Urmila Matondkar slams BJP leader for his remarks on Dilip Kumar
Mumbai, Jul 7: Actor-politician Urmila Matondkar has criticised BJP politician Arun Yadav after he claimed that screen icon Dilip Kumar, who passed away on Wednesday, used a Hindu name to earn money as an actor.
One of India's finest actors who ruled the hearts of generations, Kumar was born Mohammed Yousuf Khan on December 11, 1922 in Peshawar, Pakistan.
Devika Rani, who was the head of the Bombay Talkies where he joined as an actor, rechristened him as Dilip Kumar.
Kumar, who died at a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday morning after prolonged illness at the age of 98, was remembered by many on social media who called his demise an irreparable loss to Indian cinema.
Haryana BJP IT cell and social media head Arun Yadav courted controversy with his condolence message.
"The death of Mohammad Yusuf Khan (Dilip Kumar), who earned money by keeping a Hindu name in the film world, is an irreparable loss to the Indian film industry! Deepest condolences to the bereaved family. Hope God gives peace to the departed soul," Yadav wrote in Hindi.
Reacting strongly to his tweet, Matondkar expressed her anguish as she wrote "Shame on you", with a thumbs down emoji.
The 47-year-old actor-politician said it is saddening to see someone "trivialising" Kumar's critically-acclaimed body of work.
"It is sad to see that a legend of our country is being trivialised by saying that he kept a Hindu name to earn money. One needs to show dignity and class. He has done so many socially relevant films," Matondkar told PTI.
The Shiv Sena leader further said that Kumar was a "socially responsible person".
"He helped the widows of soldiers who lost their lives in Kargil war and did innumerable amount of social work," Matondkar said.
The actor slammed Yadav for his "double standards" as she said that he made the remark in the garb of offering his condolences.
"It is because of this particular thinking of these people that there are many people who think it is fine to create a constant communal division and whitewash it.
"Shame on a thinking like this. He (Yadav) needs to grow up. He needs to get the information correct," Matondkar added.
She said Kumar was someone who was "beyond any religion".
"There are so many Muslims who have taken Hindu names and vice versa but does it make us less? The fact should be how much of an Indian you are. He (Dilip Kumar) was indeed one," Matondkar added.
Yadav's tweet also drew criticism from other Twitter users who called out the politician for his remarks.
"Shame... How can you post something like this on someone's death. What is the problem if a Muslim has a Hindu name? And if a Hindu has a Muslim name, then also there is a problem. Please grow up and be a good human being, you will feel good," a social media user wrote.
Another user said Kumar's contribution to Indian films trumps all such comments made in poor taste.
"... Yusuf Khan aka Dilip Kumar made India known and famous through the whole world (sic)," a tweet noted.
Kumar, known to generations of film-goers as 'tragedy king' for his portrayal of the brooding, intense romantic, starred in classics such as "Mughal-e-Azam" and "Devdas". Also called the Nehruvian hero, he made his acting debut with "Jwar Bhata" in 1944.
In his five-decade career he worked in 65 films which included titles like "Naya Daur", "Madhumati" and "Ram Aur Shyam" in which he starred as the leading man.
In his twilight years, he graduated to character roles in films like "Shakti" and "Karma". His last on-screen appearance was his last "Qila" in 1998.
Shame on you ?
— Urmila Matondkar (@UrmilaMatondkar) July 7, 2021
Shame..
— Ritika Sanwal (Pahadan) ? #Uttarakhandi (@infiniteflames2) July 7, 2021
How can you post something like this on someone's death.
Agar koi muslim hindu name rkh de toh dikkat , agar koi hindu muslim name rkh de toh dikkat.
Janab in sab se upar uth ke insan ban ke dekhiye acha lagega ?
Really earn money in the name of hindu and what about because of his performance india was know to be a country where a brillant actor Existed like Dilip Kumar….. Yusuf Khan Aka Dilip Kumar made India known and famous through the whole world…
— BeingMuslim (@DarknessEvil10) July 7, 2021
There were many Muslim actors at that time who had Hindu screen names like Ajit and Jeevan.
— Lav Bhargava (@lavbhargava) July 7, 2021
Did that take away from their talent or the legendary and successfull status of Dilip kumar?
It was not the Hindu name that made him so successful bit his talent
Kindly note M.Bhagwat ji
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
