Happy Birthday Dilip Kumar: Five Lesser Known Facts About Legendary Actor

Dilip Kumar turned 97 today. The legendary actor has been an inspiration generations to take up acting and be like him. Here are a few lesser facts about the actor.

Dilip Kumar was an employee of Bombay talkies when he was noticed by its owner and given his first break .

Dilip Kumar was the first actor to charge Rs 1 lakh per movie back in the 50s.  

Dilip Kumar sang a song along with Lata Mangeshkar in Musafir which was Hrishikesh Mukherjee's first film as a director. The song was Laagi Naahin Chhootey, Chahey Jiya Jaaye. The actor calls Lata his ‘Choti Behen’.

Hollywood director David Lean wanted Dilip Kumar to play Prince Ali in Lawrence Of Arabia. The actor refused it because he thought he will feel out of place

Dilip Kumar was supposed to start his directorial innings with Sudhakar Bokade's Kalinga in the 90s. Raj Babbar and Raj Kiran were to play Kumar's sons in the film but Bokade ultimately pulled the plug on it when he realised Dilip saab has a very different style of direction

Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu have been an inseparable couple. Saira has always been by the side of Dilip Kumar, at all events and parties. The doting wife had written a very interesting foreword for Dilip Kumar's biography. She has mentioned how Dilip Kumar used to imitate Helen.