Throwback: When Dilip Kumar revealed he had changed his name from Muhammad Yusuf Khan 'pitayi k darr se'

Legendary actor Dilip Kumar passed away today at the age of 98. He has been a part of the industry for decades now, and had joined the industry back in the 40s. Many might not be aware that Dilip Kumar took on the screen name before he entered the Hindi film industry, and that his actual name was Yusuf Khan.

In an interview with Mahendra Kaul back in 1970, Dilip Kumar was asked why he had changed his name and his answer was quite shocking. He had replied, 'Pitayi ke darr se maine yeh naam rakkha hai'. He then went on to say that his father 'nautanki' and even never appreciated his friend Dewan Basheshwarnath Kapoor's grandson Raj Kapoor doing films too.

In his autobiography, Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow, the veteran actor had also opened up about how he changed his name from Muhammad Yusuf Khan to Dilip Kumar, and wrote, "She (Devika Rani) said, quite matter-of-factly: ‘Yousuf, I was thinking about your launch soon as an actor and I felt it would not be a bad idea if you adopted a screen name. You know, a name you would be known by and which will be very appropriate for your audience to relate to and one that will be in tune with the romantic image you are bound to acquire through your screen presence. I thought Dilip Kumar was a nice name. It just popped up in my mind when I was thinking about a suitable name for you. How does it sound to you?"

Dilip Kumar has been a legend who joined the industry in 1944 with Jwar Bhata. His filmography includes iconic films like Devdas(1955), Naya Daur(1957), Mughal-e-Azam(1960), Ganga Jamuna (1961), Kranti (1981), and Karma(1986). He was last seen in Qila in 1998. In 1966, Dilip Kumar married his co-star in films like Gopi, Sagina and Bairaag, actress Saira Banu. He had been a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, the Padma Bhushan and the Dada Saheb Phalke award. He also received Pakistan's highest civilian honour, the Nishan-e-Imtiaz.