Independence Day 2023 Special: From Gulzar To Balraj Sahni, Celebs Born In Pakistan Who Created Unmatched Legacy

As Independence Day 2023 appoaches, here is a look at some celebrated personalities who hail from Pakistan who created unmatched legacy in Indian cinema.

Gulzar, Balraj Sahni( L-R)

Gulzar was born as Sampooran Singh Kalra in a Sikh family to Makhan Singh Kalran and Sujan Kaur in Jehlum District ( present day Pakistan) on August 18, 2023 Sampooran Singh Kalra read translations of Tagore as a kid. During the Partition in 1947, Gulzar's family split and some members mobved to Mumbai. Sampooran did many odd jobs like painting cars, working in a garage before taking up writing as a full-feldged profession. His father rebuked him for his choice of profession in the initial days. Sampooran took the pen name Gulzar by which everyone knows him day. Today, Gulzar is regarded as one of the greatest Urdu poets of this era.

Dilip Kumar born as Mohammad Yusuf Khan was born in the Qissa Khawani Bazaar area of Peshawar, British India on December 11, 1922. He was one of the 12 children and his father was a fruit merchant. He also grew up in the same neighbourhood as Raj Kapoor, his childhood friend and later colleague in the film industry. Yusuf Khan took up the stage name Dilip Kumar in 1944, from the fear of his father who never approved of his acting career thanks to the poor image of cinema back then. Dilip Kumar is widely considered as one the greatest and most influential actors in the history of Indian cinema. He is also considered to be a pioneer of method acting, predating Hollywood method actors such as Marlon Brando.