Devdas (1955)

Dilip Kumar immortalized the diehard lover in and as ‘Devdas’ in the adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s novel Devdas. Kumar became an overnight sensation and an iconic figure with his performance that is beyond description. Shah Rukh Khan too took a leaf from Kumar’s book while essaying the role of Devdas in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s adaptation of the same novel.

Naya Daur (1957)

As Shankar in ‘Naya Daur’, Dilip Kumar comes across as an inspiration to many. He plays a tongawala who dares the landlords for introducing bus services in the village and depriving many of their livelihood. Kumar makes a million hearts skip a beat in the film with his fine performance that will remain etched in the minds of the viewers for years to come.

Madhumati (1958)

Dilip Kumar pulled of yet another stunning performance in ‘Madhumati’ where he plays Devender, an engineer, who finds himself in a rendezvous with his past life. The roles played by Kumar were very challenging and filmmaker Bimal Roy deserves applause for coming up with a brilliant script. Kumar was as always brilliant and none could have done justice to the film but him.

Mughl-e-Azam (1960)

As prince Salim, Dilip Kumar stole a million hearts. He epitomised a passionate lover, who had least inhibitions accepting his love for an ordinary woman. His on screen pairing with his Madhubala (Anarkali) was magical. The two looked like a match made in the heaven. Kumar’s performance in the film was matchless. With little dialogues to mouth, Kumar proved his metal as a fine artiste purely on the merit of his subtle expressions.

Leader (1964)

It is believed that Dilip Kumar signed ‘Leader’ because he was advised not to enact tragic roles, for they left an indelible impact on him, thereby leaving his emotionally drained. In the film, Kumar plays a Law graduate and a trouble maker of sorts. Though the film failed to garner at the Box Office, Kumar’s comic performance did not go unnoticed. He grabbed his fifth Filmfare trophy in the Best Actor Award category for the portrayal of Vijay Khanna, a flamboyant character.

Ram Aur Shyam (1967)

Dilip Kumar’s ‘Ram Aur Shyam’ inspired a number of actors and actresses to reprise the roles of twins who get separated post birth, raised by different people and who eventually get re-united. As Ram and Shyam, Kumar proved that he could play any kind of a role with élan. None could have done justice to the characters but him.

Kranti (1981)

As Sanga, a revolutionary, whose sole intention is to fight the tyrant British rule in the country, Dilip Kumar comes up with yet another mind-boggling performance. The film shows Kumar being held guilty of murdering his master and how brave Sanga, determines to formulate a plan to throw the British monarchy from the country. And with this film Kumar returned to the silver screen after a hiatus of 5 years.

Shakti (1982)

Dilip Kumar played Ashwini Kumar, an honest police officer, who believes in doing his duty even if he has to sacrifice his near and dear ones in the bargain. He plays father to Amitabh Bachchan (Vijay), a rebel, who hates his father for giving priority to his profession over his son. Though the film also featured Bachchan, then a rising star, Kumar stole the show.

Karma (1986)

Dilip Kumar plays Vishwa Pratap Singh/ Dada Thakur, Dilip Kumar in Subhash Ghai’s ‘Karma’ that sees the legendary actor play a Jailer, who is on a mission to avenge the murder of his sons at the hands of a terrorist. Though the film had other fine actors, it was a Dilip Kumar show all the way.

By Gayatri Sankar