filmography[link]

References[link]