Revisiting Dilip Kumar's most famous dialogues, from the melancholic Devdas to a revolutionary in Kranti

Dilip Kumar , fondly regarded as the ’tragedy king’ in Bollywood for his iconic roles, passed away on 7 July at the age of 98. Kumar, who made his big-screen debut with 1944’s Jwar Bhata, went onto star in major hits like Mughal-e-Azam, Devdas, Naya Daur, and Ram Aur Shyam. His last big-screen appearance was in the 1998 film Qila.

Here are some of the popular dialogues from his films which he is best remembered for:

Devdas

Directed by Bimal Roy, Devdas saw Kumar portray the role of an eponymous lovesick hero drowning in alcoholism. His melancholic dialogue ‘_Kaun kambakht bardaasht karne ko peeta hai? Main toh peeta hoon ke bas saans le saku’ s_et a tone to showcase his torment and a template for many actors to come.

The film which released in 1955 won Kumar a Filmfare award and is considered one of his best performances.

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Mughal-e-Azam

One of the most iconic movies in the history of Bollywood, Mughal-e-Azam is a cinematic masterpiece that broke all records and remains afresh in the minds of all movie buffs. This film held the distinction of being the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time for 15 years and the first black-and-white Bollywood film to be digitally coloured. Besides spectacular performances, grandeur, and attention to detail, Mughal-e-Azam is remembered for its dialogues that captured the forbidden relationship between a prince and courtesan.

“Mera dil aapka Hindustan nahi jis par aap hukumat karein,” proclaims Kumar’s Salim as he opposes his father’s disregard towards Anarkali.

(Also read on Firstpost:  Dilip Kumar’s best performances: From Devdas to Naya Daur, 10 roles that defined the actor )

Naya Daur

Kumar won his fourth Filmfare Best Actor Award for the third consecutive year for Naya Daur.

Directed by BR Chopra, the film was based on the theme of man versus machine. Kumar played the role of a tongawala, who takes on against the newly introduced bus transportation in the village, whose speed threatened to put the tongawallas out of work.

“Jab paet ki roti aur jeb ka paisa chhin jaata hai na, toh koi samajh vamajh nahi reh jaati hai aadmi ke paas” and many such powerful dialogues were uttered by the actor in the film.

(Also read on Firstpost —  Dilip Kumar passes away at 98: Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Hansal Mehta, Sonu Sood, among the first to offer condolences )

Shakti

Kumar’s uptight police office in Shakti would spew dialogues like, “Jo log sachai ki tarafdari ki kasam khate hain….zindagi unke bade kathin imtihaan leti hai”. The only film to feature Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan in the lead was a gripping drama that revolved around the clash between an honest police officer and his ‘corrupt’ son.

Saudagar

In Subhash Ghai’s multi-starrer Saudagar (1991), Kumar was pitted against Raaj Kumar. The scenes featuring the legends were filled with explosive dialogues and instantly gained attention among the masses. The iconic Bollywood songs ‘Ilu Ilu’ and ‘Imli Ka Boota’ were part of this film.

Kranti

 Produced and directed by Manoj Kumar, Kranti saw Kumar as a revolutionary on a mission to free India of colonisers. It ran for 67 weeks straight in the theatres and was declared a Golden Jubilee hit. His powerful dialogue ‘Ek kranti marega..toh hazaar kranti paida honge’ remains most popular.