From Being Yusuf Khan To Dilip Kumar: Know How The Name Change Happened

The actor adopted the screen name when producer Devika Rani requested the legendary actor to change his name from Yousuf to Dilip Kumar and offered him the lead role in the film 'Jwar Bhata' in 1944.

Indian veteran actor Dilip Kumar awarded oustanding achievement in Indian cinema at the 5th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards in Singapore 22 May 2004. FILE PIC/AFP

Mumbai: Bollywood’s tragedy king Dilip Kumar became famous with this screen name, but very few know that his original name is Muhammad Yusuf Khan.  The revelation about the incident where he changed his name was made in his book Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow in which the actor mentioned about how he was asked to opt for a change in his original name.

His father didn’t have much liking for showbiz and didn’t quite like that Dewan Basheshwarnath Kapoor's (his friend) grandson Raj Kapoor was in films.

Dilip Kumar was drawn to acting because of the lucrative four-figure salary even as his father used the term 'nautanki' for the same, but things changed later after he gained popularity.

The veteran actor was also a childhood friend of famous Raj Kapoor and grew up in the same neighbourhood. Born to an Awan family in Peshawar , the legendary actor left his Pune (Poona as it was known then) home in 1940 after a scuffle with his father. He opened up a sandwich stall at the army club and worked there until his contract ended.  Later the actor packed his bags and moved to Mumbai with a meagre savings of Rs 5,000 with a dream to become an actor.

He proceed to join Bombay Talkies where he was introduced to actor Ashok Kumar, who played a significant role in his acting career also introduced him to method acting. It is during that time when the producer Devika Rani requested him to change his name from Yousuf to Dilip Kumar and offered him the lead role in the film 'Jwar Bhata' in 1944.

In the book the actor 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?"

The 98-year-old actor's popularity as Dilip Kumar swayed all through the Indian subcontinent and spread across the globe. It is Ramesh Sehgal’s Shaheed in 1948 that the actor made his first great mark as an actor.