President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday expressed his condolences on the death of legendary Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar, saying he will “live forever within the heart of India”.
“Dilip Saab summarised in himself a history of emerging India. He will live forever within the heart of India,” he said during a tweet.
Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis paid tributes to Dilip Kumar and said, “Saddened to listen to about Dilip Kumar sahab. We lost an excellent versatile person & a legendary actor. We grew up watching his films. His patriotic roles in ‘Kranti’ & ‘Karma’ can never be forgotten.”
Fadnavis said he had the privilege to honour him with ‘Padma Vibhushan’ at his residence. “He was a record holder for winning maximum number of awards as an actor!”
“My deepest condolences to Saira Banu ji and many Indian cinema lovers. History of Indian cinema will fondly remember Dilip Kumar Sahab forever! Our Humble Tributes to Him..,” he said during a series of tweets.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said Kumar’s contribution to Indian cinema are going to be remembered for generations to return . “My heartfelt condolences to the family, friends & fans of Dilip Kumar ji. His extraordinary contribution to Indian cinema are going to be remembered for generations to return ,” Gandhi said during a tweet.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also condoled Kumar’s death and said he entertained generations of cinema lovers together with his incredible acting and iconic roles. “Shri Dilip Kumar Ji was a veritable legend of the silver screen, in him, Indian Cinema has lost one among the best actors. He has entertained generations of cinema lovers together with his incredible acting and iconic roles. My sincerest condolences to Dilip Ji’s family and followers,” Shah said during a tweet.
Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari described Dilip Kumar as ‘Mahanayak’ of his generation, adding the actor’s ‘Mughal-E- Azam’ remains the sole film he has watched.
Koshyari said during a condolence message: “Dilip Kumar was the primary super star of Indian cinema. He represented the golden era of Indian films. So fascinated i used to be by his Mughal-E- Azam that I saw the film back-to-back twice. Unfortunately, I didn’t watch any films thereafter and Mughal-E- Azam remained the primary and therefore the last film I watched.”
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also condoled the demise of actor Dilip Kumar, and said his rich contributions to films would always be remembered.
Gehlot said during a tweet, “My heartfelt condolences at the death of veteran actor #DilipKumar ji. May his family, friends and fans find strength in touch this loss”. Kumar’s demise is an “end of an era in Indian cinema and his rich contribution to films would always be remembered,” he added.
Dilip Kumar, 98, gave up the ghost in Mumbai early Wednesday after a protracted illness. He was taken to Mumbai’s Hinduja hospital last Wednesday after he complained of breathlessness – it had been the second time he had been hospitalised within the same month. Kumar suffered from advanced prostatic adenocarcinoma and was undergoing treatment for the last 3-4 months now. The actor was bedridden for several months and had become unresponsive within the previous couple of days.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said he was saddened to listen to about Dilip Kumar’s death. “Deeply saddened to listen to about the death of legendary actor #DilipKumar. He was a doyen of Indian cinema and prolific entertainer. Cinema lovers will miss him for his invaluable contribution. My condolences to the bereaved family, fans and followers,” he said during a tweet.
