The Thespian

Known variously as the last emperor in the Indian film world, a living legend, the thespian, few would contest that Dilip Kumar has been a dominant figure for over five decades in an industry where actors spring up like mushrooms and are wiped out quickly. This book attempts to flesh out the person behind the star and how Kumar's cultured dignity and grace have given him a credibility which transcends the silver screen, making him a public figure who is both widely admired and respected. The book also contains his complete filmography and an array of photographs that chronicle his life and films.


Lovingly and film-by-film, this book traces Dilip Kumar’s legendary career which started by pure chance when he was barely twenty-two and with no interest in films to speak of. Dilip Kumar achieved his undisputed status as India’s outstanding film actor through sheer hard work and astonishing dedication. Acting in only fifty-four films in nearly as many years, Dilip helped create landmark films from the 1940s to the 1980s, including Shaheed, Jogan, Devdas, Naya Daur, Mughal-e-Azam, Gunga Jumna, Sagina Mahato and Shakti, to name a few. Intensely interested in all aspects of the films he worked in, Dilip also directed several of them.


Dilip Kumar is a very private man in a very public industry. Thus, while so much has been written about him in the media there remains an aura of mystery about him. This book attempts to flesh out the person behind the star and how Dilip Kumar’s cultured dignity and grace have given him a credibility which transcends the silver screen, making him a public figure who is both widely admired and respected.


The book also contains a complete filmography of Dilip Kumar and an array of photographs that chronicle his life and films.


About the Author:


Urmila Lanba, a lawyer by profession, has been keenly interested in films since her childhood, Dilip Kumar's films in particular. She spent several years working on this book.