Dilip Kumar was an icon in Hindi film and acting and a pioneer in bringing forth his own style of method acting. Considering how even in 2022, the concept of method acting is occasionally met with curious stares and is somewhat taboo amongst acting circles, you can understand how peculiar it was at the height of his career in the 50s and 60s!
But maybe that’s part of what’s made Kumar a legend in Bollywood, referred to as “The First Khan,” which refers to his birth name Mohammed Yusuf Khan. Dilip has 11 brothers and sisters. Some of them have followed in his footsteps, and some haven’t.
Join us while we learn more about Dilip and his family while we rank his siblings from oldest to youngest!
12. Fauzia Khan
Personal and professional information about Fauzia Khan is unknown.
11. Akhtar Asif
Personal and professional information about Akhtar Asif is unknown.
10. Taj Khan
Personal and professional information about Taj Khan is unknown.
9. Saeeda Khan
Personal and professional information about Saeeda Khan is unknown.
8. Noor Mohammed
Personal and professional information about Noor Mohammed is unknown.
7. Farida Khan
Personal and professional information about Farida Khan is unknown.
6. Sakina Khan
Personal and professional information about Sakina Khan is unknown.
5. Ayub Sarwar
Personal and professional information about Ayub Sarwar is unknown.
4. Dilip Kumar (December 11, 1922 – July 7, 2021)
Age at time of death: 98 years, 6 months, 27 days
Born: British India
Occupation: Actor, Producer
Known For: Jugnu (1947)
photo source: commons.wikimedia.org
Dilip Kumar sits at the head of the Khan family’s metaphorical table as their shining star and icon of the Bollywood film industry. Over the course of his five-decade-long career, he’s notched 65 films under his belt, none of which is the same as the last. That in and of itself should come with an award.
Thanks to his contributions to film, the Government of India recognized him with the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awards, which are regarded as some of the highest-civilian honors one can achieve. In his professional career, he received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. The Americans consider the Phaike as India’s Oscar and the highest honor in cinema.
Dilip had no formal training as an actor. That led a few to suggest that that was the catalyst for Dilip to pioneer this still-taboo style we call “method acting” in Bollywood.
Like any actor worth their salt and willing to take risks, sometimes they don’t pan out. Kumar was no exception. He took a five-year hiatus from acting between 1976 and 1981 after a string of less-than-stellar projects.
On the plus side, a slump is the only way to open the door to a storybook comeback, and by the 1980s, Dilip was back in old form. His return came with the historical epic Kranti, which was a film about the fight for independence from the British between 1825 and 1875 and saw Kumar as the lead.
Did You Know?
Dilip Kumar penned an autobiography titled Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow. In it, he revealed intimate details of his life as a successful actor, his upbringing, and even the complications he and his then-wife, Saira Banu, faced when trying to have a child.
3. Nasir Khan (January 11, 1924 – May 3, 1974)
Age at time of death: 50 years, 3 months, 23 days
Born: Peshawar, Pakistan
Occupation: Actor
Known For: Nagina (1951)
Nasir Khan was an Indian actor best known for his relationship with his critically acclaimed Hindi superstar brother Dilip. But Nasir has had some success of his own that’s worth noting! Born in Peshawar to Ayesha Begum and Lala Ali Khan, a landlord/fruit merchant, his beginnings that would serve as the backdrop to his rise to Bollywood stardom were atypical of most success stories.
At 21 years old in 1945, Nasir made his acting debut in Mazdoor, earning fans a lukewarm response. Shortly after, Nasir and his co-star Asha Posley made history by starring in the first ever Pakistani film, Teri Yaad, in its newly formed country (Pakistan), born out of the partition of India in 1947.
Off the positive response and historic cornerstone moment that Teri Yaad was, Nasir continued to act in several films throughout the 1950s after relocating to Bombay.
In 1961, 16 years after his acting debut, he and his brother joined forces on the set of the Bollywood crime drama Gunga Jumina, written and produced by Dilip Kumar. Dilip played Gunga and Nasir played Jamna.
Did You Know?
Nasir was married to Suraiya Nazir, the daughter of award-winning filmmaker Nazir Ahmed Khan. They shared one daughter, Naheed Khan. He later remarried actress Begum Para, and their son Ayub Khan is active as a television actor today.
2. Ehsan Khan (1930 – September 2, 2020)
Age at time of death: c. 90 years old
Born: N/A
Occupation: N/A
Known For: Brother of Dilip Kumar
Ehsan Khan was the son of Lala Sarwar. Information regarding his personal or professional life is mostly unknown, as he opted to live a private life.
Did You Know?
Ehsan Khan passed away less than a month after testing positive for COVID-19 on August 15th. He and his brother, Aslam, also contracted the virus that’s overwhelmed the news cycles for nearly three years, and they were both admitted to Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital.
1. Aslam Khan (1932 – August 21, 2022)
Age at time of death: c. 88 years old
Aslam Khan was Dilip Kumar’s youngest sibling!
Personal and professional information regarding Aslam is unknown, as he and most of his siblings preferred a much more discrete lifestyle.
Did You Know?
Aslam Khan was admitted to Lilavati Hospital beside his brother due to contracting COVID-19. Tragically, they both died due to complications from respiratory illness. It was also noted by Dr. Jalil Parkar, the head physician overseeing his treatment, that Aslam’s other contributing factors were diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.
