Raaj Kumar

Raaj Kumar (born Kulbhushan Pandit; 8 October 1926

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Template:R protected 3 July 1996) was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi films. In a career that spanned over four decades, he went on to star in 70 films and is regarded as one of the most successful actors of Indian cinema.

Personal life

Kulbhushan Pandit was born on 8 October, 1926 in Loralai, in the Baluchistan Province of British India (now in Balochistan, Pakistan) into a Kashmiri family. Kumar's family were Kashmiri Pandits who had migrated from Srinagar to Balochistan.

In the late 1940s, Kumar moved to Bombay, where he became a sub-inspector under Bombay Police. In the 1960s, he married Jennifer Pandit, an Anglo-Indian, whom he met on a flight where she was an air hostess. She later changed her name to Gayatri Kumar as per Hindu customs. They had three children, sons Puru Raaj Kumar (an actor), Panini Raaj Kumar and daughter Vastavikta Pandit, who made her screen debut in 2006 film Eight: The Power of Shani.

Career

1952–1964: Early career and breakthrough

Raaj Kumar began his career with Rangeeli in 1952 and followed it with Anmol Sahar (1952), Aabshar (1953), Ghamand (1955), none of which could establish him. After many years of struggle, he got his breakthrough with Mehboob Khan's epic drama film Mother India (1957). It opened to critical acclaim and emerged an All Time Blockbuster at the box office as well as the most successful film of the 1950s. It went on to win several accolades and was featured in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. The huge box office success of Mother India was followed by another blockbuster in S. S. Vasan's social drama film Paigham (1959), which had Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala in the lead. Kumar received praise for his performance of a caring elder brother and got a nomination in the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor category.

Kumar began the new decade with Kishore Sahu's romantic drama Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai. The film proved to be a box office superhit with one of its song "Ajeeb Dastan Hai Yeh" sung by Lata Mangeshkar becoming a chartbuster. In 1961, he appeared alongside Rajendra Kumar and Asha Parekh in Gharana. A remake of Telugu blockbuster Shanthi Nivasam, the film proved to be equally successful in Hindi and emerged a superhit at the box office. After an absence lasting a year, he reunited with Rajendra Kumar and Meena Kumari for C. V. Sridhar's romantic drama Dil Ek Mandir. It opened to highly positive response from audience and went on to become a superhit with Kumar receiving Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film. His other major release of the year, Phool Bane Angaare also did reasonably well at the box office. In 1964, he once again worked with Rajendra Kumar and Vyjayanthimala in Ramanand Sagar's second directional venture Zindagi. The film opened to positive response and added one more box office hit in his kitty.

1965–1979: Rise to stardom and continued success

After many years of doing second leads, Raaj Kumar became a saleable star in 1965 with Yash Chopra's ensemble masala film Waqt and Ram Maheshwari's romantic drama Kaajal, both of which opened to massive response from audience and went on to become blockbusters. For portraying a sophisticated thief in Waqt, Kumar won massive acclaim and his second Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. His performance in Kaajal was also appreciated and he received his first and only nomination in the Filmfare Award for Best Actor category for the film. Kumar's other notable release of the year was Phani Majumdar's drama film Oonche Log co-starring Ashok Kumar and Feroz Khan. The film received positive reviews from critics and won National Film Award for Second Best Feature Film in Hindi. After having no release in 1966, the following year, he reunited with makers of Waqt for the suspense thriller Hamraaz. The film proved to be a major critical and commercial success, eventually emerging a blockbuster and winning National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. One of its song, "Neele Gagan Ke Tale", sung by Mahendra Kapoor and filmed on Kumar and Vimi proved to be an instant hit and won Kapoor his second Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer. He also reunited with C. V. Sridhar (the director of Dil Ek Mandir) for the multi-starrer social drama Nai Roshni, but contrary to expectations, it did not perform well. He concluded the decade with two biggies - Mere Huzoor and Neel Kamal. While the former co-starring Jeetendra and Mala Sinha did moderately well, the latter alongside Manoj Kumar and Waheeda Rehman was a blockbuster and one of the top five highest-grossing films of 1968. For portraying a soul longing for his lost love in Neel Kamal, Kumar received his fifth and final nomination in the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor category.

The early-1970s saw Kumar appearing in some of his most iconic films. His only release of 1970 was Chetan Anand's romantic musical Heer Raanjha opposite Priya Rajvansh. It opened to highly positive reviews from critics and emerged a box office hit. The soundtrack of Heer Raanjha composed by Madan Mohan was a chartbuster with a Mohammed Rafi solo - "Yeh Duniya, Yeh Mehfil Mere Kaam Ki Nahin" becoming a rage among the masses. The success of Heer Raanjha was followed by Lal Patthar and Maryada in 1971. While, Lal Patthar in which he got paired with Hema Malini was an average fare, Maryada opposite Mala Sinha and co-starring Rajesh Khanna proved to be a superhit. In 1972, Kumar appeared in Kamal Amrohi's magnum opus Pakeezah which also had Meena Kumari (in her final film appearance) and Ashok Kumar in the lead. Despite receiving polarizing reviews and being a slow starter, it went on to become a massive blockbuster at the box office and gained cult status in later years. Its soundtrack composed by Naushad dominated the musical charts and was the eighth best-selling Hindi film album of the 1970s.

