Legendary
Indian
thespian
Dilip
Kumar
was
not
just
an
actor
but
an
institution
and
people
like
him
are
born
once
in
a
century,
Pakistan’s
Senator
and
the
98-year-old
Bollywood
icon’s
nephew
Mohsin
Aziz
said
on
Monday.
At
a
condolence
meet
in
the
memory
of
Kumar,
the
Pakistani
lawmaker
threw
light
on
his
life,
career,
character
and
his
attachment
with
Peshawar
where
he
was
born.
Kumar,
who
was
born
on
December
11,
1922
at
his
ancestral
home
in
Qissa
Khawani
Bazaar
area
of
Peshawar
in
Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa
province,
died
at
a
hospital
in
Mumbai
last
week
after
prolonged
illness.
His
original
name
was
Yousuf
Khan.
"Actors
like
Kumar
are
born
once
in
a
century.
He
was
not
just
an
actor,
but
an
institution,”
Senator
Aziz
said.
“He
was
a
thorough
gentleman
and
down
to
earth
person
who
won
hearts
of
thousands
and
millions
of
people
through
his
hard
work,”
the
Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf
leader
said
at
the
meet
organised
at
his
house
here.
“He
was
a
great
social
worker
and
contributed
generously
for
humanity,”
Aziz
said.
In
1998,
the
Pakistan
government
honoured
Kumar
with
the
'Nishan-e-Imtiaz'
-
the
country’s
highest
civilian
award.
Pakistan's
top
leadership
and
people
showed
their
adulation
for
the
legendary
actor
last
week,
with
President
Arif
Alvi
describing
Kumar
as
"an
outstanding
actor,
a
humble
man,
and
a
dignified
personality".
"Sorry
to
see
Dilip
Kumar
(Yusuf
Khan)
depart
from
his
worldly
abode.
An
outstanding
actor,
a
humble
man,
and
a
dignified
personality.
Condolences
to
the
immediate
family
and
his
huge
family
of
admirers.
May
his
soul
rest
in
peace," he
tweeted.
Condoling
Kumar's
death,
Prime
Minister
Imran
Khan
said
he
can
never
forget
his
generosity
in
helping
to
raise
funds
for
a
trust
to
set
up
cancer
hospitals
in
his
mother's
memory.
"Saddened
to
learn
of
Dilip
Kumar's
passing.
I
can
never
forget
his
generosity
in
giving
his
time
to
help
raise
funds
for
SKMTH
when
(the)
project
launched.
This
is
the
most
difficult
time
-
to
raise
(the)
first
10%
of
the
funds
&
his
appearance
in
Pak
&
London
helped
raise
huge
amounts," Khan
tweeted.
"Apart
from
this,
for
my
generation
Dilip
Kumar
was
the
greatest
and
most
versatile
actor,"
he
said.
Often
known
as
the
Nehruvian
hero,
he
did
his
first
film
Jwar
Bhata
in
1944
and
his
last
Qila
in
1998,
54
years
later.
The
five-decade
career
included
Mughal-e-Azam,
Devdas,
Naya
Daur,
and
Ram
Aur
Shyam,
and
later,
as
he
graduated
to
character
roles,
Shakti
and
Karma.
The
actor
is
survived
by
his
wife
Saira
Banu.