Dilip Kumar is considered one of the greatest actors Hindi cinema has ever seen and after his despite, there’s been a huge void in the industry for his fans. But when he entered the industry, he changed his name from Muhammad Yusuf Khan and choose to step into films as Dilip Kumar instead of using his real name. The legendary actor himself answered this question during a 1970 interview with BBC. Explaining the reason behind his screen name, Dilip Kumar said, “I adopted this name (Dilip Kumar) in the fear of getting beaten up,” before adding, “My late father, God bless him, was strictly against films. His close friend was Lala Basheshar Nath, whose son Prithviraj Kapoor also acted in films. He used to complain to Basheshar Nath, ‘What have you done? Look at your young and healthy son, look at the work he does!’”Recalling his father’s strong disapproval of the film industry, Kumar revealed that fear played a major role in his decision. He shared, “So, when I entered films, I feared that criticism. He (Kumar’s father, Lala Ghulam Sarwar Ali Khan) was hot-headed as a Pathan. I was also afraid that if he found out, he’d be very angry. At that time, two or three names were suggested, Yusuf Khan, Dilip Kumar or Basudev. I personally said, ‘Just don’t keep Yusuf Khan. Anything else works’ (laughs). Two or three months later, I saw my name in an advertisement, and I realised that I’d been christened Dilip Kumar.”The actor later elaborated on the story in his autobiography, The Substance and the Shadow. He revealed that it was Devika Rani, the iconic actor and head of Bombay Talkies, who ultimately suggested the name Dilip Kumar.Born as Muhammad Yusuf Khan, the actor never appeared on screen under his birth name. He made his acting debut in 1944 with Jwar Bhata, introducing himself to audiences as Dilip Kumar. Although his first film failed to make an impact, and the next two releases also struggled commercially, fortunes changed with his fourth film, Jugnu, which became his first major box-office success.Following the success of Jugnu, Dilip Kumar cemented his place in Hindi cinema with hit films such as Shaheed and Mela in 1948. His defining breakthrough came a year later with Andaaz (1949), in which he starred alongside Raj Kapoor and Nargis. The film went on to become the highest-grossing Indian movie of its time, marking the beginning of Dilip Kumar’s extraordinary journey as one of Bollywood’s biggest superstars.
