Amitabh Bachchan, in his eulogy for the legendary actor Dilip Kumar, wrote that the Hindi film industry will never be the same again. Dilip Kumar died at the age of 98 in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday morning. The veteran actor was taken to the hospital last Wednesday after he complained of breathlessness. A tweet posted from the actor's official handle by family friend Faisal Farooqui read: "With a heavy heart and profound grief, I announce the passing away of our beloved Dilip saab a few minutes ago. We are from God and to him we return." He was 98. Amitabh Bachchan and Dilip Kumar co-starred in 1983 film Shakti and they also covered Filmfare's special '100 years of Indian cinema' edition along with Shah Rukh Khan. "An epic era has drawn curtains... Never to happen again," tweeted Amitabh Bachchan.
In a separate tweet, Amitabh Bachchan wrote: "An institution has gone... Whenever the history of Indian Cinema will be written, it shall always be 'before Dilip Kumar, and after Dilip Kumar' ... My duas for peace of his soul and the strength to the family to bear this loss. Deeply saddened."
Read Amitabh Bachchan's tweets here:
Amitabh Bachchan was a huge fan of the late actor and always sent out greetings on Dilip Kumar's birthday every year. In an Instagram post this morning, Big B shared a relatively recent picture and he wrote: "My idol Dilip Saheb ...Lost ... Never before never after .. "An epic era has drawn curtains...Never to happen again " Peace and duas."
Dilip Kumar, in his six-decade long career, starred in acclaimed classics such as Madhumati, Devdas, Mughal-e-Azam, Ganga Jamuna, Ram Aur Shyam and Naya Daur. Dilip Kumar, who married actress Saira Banu in 1966, was known for playing tragic heroes in films like Andaz, Baabul, Mela, Deedar and Jogan. He was last seen in 1998 film Qila.
Dilip Kumar was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan, which he received in 2015. He was honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 1991 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1994. He was the first winner of the Filmfare Best Actor award - for 1956's Azaad. The legendary actor also received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement award in 1993.