'Shame': Urmila Matondkar hits back at BJP leader for belittling Dilip Kumar

Actor and Shiv Sena leader Urmila Matondkar has called out the head of Haryana BJP's social media and IT wing for his condescending remarks upon iconic actor Dilip Kumar’s passing.

In a tweet written in Hindi, Yadav wrote, "The death of Mohammad Yusuf Khan (Dilip Kumar), who earned money by keeping a Hindu name in the film world, is an irreparable loss to the Indian film industry. [My] deepest condolences to the bereaved family, may God give peace to the departed soul!”

Matondkar, who entered politics with the Congress ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, according to NDTV, slammed Yadav with a corrosive three-word tweet. "Shame on you," she wrote, with a 'thumbs down' emoticon.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, also marked the late icon’s demise on their social media. "Dilip Kumar jee will be remembered as a cinematic legend. He was blessed with unparalleled brilliance, due to which audiences across generations were enthralled. His passing away is a loss to our cultural world. [Sending my] condolences to his family, friends and innumerable admirers. RIP," Modi tweeted.

One of Bollywood's finest actors and an inspiration for many in India and Pakistan, Kumar passed away on Wednesday, July 7, in Mumbai after a prolonged illness. A tweet posted from the actor's official handle by family friend Faisal Farooqui read: "With a heavy heart and profound grief, I announce the passing away of our beloved Dilip sahab a few minutes ago. We are from God and to Him we return."

Born Mohammad Yusuf Khan in December 1922, in Peshawar (which was then part of British territories in the subcontinent), the superstar assumed the name of Dilip Kumar before starring in his first film – 1944's Jwar Batta, which wasn’t exactly a hit at the box office. However, a legend was born and Kumar went on to star in some of Indian cinema's
most iconic films, including Naya Daur, Mughal-e-Azam, Devdas, Ram Aur Shyam, Andaz and Madhumati.

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