Kumar then appeared in films, Dil Ka Raja (1972), Hindustan Ki Kasam (1973) and 36 Ghante (1974), all three of which flopped at the box office. This changed with Brij Sadanah's's action comedy film Ek Se Badhkar Ek (1976), alongside Ashok Kumar, Navin Nischol and Sharmila Tagore. The film performed very well at the box office and was also remade in Telugu as Mugguru Muggure. In 1978, Kumar reunited with Jeetendra and Mala Sinha for Ram Maheshwari's action drama film Karmayogi in which he played a double role. It opened to positive response from critics and emerged a superhit.

1980–1995: Career slump, comeback and final works

Kumar began the 1980s with Ram Maheshwari's dacoit drama Chambal Ki Kasam, which sank without a trace. In 1981, he had two releases, out of which, Esmayeel Shroff's crime thriller Bulundi proved to be a moderate fare while Chetan Anand's reincarnation drama Kudrat alongside Rajesh Khanna, Vinod Khanna, Hema Malini and Priya Rajvansh was a critical and commercial failure. In 1982, he reunited with Rajesh Khanna and Jeetendra for Sultan Ahmed's successful actioner Dharam Kanta. This was followed by a series of critical and commercial duds in Ek Nai Paheli (1984), Sharara (1984), Raaj Tilak (1984), Itihaas (1987), Muqaddar Ka Faisla (1987), Mohabbat Ke Dushman (1988), Saazish (1988), Mahaveera (1988) and Jung Baaz (1989). During this phase, Kumar remained steady with superhits in Mehul Kumar's Marte Dam Tak (1987) and Esmayeel Shroff's Suryaa: An Awakening (1989).

Kumar began the 1990s with another of Esmayeel Shroff's film, the crime thriller Police Public (1990). An adaptation of Oru CBI Diary Kurippu (1988), it performed well commercially and went on to become a box office hit. The following year, he reunited with his Paigham co-star Dilip Kumar for Subhash Ghai's action drama film Saudagar. The film took a record opening and emerged a blockbuster at the box office as well as the highest-earner of 1991. Its soundtrack composed by Laxmikant–Pyarelal was a chartbuster and the fourth best-selling Hindi film album of that year. The following year, he had another commercial success in K. C. Bokadia's Police Aur Mujrim. In 1993, Kumar starred alongside Nana Patekar in Mehul Kumar's magnum opus, the patriotic action drama Tirangaa (1993). Tirangaa opened to excellent response all over the nation and proved to be another blockbuster for the actor. It was also the final box office success of Kumar as his later films like Betaaj Badshah (1994), Jawab (1995) and God and Gun (1995) (which was his last film role) were critical and commercial failures.

Death

Kumar died at the age of 69 on 3 July 1996 from throat cancer. According to his son Puru Raaj Kumar in his interview to Farhana Farook, his father suffered from Hodgkins for which he had undergone chemotherapy. The last two years of his life were bad with the nodes recurring in the lungs and ribs.

Public image and legacy

Raaj Kumar is regarded as one of the greatest actors in Indian cinema. His gravelly baritone and distinctive dialogue delivery inspired writers to create larger than life roles infused with his trademark wit and sarcasm. Even when cast alongside major stars, and despite not being "conventionally handsome", his sharply enunciated dialogues often became the most memorable element of a film. His style, rooted in refinement and theatrical grace, set him apart from his contemporaries and established him as one of Hindi cinema’s foremost "dialogue kings."

Marked by exceptional clarity in Urdu, elegant phrasing, and a trademark sense of drama, his ability to elevate romantic lines, lengthy monologues, or moments of anguish with carefully measured pauses and refined articulation earned him a devoted following and made his voice a defining aspect of his screen presence. However, this highly stylised approach also became a limitation. As filmmakers increasingly relied on his vocal charisma and mannerisms, his performances grew repetitive, with exaggerated theatrics and ornate costumes overshadowing character depth.

His catch phrase Jaani, first heard in Waqt (1965), and his insistence on wearing white shoes became extensions of his on screen persona, earned him the name "Prince of Bollywood".

During the early 1970s, when Zeenat Aman was rapidly ascending to stardom following her breakout role in Hare Rama Hare Krishna, she met Raaj Kumar at a film premiere. Although she was already a rising star, Kumar reportedly said to her sarcastically: "Zeenat, you are very beautiful. Why don’t you try acting?"

