By Abhigna Ghosh
No one can ever match the brilliance of Dilip Kumar as an actor. With every movie and every story, he escalated his fandom and cinematic brilliance to a whole new level.
Whether it’s Devdas or Deedar, his finesse portrayal of lovelorn characters has set a benchmark that’s hard to overtake. After all, he is known as the “King of Tragedy” for a reason.
In a dazzling career lasting for a whopping 58 years, he has blessed the industry with remarkable movies that are unforgettable and irreplaceable. With each character, each scene, and each story, he has etched his name on the glory of Indian Cinema forever. Its actors like him who made Bollywood reach the heights where it is today.
Here is a list of his top 6 movies that we shall cherish till eternity:
Mughal-e-Azam(1960)
The movie itself has several records to its name. From being the first full-length feature film to being shot for over 16 years and then digitally colorized, the movie remains a masterpiece even to this date. Dilip Kumar’s character as Saleem adds further to the cinematic excellence of this masterpiece. For all the ardent fans of Dilip Kumar out there, today is the perfect day to rewatch this movie and relive the good old days.
Devdas(1955)
The classic cult movie is unforgettable. Portraying the role of the famous Devdas who drowned and ultimately died for the love of Paro, this movie will undoubtedly strike a chord with your heart. Dilip Kumar’s brilliant portrayal of the character will take you into the world of Devdas, Paro, and Chandramukhi. His performance in Devdas is the epitome of perfection.
Andaz (1949)
Although the film had a really dark end. Dilip Kumar playing the character of Dilip on-screen did total justice to the twisted love- triangle. His character was not designed to be the stereotypical hero and he nailed that with utmost perfection. Set in 1949, this was one of the initial films of his career. Yet, his potential and brilliance as an actor were clearly evident.
Deedar (1951)
This is one of the most important films in Dilip Kumar’s career. After all, even to this date, Deedar is one of the best love-tragedy films in Bollywood. It was after his spectacular performance in this movie that he was named the “King Of Tragedy”. Following the story of two childhood lovers separated due to societal class inequalities, Dilip Kumar’s performance as Shyamu is unbelievably remarkable.
Daag (1952)
Staying loyal to his reputation as the tragedy king, Dilip Kumar brought the character of Shankar to live with sheer excellence. The story revolves around his character who is a poor toy seller turned alcoholic highlights the dark side of falling in love and the twist of fate in every aspect of life. Getting into the skin of the character is something that this extraordinary actor has mastered over time. On this day, if any of his fans want to reminisce about the actor, then is the movie you need to see! On this fateful day, this movie provides the much-need happy ending.
Footpath (1953)
It is a rather underrated movie by Dilip Kumar that is laced with cinematic brilliance at every scene. He took a break from his tragic hero avatar and took up a rather unconventional role. While actors are very conscious about playing dark characters, Dilip Kumar, being the brilliant actor he was took it up as a challenge. His character Noshu has several streaks of grey which lead the character to a tragic end. But the storyline and the brilliant performance make this a must-watch!
Even though Dilip Shaab’s acting years are far behind now, his brilliant performances are evergreen and never fail to entertain the audience. After all, he was and will always be a legend.
