From being dismissed as a non actor in his debut film Jwar Bhata to creating a small oeuvre that is admired by critics and repeatedly studied by actors to this day, Dilip Kumar has become a legend in his own lifetime. His tumultuous early years saw him crave for love with a yearning bordering on passion but it was as if fate conspired to deny him, till he found it in Saira Banu, the woman he married. He translated his real life angst into screen melodrama with such success that it brought him innumerable fans and the sobriquet of 'Tragedy King'. Although accused of being repetitive in his roles, he ensured that each of the characters he portrayed was well delineated right down to the last nuance.