Before his film career, he served as a sub inspector with the Bombay Police in Mahim. That experience instilled discipline and gravitas qualities he brought to every performance.

Despite his elegance, Kumar was also known for being outspoken and egocentric. Both actor Mukesh Khanna and director Subhash Ghai recalled having to temper his temperament on the set of Saudagar. Director Ramanand Sagar once claimed Kumar rejected the script for Aankhen with a curt joke asking if even the dog would accept it after which they never collaborated again.

A persistent anecdote from his police days tells of a violent altercation in which he allegedly beat a man who made a derogatory remark about a woman. Although the man reportedly died and Raaj Kumar was later acquitted the story deepened his larger than life mystique. In contrast many colleagues like Rajendra Kumar, Danny Denzongpa and Raza Murad recall his intellect wit and moments of genuine humility. One memorable account described him bending to receive a garland from a child an act of graciousness at odds with his imposing image.

In 2022, he was placed in Outlook IndiaTemplate:'s "75 Best Bollywood Actors" list.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1952	Rangeeli	N/A
	Anmol Sahara	N/A
1953	Aabshar	N/A
1955	Ghamand	N/A
1957	Krishna Sudama	N/A
	Mother India	Shyamu
	Nausherwan-E-Adil	Shehzada Naushazad / Joseph
	Neelmani	N/A
1958	Dulhan	Mohan
	Panchayat	Mohan
1959	Durga Mata	N/A
	Paigham	Ram Lal
	Shararat	Suraj
	Ardhangini	Prakash
	Swarg Se Sundar Desh Hamara	N/A
	Ujala	Kalu
1960	Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai	Dr. Sushil Verma
1961	Gharana	Kailash
1963	Dil Ek Mandir	Ram
	Godaan	Hari
	Phool Bane Angaare	Captain Rajesh
	Pyar Ka Bandhan	Kalu
1964	Zindagi	Gopal
1965	Waqt	Raja Chinnoy (Raju)
	Kaajal	Moti
	Oonche Log	Inspector Shrikant
	Rishte Naate	Sundar
1967	Hamraaz	Captain Rajesh
	Nai Roshni	Jyoti Kumar
1968	Mere Huzoor	Nawab Salim
	Neel Kamal	Chitrasen
	Vaasna	Kailash Chander
1970	Heer Raanjha	Ranjha
1971	Lal Patthar	Bahadur Gyan Shankar Rai
	Maryada	Raja Babu / Raj Bahadur
1972	Pakeezah	Salim Ahmed Khan	Template:Sfn
	Dil Ka Raaja	Raja Raghupati Singh / RajuTemplate:Efn
1973	Hindustan Ki Kasam	Rajib
1974	36 Ghante	Editor Ashok Rai
1976	Ek Se Badhkar Ek	Shankar
1978	Karmayogi	Shankar / MohanTemplate:Efn
1980	Chambal Ki Kasam	Thakur Suraj Singh
1981	Bulundi	Professor Satish Khurana
	Kudrat	Choudhary Janak Singh
1982	Dharam Kanta	Thakur Bhawani Singh
1983	Film Hi Film	Himself	Guest appearance
1984	Ek Nai Paheli	Upendranath
	Raaj Tilak	Samadh Khan
	Sharara	Dharamveer Singh Pathan
1987	Itihaas	Joginder Singh
	Marte Dam Tak	Sub Inspector Rana
	Muqaddar Ka Faisla	Pandit Krishnakant
1988	Mohabbat Ke Dushman	Rehmat Khan
	Saazish	Kailash
	Mahaveera	DSP Karamveer / Don
1989	Desh Ke Dushman	Sher Khan
	Jungbaaz	Advocate Krishna Prasad Saxena
	Galiyon Ka Badshah	Ram / Raja
	Suryaa: An Awakening	Collector Rajpal Chauhan
1990	Police Public	CBI Inspector Jagmohan Azad
1991	Saudagar	Thakur Rajeshwar Singh
1992	Police Aur Mujrim	Police Commissioner Veer Bahadur Singh
1993	Insaniyat Ke Devta	Jailor Rana Pratap
	Tirangaa	Brigadier Suryadev Singh
1994	Betaaj Badshah	Raja Prithviraj
	Ulfat Ki Nayee Manzilen	Raj
1995	Jawab	Ashwini Kumar Saxena
	God And Gun	Sahib Bahadur Rathore

Awards and nominations

• 1964 – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for Dil Ek Mandir
• 1966 – Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for Kaajal
• 1966 – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for Waqt
• 1966 – Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actor for Kaajal
• 1969 – Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for Neel Kamal

External links

• Template:Trim/ Template:PAGENAMEBASE at IMDbTemplate:EditAtWikidata