Terrible loss for the cinema art: Russian envoy mourns Dilip Kumar's death

The Ambassador tweeted: "With deep regret we've learnt about the tragic demise of the prominent Indian actor, Bollywood veteran Dilip Kumar, well-known in Russia and in the whole world. It is an irreplaceable & terrible loss for the cinema art. We mourn together with his family and friends. Om Shanti."

India woke up with a heavy heart to the sad news of the passing away of acting legend Dilip Kumar, who breathed his last on Wednesday morning.

He was 98. 

Dilip Kumar, whose real name was Yusuf Khan, will be best remembered for his performance in movies like Naya Daur, Mughal-e-Azam, Devdas, Ram Aur Shyam, Andaz, Madhumati and Ganga Jamuna.

After dominating the silver screen as a hero for several decades he switched to character roles in the 1980s. He starred in films like Kranti (1981) and Shakti (1982), famously pitted against another Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan in the latter, playing his father. He also acted in films like Mashaal (1984), Karma (1986) and Saudagar (1991). His last film was Qila in 1998.

While Dilip Kumar's heroines included screen goddesses such as Madhubala, Meena Kumari, Nargis, Waheeda Rehman and Vyjayanthimala, he had acted opposite his wife Saira Banu in films such as Bairaag, Duniya, Gopi and Sagina Mahato.