Dilip Kumar cut ties when twice-married Mughal-e-Azam director eloped with his sister, ex-wife cursed him to die young

Dilip Kumar was one of the most respected actors of his generation, and while the current generation might not be very familiar with his work, most of the younger audience still know him as Salim from the magnum opus Mughal-e-Azam, where he and his then-girlfriend, actor Madhubala, played star-crossed lovers. It is well known that the actors broke up while filming, and while shooting some of the most romantic scenes of the film, the two were not even on talking terms with each other. This must have been painful for the two as at one point, they had started discussing marriage with each other. But, what further broke Dilip Kumar’s heart, was the deception by Mughal-e-Azam director K Asif.

Dilip Kumar had once considered Asif to be a confidante, and had stuck by his vision for nearly a decade as he completed Mughal-e-Azam with utmost care. So when Dilip learnt that K Asif, a married man, was in a relationship with his younger sister Akhtar, who was half his age, he was shocked. So much so that Dilip decided to cut ties with his sister and Asif, and decided to never see them again.

When Dilip Kumar played the role of Emperor Akbar’s son Salim in Mughal-e-Azam, it was said that this was one of the best performances he had ever delivered. This was after he had appeared in films like Devdas, Naya Daur, Madhumati among others. He was playing the prince who rebelled against his emperor father for a woman who was seen as lesser than him in the social hierarchy. But, when Dilip was first trying for this role in the late 1940s, he was told by K Asif that he was “too young” to play Prince Salim. “You have the royal bearing of a prince but I want an older look,” he was told.

Dilip Kumar on the set of Mughal-e-Azam. (Photo: Express Archives)

Asif then started making another film with the character of Prince Salim, but had to shelve it midway because of financial constraints. However, a few years later, when he put Mughal-e-Azam together, he approached Dilip again, who, by now, was a star, and for Asif, he now looked perfect for the part.

K Asif and Dilip Kumar developed a strong friendship during the making of Mughal-e-Azam. The friendship deepened as Dilip was going through a rather terrible break up with Madhubala, and Asif was trying to balance everyone’s temperaments on set. It was during this time that Asif’s visits to Dilip’s residence increased and unbeknownst to the star, his director and sister Akhtar fell in love with each other. The alliance might not have been a problem otherwise but here, K Asif was a twice married man. He had married Sitara Devi, gotten divorced, and then married his Mughal-e-Azam actor Nigar Sultana. He was also twice Akhtar’s age.

In his memoir ‘Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow’, Dilip Kumar shared that Akhtar had pursued her education seriously, and had even moved to the US to study back in the 1950s, all with Dilip’s support. “I was not aware that love was blossoming between Akhtar and Asif and that they had decided to marry without my consent, knowing full well that I would not approve of my most accomplished sister marrying a twice-married man who was much older and had contrasting views and thoughts and a totally different lifestyle,” he shared and added, “Akhtar disappointed and disillusioned me and I distanced myself from her and Asif for some years.”

Dilip Kumar and Madhubala in Mughal-e-Azam.

K Asif was married to Sitara Devi when he started working on Mughal-e-Azam. Through the course of the film, he first married Nigar Sultana, who was an actor in the film. Later, he and Akhtar eloped and this broke Dilip Kumar’s heart. Sitara Devi, in Dilip Kumar’s memoir shared that the actor was “shattered” by what had transpired.

Such was the hurt that Dilip Kumar, who had already gotten his heart broken during the shoot of Mughal-e-Azam, was not prepared for more emotional upheaval. So once, his part was done, he refused to participate in any of the shenanigans before the film’s release. He didn’t even attend the film’s premiere. “The only reason why Dilip Bhai did not attend the premiere of Mughal-e-Azam and even refused to see the movie at trial shows was because Asif had betrayed his trust,” shared Sitara Devi.

Sitara saw Dilip as her younger brother and addressed him as ‘bhaijaan’ so when she learnt of what Asif had done, she cursed him. “I cursed him and told him he’d die for the sin he had committed by cheating Dilip Bhai who trusted him implicitly and had let him mingle with his sisters,” she said, and when he ultimately died in 1971 at age 48, she recalled her own words and believed that her curse of “premature death for betraying Dilip bhai” had actually come true.

Dilip Kumar at the funeral of K Asif. (Photo: Express Archives)

After Akhtar eloped with Asif, she was estranged from the family. In the years since, Dilip Kumar had also gotten married to Saira Banu, who was herself facing many problems in his household, especially with his sisters. Dilip chose to stay away from his sister Akhtar even after Asif’s death but years later, when she reached out to him, it was Saira who mended the broken bridge.

Akhtar called Dilip when she was “critically unwell” and wished to see him. “I told Saira emphatically: ‘I will not go.’ Saira requested me to go and see her, as she was after all my sister and also very unwell. She had shamed me and we had distanced ourselves after a life of doting and affection,” he shared in his memoir and recalled how Saira took him to the hospital to see his sister. In later years, Akhtar became a part of the family again.

Dilip Kumar passed away in 2021 at 98.