Fans cannot keep calm as it is the 97th birthday of veteran actor and Bollywood’s first superstar Dilip Kumar. Popularly known as ‘The Tragedy King’, Dilip Kumar is one of the versatile actors in the industry and is irreplaceable.

Born as Muhammad Yusuf Khan, Dilip Kumar is known for his stage name. He marked his debut as an actor with Jwar Bhata, and since then, he has been a part of many successful films.

In a career spanning over five decades, Dilip Kumar has worked in over 150 films. Some of his spectacular performances in films are still etched in our minds. He is one of the greatest actors in the history of Indian cinema and there’s no second doubt about that! After delivering commendable performances in films such as Daur, Yahudi, Kohinoor, Ram Aur Shyam among others, in 1976, Kumar went on a five year-long break from films. Later, he returned with a bang.

The actor continued his career playing leading roles in films such as Shakti, Karma, Saudagar among others. He is a big fan of Lata Mangeshkar.

Earlier, taking his happiness to Twitter, the 96-year-old Dilip Kumar addressed Lata as his “choti behen”, and wrote, “Overjoyed to hear the good news that My ‘choti behen’ Lata, is feeling much better and is at her home now. Please take good care of yourself @mangeshkarlata.”

Not only Dilip and Lata, the photo also has Dilip Kumar’s wife Saira Banu in it. In the picture, the couple can be seen holding Lata’s hands, as the three of them smile for the camera.

Amitabh Bachchan: “Ganga Jumna.Why? Because....”

Lata Mangeshkar: “He is my all-time favourite hero, maybe because he’s my Bade Bhaiyya and and I’ve been his Choti Bahen for years now. I love all his films. But Mughal-e-Azam and Ganga Jumna are my favourites.

Saira Banu: “Ganga Jumna. Perfect script. Perfect film in every aspect. His performance was the best in every film and yet he out-did himself in this films. Hats off.”

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan: “Ganga Jumna and Mughal-e-Azam”

Naseeruddin Shah: “My favourite Dilip Kumar film is Mughal-e-Azam. It is certainly one of the greatest films made in India. Except for the wig which marred his look, his performance is exceptional for its understated intensity and dignity. His performance in Amar is another favourite.”

Raakhee Gulzar: “I had the privilege of working with him in Shakti. There is so much to learn from him. All his performances are masterclasses. But if you insist I pick favourites it would have to be Ganga Jumna and Sagina.

Javed Akhtar: Dilip Kumar is to Indian film acting what Panini is to Sanskrit, Newton is to Science and Ghalib is to poetry. My favourite Dilip Kumar film? Tough to choose one. I like him equally into Ganga-Jumna, Madhumati and Devdas.

Asha Parekh: “It’s very difficult to pick one favourite. He was so good in all. But I’d say Ganga Jumna . He carried off the rustic look so effectively.”

Subhash Ghai: “I had the privilege, honour and pleasure of directing India’s greatest actor in three films. It’s hard to pick my favorites. But it would have to be Devdas, Ganga Jumna and Mughal-e-Azam.”

Sharmila Tagore:  "Madhumati"