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'Monumental loss': Leaders pay tribute to Dilip Kumar
Dilip Kumar was admitted to Hinduja Hospital on Sunday after complaining of breathlessness. The veteran actor's career spanned over six decades.
Union ministers and leaders cutting across political lines paid tribute to veteran actor Dilip Kumar who passed away on Wednesday morning at the age of 98. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was first to condole Dilip Kumar's death, saying his performance will be remembered for generations to come.
"My heartfelt condolences to the family, friends & fans of Dilip Kumar ji. His extraordinary contribution to Indian cinema will be remembered for generations to come," Gandhi tweeted.
Union defence minister Rajnath Singh called Kumar a true thespian and said he is deeply anguished by the actor's demise.
"Shri Dilip Kumar ji was an outstanding actor, a true thespian who was well regarded by everyone for his exemplary contribution to the Indian film industry. His performances in films like Ganga Jamuna touched a chord in millions of cinegoers. I’m Deeply anguished by his demise," Singh said on Twitter.
The defence minister added that Dilip Kumar's demise is monumental loss to the Indian cinema.
A tweet posted on the actor's official handle informed about his demise on Wednesday morning.
"With a heavy heart and profound grief, I announce the passing away of our beloved Dilip Saab, few minutes ago. We are from God and to Him we return," said the tweet posted by Faisal Farooqui, who manages the handle.
The actor was admitted to Hinduja Hospital on Sunday after complaining of breathlessness. This was the second time in a month that Dilip Kumar was taken to the hospital.
On June 6, Dilip Kumar was hospitalised after a similar complaint.
Kumar was diagnosed with bilateral pleural effusion - a build-up of excess fluid between the layers of the pleura outside the lungs - two weeks ago and underwent a successful pleural aspiration procedure. He was discharged after five days.
The veteran actor's career spanned over six decades.
He has acted in over 65 films in his career and is known for his iconic roles in movies like 'Devdas '(1955), 'Naya Daur' (1957), 'Mughal-e-Azam' (1960), 'Ganga Jamuna' (1961), 'Kranti' (1981), and 'Karma' (1986). He was last seen in 'Qila' in 1998.
