Dilip delighted at 93

MUMBAI: Legendary actor Dilip Kumar was on Sunday presented with the Padma Vibhushan by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh at the thespian’s residence in suburban Bandra.
The 93-year-old legend was presented a medal, a certificate and a shawl by Singh, in the presence of the actor’s wife Saira Banu.
Maharashtra Gov. C. Vidyasagar Rao, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, were among other dignitaries present at the actor’s home when he received the award. “In the last 40-50 years, artists have been seeing Dilip Kumar as their idol. He is a jewel of the nation. For his immense contribution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recommended his name for Padma Vibhushan to the President and he has approved it,” Singh told ANI.
The announcement to honor Bollywood veterans Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan and a few others with the prestigious Padma Vibhushan award was made by the government on the eve of Republic Day on Jan. 25, 2015.
However, Kumar, due to ill health, could not attend the special function held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in April when other Padma awardees were honored by President Pranab Mukherjee.
Born as Muhammad Yousuf Khan in Peshawar, Kumar made his debut as an actor in the film “Jwar Bhata” in 1944 produced by Bombay Talkies.
In a career spanned over six decades, he starred in films of a variety of genres such as the romantic “Andaz” (1949), the swashbuckling Aan (1952), the dramatic “Devdas” (1955), the comical “Azaad” (1955), the historical “Mughal-e-Azam” (1960) and the social “Ganga Jamuna” (1961).