INDIAN CINEMA’S BELOVED LEGEND, Dilip Kumar, is regarded as one of the greatest actors in the country. From being known for his unique style of method acting to conquering Hindi cinema through his characters, movies, and evergreen songs, the Abhinay Samrat (emperor of acting) of Hindi cinema had his name etched in Indian cinema forever through his craft.

In a career spanning decades, Dilip Kumar worked in more than 50 films and gave Indian cinema some cult classics, such as Mughal-E-Azam (1960), Devdas (1955), and Gunga Jumna (1961), among several others. For his millions of fans, he was ‘the Dilip Kumar’ who ruled the hearts of audiences for decades. But before he became the Abhinay Samrat, he was Muhammad Yusuf Khan — a lesser-known chapter of his life.

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His decision to change his name when he entered Hindi cinema is regarded as one of the biggest mysteries of his life, until he addressed the question in a 1970 interview with the BBC.

How Yusuf Khan Became Dilip Kumar

Before the world knew him as Dilip Kumar, he was Yusuf Khan, a young man who was born in Qissa Khawani Bazaar, a neighbourhood in Peshawar, in the North-West Frontier Province of British India, in 1922. Yusuf Khan was born into an Awan Muslim family and was one of 12 siblings. His destiny to become one of the legendary actors Hindi cinema has ever produced was shaped by the way things unfolded in his life.

His childhood friend and neighbour when he lived near Peshawar was none other than Raj Kapoor, the son of Prithviraj Kapoor, who is regarded as one of the founding fathers of Hindi cinema. After the Partition of India in 1947, Yusuf and his family remained in Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra. He made his debut in 1944 with the film Jwar Bhata, in which he portrayed the character of Jagdish, a wandering musician. That year marked the beginning of the journey of Dilip Kumar — Yusuf Khan.

He adopted his stage name before his first film and later explained the real reason for the change. Almost three decades later, the Devdas actor was asked why he had adopted the name Dilip Kumar. He burst out laughing and answered the question, telling the interviewer the honest reason behind his decision. He continued, “I adopted the name Dilip Kumar out of fear of getting beaten up.”

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When the interviewer expressed his surprise, Kumar explained, “My late father, God bless him, was strictly against films.” He then added that his father’s close friend was Lala Basheshar Nath, whose son was none other than actor Prithviraj Kapoor. Kumar shared that his father, Lala Ghulam Sarwar Ali Khan, disapproved of Prithviraj Kapoor working in films and used to complain to his friend about him. He would tell his friend, “What have you done? Look at your young and healthy son, look at the work he does!” Kumar further shared that he feared his father’s criticism when he entered the Hindi film industry.

Referring to his father as a “hot-headed Pathan,” he said, “I was also afraid that if he found out, he’d be very angry.” He then mentioned several names that had been suggested at the beginning of his career, such as Yusuf Khan, Dilip Kumar, and Basudev. “I personally said, ‘Don’t keep Yusuf Khan; choose whatever name you want,’” Dilip Kumar said while laughing. He added that he saw his name in an advertisement two or three months later and that was how he found out that the name Dilip Kumar had been chosen for him.

In his early days, the actor was part of a few films that went unnoticed. Then came the 1947 film Jugnu, his first box-office hit, in which he starred alongside Noor Jehan. He went on to work in several films and eventually became Hindi cinema’s beloved Dilip Kumar, redefining cinema through his screen presence and craft.

(Edited by Harsh Pandey)

[Rh/VS/HP]

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