One of the 'Big Three' who dominated Bollywood from the 40s to the 60s along with Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar has been taken ill with malaria and hospitalized at the Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai. Dilip is 86 years old. "Doctors at the hospital have diagnosed that he has malaria and have begun treating him for this," said a hospital statement, "Shri Dilip Kumar has begun showing signs of improvement. He will be in Lilavati Hospital for another two to three days."

Dilip, who is married to actress Saira Banu, helped to launch the star-centered era of Bollywood that still exists today. A winner of eight Filmfare Best Actor awards, he can list Andaaz in which he appeared with Raj Kumar and Nargis, Devdas, and Mughal-e-Azam, in which he played Prince Jehangir amongst his legendary performances.

In 2007, Dilip won the prestigious Phalke Ratna award, both for his efforts within the industry and in seeking to bring Pakistan and India closer together."The thought is important," he said at the time, "I feel honoured that even today, people love and remember me with so much respect. It is overwhelming." We hope he gets well soon!