Raaj Kumar
Raaj Kumar | |
|---|---|
 Kumar in Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai (1960) | |
| Born | Kulbhushan Pandit 8 October 1926 |
| Died | 3 July 1996 (aged 69) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | |
| Years active | 1952–1995 |
| Employer | Bombay Police |
| Spouse(s) | Gayatri Kumar ( |
| Children | 3 (including Puru Raaj Kumar) |
Raaj Kumar (born Kulbhushan Pandit; 8 October 1926 – 3 July 1996) was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi films. He appeared in the Oscar-nominated 1957 film Mother India and starred in over 70 Hindi films in a career that spanned over four decades.
Personal life[edit]
Kulbhushan Pandit was born in Loralai, Baluchistan, British India (now Pakistan) in a Kashmiri Pandit family.[1] In the late 1940s, he moved to Bombay, where he became a sub-inspector under Bombay Police.[2] 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.[1] 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.[3]
Career[edit]
Raaj Kumar made his acting debut in the 1952 film Rangili and appeared in films like Aabshar, Ghamand and Lakhon Mein Ek, but it was as Prince Naushazad in Sohrab Modi's Nausherwan-E-Adil (1957) that he became famous. In 1957, he achieved prominence with his brief role as the husband of Nargis in Mother India. He also worked alongside Shammi Kapoor in Ujala (1959). He followed this with the unglamorous role of a mill worker in Paigham (1959) alongside Dilip Kumar. In Sridhar's Dil Ek Mandir (1963), Raaj Kumar played the role of a cancer patient for which he won the Filmfare Award in the Best supporting actor category.[4] He was cast with Sunil Dutt, Shashi Kapoor and Balraj Sahni in Yash Chopra's family drama Waqt in 1965.[5] He became known for his distinct style of dialogue delivery.[6]
His other notable films included Hamraaz (1967), Heer Raanjha (1971), Maryada (1971), Lal Patthar (1971) and Pakeezah (1972). After a period of flops in the late 1970s and early 1980s, he had notable successes as a supporting actor in Kudrat (1981), Ek Nai Paheli (1984), Marte Dam Tak (1987), Muqaddar Ka Faisla (1987) and Jung Baaz (1989). In 1991, he reunited with fellow veteran actor Dilip Kumar after 32 years in Subhash Ghai's Saudagar. His last hit film was the 1992 film Tirangaa and his final film was 1995's God & Gun.
Death[edit]
Kumar died at the age of 69 on 3 July 1996 due to throat cancer.[7][8] According to his son Puru Raaj Kumar in his interview to Farhana Farook, his father suffered from Hodgkins for which he had chemotherapy. The last two years of his life were bad with the nodes recurring in the lungs and ribs.[9]
Filmography[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Rangeeli | ||
| Anmol Sahara | |||
| 1953 | Aabshar | ||
| 1955 | Ghamand | ||
| 1957 | Krishna Sudama | ||
| Mother India | Shyamu | ||
| Nausherwan-E-Adil | Shehzada Naushazad / Joseph | ||
| 1958 | Dulhan | Mohan | |
| Panchayat | Mohan | ||
| 1959 | Durga Mata | ||
| Paigham | Ram Lal | Nominated - Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| Shararat | Suraj | ||
| Ardhangini | Prakash | ||
| Swarg Se Sundar Desh Hamara | |||
| Ujala | Kalu | ||
| 1960 | Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai | Dr. Sushil Verma | |
| 1961 | Gharana | Kailash | |
| 1963 | Dil Ek Mandir | Ram | Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| Godaan | Hari | ||
| Phool Bane Angaare | Captain Rajesh | ||
| Pyar Ka Bandhan | Kalu | ||
| 1964 | Zindagi | Gopal | |
| 1965 | Waqt | Raju / Raja | Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| Kaajal | Moti | Nominated - Filmfare Award for Best Actor
Nominated - Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| Oonche Log | Inspector Shrikant | ||
| Rishte Naate | Sundar | ||
| 1967 | Hamraaz | Captain Rajesh | |
| Nai Roshni | Jyoti Kumar | ||
| 1968 | Mere Huzoor | Nawab Salim | |
| Neel Kamal | Chitrasen | Nominated - Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| Vaasna | Kailash Chander | ||
| 1970 | Heer Raanjha | Ranjha | |
| 1971 | Lal Patthar | Kumar Bahadur Gyan Shankar Rai | |
| Maryada | Raja Babu / Raj Bahadur | ||
| 1972 | Pakeezah | Salim Ahmed Khan | |
| Dil Ka Raaja | Raja Vichitra Raghupati Singh / Raja Raj Singh 'Raju' | Double Role | |
| 1973 | Hindustan Ki Kasam | Rajib | |
| 1974 | 36 Ghante | Editor Ashok Rai | |
| 1976 | Ek Se Badhkar Ek | Shankar | |
| 1978 | Karmayogi | Shankar / Mohan | Double Role |
| 1980 | Chambal Ki Kasam | Thakur Suraj Singh | |
| 1981 | Bulundi | Professor Satish Khurana | |
| Kudrat | Choudhary Janak Singh | ||
| 1982 | Dharam Kanta | Thakur Bhawani Singh | |
| 1984 | Ek Nai Paheli | Upendranath | |
| Raaj Tilak | Samadh Khan | ||
| Sharara | Dharamveer Singh Pathan | ||
| 1987 | Itihaas | Joginder Singh | |
| Marte Dam Tak | Sub Inspector Rane / 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 | 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 Singh | |
| Tirangaa | Brigadier Suryadev Singh | ||
| 1994 | Ulfat Ki Nayee Manzilen | Raj | |
| Betaaj Badshah | Raja Prithviraj | ||
| 1995 | Jawab | Ashwini Kumar Saxena | |
| God And Gun | Sahib Bahadur Rathore |
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Purru Raaj Kumar: Dad was Bizzare [sic] But Never Boring". iDiva.com. 21 February 2013. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ "Remembering Raaj Kumar: 10 facts about the veteran Bollywood actor". India Today. 8 October 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
- ^ "Raaj Kumar's daughter VASTAVIKTA debuts - bollywood news : glamsham.com". glamsham.com. Archived from the original on 18 August 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
- ^ "Blast From the Past – Dil Ek Mandir (1963)". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 29 January 2010. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013.
- ^ "Raj Kumar of dialogue delivery". Archived from the original on 28 September 2012.
- ^ "King of dialogue delivery". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 17 October 2011. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013.
- ^ Dhawan, M. L. (29 June 2003). "Remembering A Legend". The Sunday Tribune. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
- ^ Singh, Kuldip (6 July 1996). "Obituary Raaj Kumar". The Independent. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
- ^ Farook, Farhana (21 February 2013). "Dad Was Bizarre But Never Boring". news-entertainment. iDiva.com. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
External links[edit]
- Raaj Kumar at IMDb
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