Flashback tour of Dilip Kumar's life on Twitter

On Dilip Kumar's 93rd birthday on Friday, the virtual world of Twitter transformed into a book narrating the life of the legendary actor, also known as Bollywood's 'Tragedy King'.

It was a blast from the past as the social media users took to the micro-blogging site to share how they remember the screen legend. The hash tag #DilipKumar was trending in the morning.

With roots tracing back to Peshawar city in present-day Pakistan, Dilip Kumar, whose real name is Yusuf Khan, entered the Indian film industry in the black-and-white era and became a name to reckon with in the 1950s and 1960s.

He is credited for films like "Aan", "Daag", "Devdas", "Madhumati","Paigham", "Mughal-E-Azam", "Ganga Jamuna", "Leader" and "Ram Aur Shyam".

After working for about six decades, he bid adieu to the arclights in 1998. His last movie was "Qila".

The social media platform was flooded with pictorial tributes to the star by his fans, while some users shared how he has earned respect and deserves to be called 'Dilip Sahab'.

One user shared: "@TheDilipKumar my papa is a big fan of yours. Once I said, Dilip Kumar's movie is coming and then he replied 'he is elder' call him 'Dilip Sahab'".

Another poster: "Happy birthday Dilip Sahab, evergreen Bollywood actor #Dilip Kumar turns 93 today".

Some users called him "university of acting", while another said that "Breath is what for life the same @TheDilipKumar is for acting!".

At present, Bollywood has three Khans - Aamir, Salman and Shah Rukh, but one user claimed that Dilip Kumar was the first 'Khan' of the film industry.

The post read: "The first Khan superstar of Bollywood is and always be Yusuf khan Sahab urf Dilip Kumar".

The official Twitter handle of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting posted: "Birthday greetings to @TheDilipKumar, who turns 93 today @NFAIOfficial".

The account also posted a string of images of the stamps issued as a tribute to the actor's contribution to Indian cinema.

Meanwhile, Dilip Kumar, who is married actress Saira Banu, will be having a quiet birthday celebration to show solidarity with Chennai flood victims. The cinema legend will also be honoured with the Padma Vibhushan - India's second highest civilian award - on December 13 at his residence here.