No Hollywood dreams for Dilip Kumar: Did you know the actor said no to this Oscar-winning film?

By Online Desk

Film stars often strive for international recognition, but veteran actor Dilip Kumar didn’t harbour a similar sentiment despite receiving offers from Hollywood.

In 1962, Kumar turned down the chance to star in the British historical film ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, which went on to win an Oscar.

The film would have served as his Hollywood debut but he declined it stating that he didn’t need to act in movies abroad to prove his worth.

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“I felt I did not have to go to Hollywood to prove or satisfy myself,” Kumar had told Times of India in an interview.

Wife and actress Saira Banu also confirmed that Dilip Kumar didn’t have any Hollywood dreams.

“Dilip saab was never interested in Hollywood. David Lean (director) was interested in signing Dilip saab for Lawrence of Arabia. But he didn’t do it,” she told the Indian Express.

The actor, who passed away on Wednesday, was revered across the globe for his stellar performances in cult classics like ‘Devdas’ and ‘Mughal-E-Azam‘ among many other films in his impressive body of work spanning across five decades.

Kumar also sang the track ‘Lagi Nahi Chute’ for the 1957 film ‘Musafir’ alongside Lata Mangeshkar, which was also the only song he ever sang.

He was last seen in the 1998 film ‘Qila‘.

Dilip Kumar was laid to rest at Juhu Kabristan in Mumbai with full state honours.