How Yousuf Khan became Dilip Kumar
New Delhi, Jul 7: Legend, thespian, tragedy king, god of acting Dilip Kumar was given several monikers in his illustrious career but how he acquired his screen name is a story unto itself.
He was born Mohammed Yousuf Khan but Devika Rani, who was head of the Bombay Talkies where he joined as an actor, wasn't too happy with the name. Dilip Kumar, she thought, would be in tune with his "romantic image" which he was bound to acquire and would also have a "secular appeal".
And so Dilip Kumar it was.
Kumar, who died in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday at the age of 98, narrates in detail how he went from being Yousuf Khan to Dilip Kumar in his autobiography "The Substance and the Shadow".
"One morning, as I entered the studio I was given the message that Devika Rani wanted to see me in her office. I wondered what it could be. I was certain it couldn't be for expressing any displeasure because she was always courteous and pleasant whenever she met me and enquired how I was doing. So what could it be?" Kumar writes.
When he walked into Rani's office, she was seated at her desk, smiled warmly and asked him to sit down.
Devika Rani began the conversation with the usual courtesy of asking him whether he would care for some tea made specially for her from leaves she had purchased from an English store in the city, he recounts in great detail.
According to the autobiography, she soon came to the point and said quite matter-of-factly, "Yousuf, I was thinking about your launch soon as an actor and I felt it would not be a bad idea if you adopted a screen name".
"You know, a name you would be known by and which will be very appropriate for your audience to relate to and one that will be in tune with the romantic image you are bound to acquire through your screen presence. I thought Dilip Kumar was a nice name," she is quoted as saying.
She told him the name just "popped up" in her mind when she was thinking about a suitable name for him.
"How does it sound to you?" she asked.
"I was speechless for a moment, being totally unprepared for the new identity she was proposing to me. I said it sounded nice but asked her whether it was really necessary," Kumar says in the book.
"She gave her sweet smile and told me that it would be prudent to do so. She added that it was after considerable thought that she came to the conclusion of giving me a screen name."
Rani told Kumar that she foresaw a long and successful career for him in films and it made good sense to have a screen identity that would "stand up by itself and have a secular appeal".
Kumar was quick to appreciate her concern, but added that he needed to think about it a bit.
She responded, "Fine... come back to me with your thoughts.
"We are now ready to begin preparations for your debut. So we must hurry up."
The actor recalls spending the rest of the day, going about his routine, but with the name 'Dilip Kumar' ringing in his mind's inner recesses.
S. Mukherjee, who was effectively the second in command at Bombay Talkies after Devika Rani, noticed that the actor was rather contemplative that afternoon.
After lunch, when work started on the shooting stage, Mukherjee asked him if there was something disturbing him and if he could share with him.
"I told S. Mukherjee Sahab about the suggestion that had come from Devika Rani. He reflected for a second and, looking me straight in the eye, said: 'I think she has a point. It will be in your interest to take the name she has suggested for the screen. It is a very nice name, though I will always know you by the name Yousuf like all your brothers and sisters and your parents," says Kumar in the autobiography.
Kumar said he was touched by what Mukherjee said and it was a validation that cleared his thoughts then and there.
The rest as they say is history. Dilip Kumar went on to debut with 'Jwar Bhata' in 1944, becoming one of the biggest names in Indian cinema history.
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8 children between ages of 1 and 14 dead after mass shooting in Louisiana, police say
Shreveport(US) (AP): A gunman in Louisiana killed eight children in shootings at two different homes early Sunday in the nation's deadliest mass shooting in more than two years, police in Shreveport said.
The victims ranged in age from one to about 14 years old, said Shreveport police spokesperson Chris Bordelon. A total of 10 were shot and some of the children were related to the suspect, Bordelon said.
The gunman later died after a chase with officers who fired at the suspect, Bordelon said. The suspect stole a car while leaving the scene of the shootings and was followed by police, according to Bordelon.
Police did not release the name of the suspect but did say he was an adult male. The shootings were the result of a “domestic disturbance,” Bordelon said.
Officials said they were still gathering details at the crime scenes south of downtown Shreveport — the two homes and a third location.
“This is an extensive scene unlike anything most of us have ever seen,” he said.
It was the deadliest mass shooting in the US since eight people were killed in a Chicago suburb in January 2024, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.
At a news conference outside the residence where one of the shootings occurred, officials appeared stunned, requesting patience and prayers from the community as they sorted through multiple crime scenes.
“I just don't know what to say, my heart is just taken aback,” Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said. “I cannot begin to imagine how such an event could occur.”
“This is a tragic situation — maybe the worst tragic situation we've ever had,” said Tom Arceneaux, mayor of the city in northwestern Louisiana with about 180,000 residents. “It's a terrible morning.”
Louisiana State Police say their detectives have been asked by Shreveport police to investigate. In a statement, state police say no officers were harmed in the shooting that involved an officer after a police pursuit into Bossier City on Sunday morning.
State police are asking anyone with pictures, video or information to share it with state police detectives.
Louisiana Gov Jeff Landry said in a statement that he and his wife were heartbroken. “We're deeply grateful to the law enforcement officers and first responders working tirelessly on the scene,” he added.
